Notes Version: Email Marketing - Part IV

9/30/2011

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Laurence RothmanSenior Consultant, Brand Reputation, [email protected]@LaurenceRothman

Corey DuncanInteractive Creative Director, PulsePoint/[email protected]@Corey_Duncan#datranmedia,#pulsepoint#stormpost

Lets Get CreativeInstructors

Agenda

• State of the Union

• Aligning Creative with Business Strategy

• From Strategy to Execution

Best Practices Based Implementation

Email Anatomy 101

Design and Copy

Testing and Optimization

• Winners & Losers

• Q&A

Lets Get Creative

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State of the Union

The Death of Email has Been Greatly

Exaggerated!!!

…and, surprise….It integrates with social!

State of the UnionAn Extreme Example Across Desktop, Social and Mobile

State of the UnionEmail is Everywhere

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State of the UnionEmail + Social = Better Performance Across Both Channels

Basic HTMLAdvanced HTML & CSS Text

State of the Union…and it Translates Very Well to Mobile for Those on the Go!

Mobile is not a fad

— “Mobile will become the single most dominant media there is.” –Kodak

— During weekends, ESPN.com is visited by more mobile users than desktop.

— “Working with Microsoft, we discovered that mobile web users are 3 times more likely to find what they are looking for when a site is optimized for mobile.” –Icon Mobile

— By 2013, more mobile phones than desktop computers will be using internet browsers.

State of the UnionTrends – Mobile Devices

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Mobile is not a fad

State of the UnionTrends – Mobile Devices

SOURCE: YESMAIL 2010 “USER AGENT” TESTING

PREDICTION: By the end of 2011, one third of your list may be reading your email on their phones.

0.00%

2.00%

4.00%

6.00%

8.00%

10.00%

12.00%

14.00%

16.00%

2008 2009 2010 2011

Opens on a Mobile Device

.25%

1-3%

4%

12-15%

Basic HTMLAdvanced HTML & CSS Text

State of the UnionTrends – Email on Mobile

160 characters can be powerful.

— SMS has nearly 80% mobile penetration and thus is most utilized by customers.

• Customers rarely ignore a text message. This presents an immense opportunity for marketers.

— Immediate results!

— Polls

— Promo Blasts

— Coupons

— Order Confirmations

— Email Acquisition

— Account Alerts

— Text for Info

State of the UnionTrends – SMS

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DELIVERY

There are three methods for delivering video content via email:

1. Static image: A static image simply features a static imageof one of the frames of the video

2. Animated GIF: An animated or video gif uses a compressed, streamed animated gif to deliver video-quality content.

3. Embedded video: Currently Goodmail Systems is rolling out its CertifiedVideo service, which enables full video and audio, but only on the AOL platform. Yahoo making strides with JavaScript within email.

State of the UnionTrends – Video

STATIC IMAGES

Use strong visual cues to indicate video to encourage subscribers to click through to web-hosted video.

• Play buttons

• Frames that look like YouTube, Windows Media or Quicktimevideo players

• Video verbiage

Benefits:

• The least expensive of the three delivery options

Disadvantages:

• No movement to catch subscriber’s eye

• Subscriber must click for video and audio


VIDEO GIF

A video gif uses a compressed,streamed animated gif to deliver video-quality content

Benefits:

• Subscribers can preview video images

• Grabs readers attention

• Most reliable

Disadvantages:

• No audio

• Low video quality

• Deliverability issuesdue to file size


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VIDEO GIF

A video gif uses a compressed,streamed animated gif to deliver video-quality content

Benefits:

• Subscribers can preview video images

• Grabs readers attention

• Most reliable

Disadvantages:

• No audio

• Low video quality

• Deliverability issuesdue to file size


EMBEDDED VIDEO

Using Flash mostly you canembed video files that play within the email window itself

(soon JavaScript and HTML5may change the game)

Benefits:

• User does not have to leaveemail window to watch video

• Captures readers attention

Disadvantages:

• Limited autoplay, rely on back up image and linking

• Will only work with a few emailclients, mostly Apple Mail


There are three ways to integrate social media and email marketing:

1. Social Linking – Simply linking to your company’s social page

2. Sharing – The ability to share specific content from your email on social networks

3. Dispatches – Taking content from social networks and inserting them into emails creating relevant and interesting content

State of the UnionTrends – Social

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Social Linking Simply linking from your email to your company’s social page

Social Sharing The ability to share specificcontent from your email on social networks

Sharing = Liking, Sharing or Tweeting



Social Dispatches Taking content from social networks and inserting them into emails creating relevant and interesting content

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WHY?

• Consumers will receive 9000+ marketing messages annually by 2014 – that’s 25 a day!

• Email is a mature channel

• You aren’t just competing with companies in the same vertical, but with all companies in the email channel who are competing for your subscribers’ attention

• Knowing basic best practices isn’t enough anymore, must consider:

— Lifecycle marketing

— Advanced strategies

— Mobile, social, & video

State of the UnionMastering Email Marketing is Not Easy

Aligning Creative Goals with Core Business StrategiesTake Creative To Infinity and Beyond

1. Know Your Audience

2. Plan Your Strategy

3. Define Your Measurement Success

Aligning Creative Goals with Core Business StrategiesPre-Requisites

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Aligning Goals and StrategyKnow Your Audience

Your Audience

1. Who (demo, behavior, other needs)

2. What /Why (do they expect from you?)- Information- Breaking news- Loyalty discounts and promos- Singles matches- Weather

3. When - What are their RFM needs?- Do those change?- When might they need you most?

4. How do they prefer to hear from you? - Format (HTML, text, etc…)- Does that change by device/type ofcommunication

5. Where are they viewing your email?- Desktop?- Mobile?- Tablet?


Audience MeasurementUsing audience measurement technology will give you a true picture of who is interacting with you emails… the more you know the better you can target their behaviors and interests


Where are they reading your emails?Understanding where and how your audience reads your emails can help you optimize and devise content strategies that work more broadly

Source: Sample ReturnPath data

71%That’s 7 in 10 users

Computerof email opens are on the


Mobile Deviceof email opens are on a

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Where are they reading your emails?Understanding where and how your audience reads your emails can help you optimize and devise content strategies that work more broadly

iPad18%

Blackberry0%

Symbian0%

Palm1%

Android13%

iPhone68%

Mobile Opens by Device Type

Source: Sample ReturnPath data


iPhoneof mobile opens are on the


iPadof mobile opens are on the


Operating Systems Matter

Source: litmus.com blog: The Current State of Mobile Email Compatibility, May 2011


Click Maps and Heat MapsKnowing how your audience reads and interacts with your communication; knowing exactly where their eye or mouse cursors go can help determine if your message is clear and readers are taking the correct CTA

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Using Data to Incorporate Dynamic ContentKnowing more about your consumer and making content more relevant can pay off

• Once you understand where your audience is reading their email, how they read it, why they read it… then you can start to plan a creative approach that meets your overall marketing goal.

• There is no silver bullet, know your audience! Relevant content is still king.


ACQUIRE CONVERT GROW RETAIN REACTIVATE

What marketing programs will help you capture new email addresses?

What marketing programs will help you convert prospects to customers?

What marketing programs will help you grow customer value?

What marketing programs will help you ensure customer loyalty?

What marketing programs will help you win back lost customers?

SUSPECT PROSPECT CUSTOMER ACTIVE CUSTOMER

RECAPTURED CUSTOMER

Aligning Goals and StrategyPlan Your Strategy

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Delivery Engagement Revenue

Measure of success getting messages to your audience

Measure of subscriber interaction with campaign

Measure of financial impact

Bounce Rate

Spam Complaint Rate

Inbox Delivery Rate

Open Rate Revenue

Click-Through Rate Conversion Rate

Click-to-Open Rate Average Order Value

Unsubscribe Rate Revenue Per Email

bounces/emails sent

spam complaints/emails delivered

emails that reach the inbox

opens/emails delivered

total clicks/emails delivered

total clicks/total opens

unsubscribes/emails delivered

revenue per campaign

orders/visits

revenue/bookings

revenue/emails delivered

Aligning Goals and StrategyDefine Your Measurement Success

From Strategy to ExecutionCreative Best Practices that Drive Results!

a bit like print…

• What works for print does not always translate well to email.

• Recipients rarely see an email in its entirety, so information hierarchy is critical, with the most important information at the top, working down.

• Images can help tell a story, but if they are too large and take too long to download, or they push the key points too far down along the page, or they are not properly alt-tagged, they hinder rather than help.

a bit like web…

• The principles of web design often apply to email, but with notable exceptions.

• Width matters more than length.

• In email, complex coding increases cost and production times as well as jeopardizes rendering and user experience.

• In email, rich media including forms, scripting and Flash usually don’t render correctly... or at all

From Strategy to ExecutionWhile a “Variation on a Rectangle”, Email is Not Print or the Web

Email is very much it’s own medium with it’s own set of rules… IF you follow best practice.

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You are invited to click

“The email you send is the invitation. The website you drive them to is the party. The more beautifully crafted the invite, the better turnout the party will get.”

- Corey Duncan, PulsePoint

• Viewing an email is different from browsing online

• Viewers are not necessarily looking for something

• They need to be pulled more vigorously

From Strategy to ExecutionThe Email Inbox is Your Runway

• Preheader

• Header

• Navigation

• Table of Contents

• Primary Message

• Submessage(s)

• Siderail

• Recovery Module

• Footer

From Strategy to ExecutionEmail Anatomy 101 - Skeleton

• Snippet text appears in Outlook and Gmail

• Only 21% of major retailers have optimized their email for snippet

From Strategy to ExecutionEmail Anatomy 101 – Subject Line & Pre-Header (Snippet Text)

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From Strategy to ExecutionEmail Anatomy 101 – Pre-Header

• The preheader is the usually-small and subdued text blurb at the top of an email that includes some combination of the below:

o Content teaser snippet(s)

o View with images/view mobile version prompt

o Add to address book or ensure future delivery prompt

• Preheaders can be used to:o Reinforce the subject line and highlight the primary message of the email

o Extend the subject line and highlight secondary messages in the email

o Feature calls-to-action not present anywhere else in the email

OLD

NEW

From Strategy to ExecutionEmail Anatomy 101 – Pre-Header

From Strategy to ExecutionEmail Anatomy 101 – Header & Navigation

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HOT

SMART


Your header and navigation should change based on message content


From Strategy to ExecutionEmail Anatomy 101 – Primary Message

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• Balance imagery and text

• Include prominent call-to-action

• Link to matching web page for increased conversion

EMAIL

WEBSITE

From Strategy to ExecutionEmail Anatomy 101 – Primary Message

From Strategy to ExecutionEmail Anatomy 101 – Sub-Messages

• Use visual prompts like color, headlines, imagery and graphics to guide viewers’ gaze

• Test submessage count tolerance

SIDERAIL

LAYERCAKE


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• Test submessage count tolerance –not just once, but periodically

• Be aware of the law of diminishing returns; sometimes, less is more

YIKES!


From Strategy to ExecutionEmail Anatomy 101 – The Recovery Module & Footer

Recovery Module

• The final outpost; acts as a catch-all

• Include alternate content links

• Add incentives to inspire engagement

Footer

• Include subscription management links

• Include forward to a friend

• Ensure CAN-SPAM compliance

Just in case you were totally bored by everything else,

here’s some other stuff…

”

“

From Strategy to ExecutionEmail Anatomy 101 – The Recovery Module & Footer

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• Umbrella your GSF with a benefits-focused headline

• Use equi-sized modules for easy last-minute message swap-outs

• Link to your website gift center — it’s a great catch-all for gift givers

• Promote gift cards — they’re so hot right now

• Surface gift services — the unique ways you help make holiday shopping easy

• Detail order-by dates, particularly as we approach mid-December

• Dynamically generate local retail store info to drive brick-and-mortar traffic

HOT HOLIDAY

TIP

From Strategy to ExecutionEmail Anatomy 101 – The Gift Services Footer

HOT HOLIDAY

TIP

From Strategy to ExecutionEmail Anatomy 101 – The Gift Services Footer

• If an email is your “invite,” then the party it leads to should be an equally experiential destination for your audience.

• A well-designed email draws the customer to your brand; a well-designed landing page is where you full engage them with your brand and offerings.

• Tightly coupled email and landing page combinations can be an effective means to increase conversion

From Strategy to ExecutionDesign – Landing Pages

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EMAIL

WEBSITE

From Strategy to ExecutionDesign – Landing Pages

• Group content in separate modules

• Include clear content section headers

• Place imagery in an “S-curve” to guide gaze across and down page

• Use button treatment for primary call-to-action

• Include alternate HTML text calls-to-action

• For longer-form mails, include a TOC

From Strategy to ExecutionDesign – Getting Your Message Seen

One flexible template.Three configurations! Now that’s smart design.

A library of flexible creative elements from which REI builds a range of message configurations

From Strategy to ExecutionDesign – Modular Makes Creatives Easy to Optimize and Test

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• Be brief, you have 2-5 seconds

• Keep copy focused

• Use bullet points

• Make call-to-action clear and direct

From Strategy to ExecutionCopy – Getting Your Message Read

Before

Hello James,

This Saturday is your last chance

to register for the Email Evolution

Conference. This year you’ll see

how to craft email copy, grade

your emails and learn about

activation strategy.

After

Hi James!

Email Evolution Conference:

Last Chance to Register by Saturday

See how to:

• Craft email copy

• Grade your email designs

• Learn about activation strategy


• Headlines should be short and catchy

• Your headlines should work with your calls-to-action (because that’s all people read anyway!)

• Example: Liquid AssetsShop Fluid Outfits »


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• Effective Calls-to-Action are Key!

• Recipients want to know where you’re taking them

• “Read more” is vague

• Use more descriptive action words:

– Shop shoes now

– Sign up!

– See it now

– Get in there!

– Check it out!

– Buy now


• Personalizationo You had 1 guestbook signature this year, Alexanne (Classmates)

• Brandingo Moosejaw Daily Madness (Moosejaw)

• Product/Categoryo A&F Premium Jeans (Abercrombie)

o Find the Perfect Party Dress (Nordstrom)

• Benefito Exclusive Online Offers. More Than $3,200 In Savings (Costco)

• Seasonal hookso Get on this Autumn's Floral Trend with a fragrant offer (Johnnie Boden)

• Urgency/Deadlines o EXTRA 10% OFF: 1-Day Shoe Sale - Now Up To 70% Off! (Bluefly)

• Other key wordso Great Value: Exclusive Cuisinart 9-Speed Hand Mixer (Williams-Sonoma)

From Strategy to ExecutionCopy – Subject Lines

• Subject lines of less than 60 characters proved best for optimizing open rates

Outfits now, outfits later. (Anthropologie)

• Click, click-to-open, and conversion rates are optimized by subject lines of over 70 characters

Matte skin is in! FREE shipping with Benefit's NEW matte-finish loose

powder, material girl. (Benefit Cosmetics)


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Epsilon Study:

“Rethinking the Relationship between Subject Line Length and Email

Performance: A New Perspective on Subject Line Design”

• Subject line length isn’t as important as commonly thought

• Order of the information is more important

SL1: “This weekend only at your local Acme Store, special savings on Ladies Apparel!”time > brand > benefit > category

SL2: “Special savings on Ladies Apparel at your local Acme Store this weekend only!”benefit > category > brand > time

Test into length and

order!


Ask yourself, “Is this email truly compelling?”• What is this about?

• Why should my subscribers care?

• What do they do about it?

Consider the above-the-fold mark and the preview pane

Include a good balance of images and text

Provide clear primary and alternate calls-to-action

Throw in a few bells and whistles

Personalize

Leverage dynamic content

Feature user-generated content

From Strategy to ExecutionBefore You Push Send…

KEYS TO CREATIVE TESTING

• Test constantly

• Make tests controlled and easy to understand

• Use results to inform the design process

• Creative test ideas:o Subject lines

o Copy length

o Call-to-action treatments

o Prices and product names

o Photography

o Bells and whistles

o Personalization

o Landing pages

From Strategy to ExecutionTesting and Optimization

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Version A

Feature

Promo

From Strategy to ExecutionTesting and Optimization - Example

Version A

Feature

Promo

Pillsbury Email Newsletter

• Selected random test groups

• Testing occurred over a three month period

• Tested with every email send until all the main components were performing at the highest level

• We’ll look at the two most significant tests

Version A

Feature

Promo


Version A

Feature

Promo

THE FIRST COURSE

Test 1 was an A/B split betweentwo versions of the feature andtwo versions of promo spots

Version B

Feature

Promo


THE FIRST COURSE

Test 1 was an A/B split betweentwo versions of the feature andtwo versions of promo spots

• New promo spot had 95%increase in gross clicks

• Feature performed slightly better in old version

• Overall, the two versions were flat on interaction due to fewer feature clicks

Version B

Feature

Promo

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Feature Version A Feature Version B

Feature Version C Feature Version D


THE SECOND COURSE

Test 2 was an A/B/C/D split between four versions of the feature area


THE SECOND COURSE• Version C feature area generated 3.5 % more clicks than the second place design and 5.2% more clicks than the control

• Version C also led all of the tests in overall interaction and click rates

THE REVIEWS

• Overall interaction rate with new design was 70% higher than old design

• Pick and choose the best of the best

• Full-scale the creative tests that do well

• Continue to tweak and test content that is not performing as well

• Apply test learnings to other platforms as appropriate


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What challenges and opportunities does this mail present?

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What was done well?–

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What could be improved?–

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What testing opportunities do you see?

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Winners and LosersP.F. Changs


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Winners and LosersMont Blanc

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Winners and LosersAmerican Girl


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Winners and LosersBanana Republic


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Winners and LosersDomino’s

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Winners and LosersTide


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Winners and LosersBally Total Fitness


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Winners and LosersREI

Technology

Notes Version: Email Marketing - Part IV