Email Marketing Best Practice Six BIG questions to improve results presented to: E-business 2009 Conference, The National B2B Centre 17 th September 2009 Dave Chaffey, Marketing Insights Limited www.davechaffey.com/presentations www.twitter.com/DaveChaffey

About Dave Chaffey

Agenda – Email Marketing Best Practice: 6 questions to improve your results Image blocking, banner blindness 5 Is our creative effective? Event-triggers, dynamic content insertion 4 Are our emails contextual? Reputation 2 Are our messages REALLY getting through? Google Analytics, Bounce rates 6 Are we tracking “after the click”? Activity levels 3 How engaged are our audiences? Run-of-site, Value-led call-to-action 1 Are we maximising signup and profiling? Key theme Email question

Question 1 Are we maximising signup and profiling?

Use a run-of-site, above the fold sign-up

Use a run-of-site, above the fold sign-up

Capture key profile fields Tips: 1. KISS 2. WIFM 3. Identify 2-3 key fields for lead qualification and targeting. Make mandatory. 4. Pre-tick sign-up – implied opt-in under Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 5. Use incentives or show value to maximise signup.

“ Learn more through time”: “Watch or Ask”

Question 2 Are our messages REALLY getting through? Not bounce rate, but Inbox deliverability

Why don’t your messages get through According to a DMA UK National Benchmarking report ( www.dma.org.uk ) average hard bounce rates are around 3%. The typical breakdown for an email bounce is: Address does not exist, c30% Invalid address syntax, c15% Invalid domain, c25% Mailbox full, c15% Message too large, c2% Blocked as spam, c8% www.returnpath.net for US and Canada

According to a DMA UK National Benchmarking report ( www.dma.org.uk ) average hard bounce rates are around 3%. The typical breakdown for an email bounce is:

Address does not exist, c30%

Invalid address syntax, c15%

Invalid domain, c25%

Mailbox full, c15%

Message too large, c2%

Blocked as spam, c8%

Actions to help delivery 1. Before you send email (Content) A. Limit use of spam keyphrases B. Test e-mail against spam checker, use: www.lyris.com/resources/contentchecker See www.spamassassin.org C. Test delivery / renderability in ISPs/Firewalls D. Educate your list members to whitelist you E. Setup Email server with best practice: Use subdomain: http://email.domain.com , SPF, SenderID, etc 2. After you send Email (Reputation): A. Remove bounces after 3 times (automatic) B. Track complaints through ‘closed-looped systems’ C. Track Opens and Clicks across web mail companies and main corporate clients

1. Before you send email (Content)

A. Limit use of spam keyphrases

B. Test e-mail against spam checker, use: www.lyris.com/resources/contentchecker

See www.spamassassin.org

C. Test delivery / renderability in ISPs/Firewalls

D. Educate your list members to whitelist you

E. Setup Email server with best practice: Use subdomain: http://email.domain.com , SPF, SenderID, etc

2. After you send Email (Reputation):

A. Remove bounces after 3 times (automatic)

B. Track complaints through ‘closed-looped systems’

C. Track Opens and Clicks across web mail companies and main corporate clients

Question 3. How engaged are our audiences?

3 advanced ways of measuring email engagement How do you measure engagement with email? Open/clicks/CTOR is NOT good enough, instead… Measure % Activity = Opens/clicks/CTOR/sales: 1. At position in lifecycle 2. By segment 3. By offer / email type 4. Aggregated over a longer time period

How do you measure engagement with email?

Open/clicks/CTOR is NOT good enough, instead…

Measure % Activity = Opens/clicks/CTOR/sales:

1. At position in lifecycle

2. By segment

3. By offer / email type

4. Aggregated over a longer time period

Measuring list activity – email engagement These “hurdle rates” are for whole list. Repeat: By segment By product categories purchased Tip. Measure the overall health of your list through activity / inactivity levels over time

These “hurdle rates” are for whole list. Repeat:

By segment

By product categories purchased

Source: http://www.slideshare.net/gamages/advertising-fireworks-social-bonfires

E-newsletter success is all about relevant content B2B Make my work easier Help me develop Make me look good Give me a great deal B2C Make my life easier Help me learn / have fun Make me look good Give me a great deal See http://snipurl.com/26g8j

B2B

Make my work easier

Help me develop

Make me look good

Give me a great deal

B2C

Make my life easier

Help me learn / have fun

Make me look good

Give me a great deal

Integrating your email newsletter with social media: a virtuous circle 1 Blog 3. Company Twitter 5. Email Newsletter 2. RSS Feed 4. Facebook Fan page Track with bit.ly Track with bit.ly Track with Google Analytics Track with Feedburner Track with GA or ESP system Manual update or automatically withTwitterfeed Automatic feed with Feedburner Most popular topics selected Auto Update With App

Question 4 Are our emails contextual?

Why Right Touching? The most famous touch

What is “Right Touching”? Right Touching is: A Multi-channel Communications Strategy Customised for Individuals Which… Delivers the Right Value Proposition Accompanied by the Right Message With the Right Tone At the Right Time With the Righ t Frequency and Interval Using the Right Media / Communications channels To achieve… Right balance of value between both parties Tip: Automate email touches, targeting and content where practical

Right Touching is:

A Multi-channel Communications Strategy

Customised for Individuals

Which…

Delivers the Right Value Proposition

Accompanied by the Right Message

With the Right Tone

At the Right Time

With the Righ t Frequency and Interval

Using the Right Media / Communications channels

To achieve…

Right balance of value between both parties

Examples of basic registration triggered e-mails B2B registration follow-up B2C brand education

BT - It’s all about past actions… “Recognition of activity” and dynamic content insertion Purchase Dispatched +7d +14d +21d Recognition of previous purchase

More Amazon triggered examples Recognition of previous category browsing Recognition of previous category browsing

5 Is our creative effective?

Using eyetracking research to inform Email design Heading and subhead copy critical First 2-3 words most important Make hyperlinked Large fonts work well Images often missed Use text link calls-to-action Readers scan down the left of an E-mail First part of para important F shape eyetrack Email intros skipped Use to personalise and engage e.g. with hyperlinks Need to deliver Scannability and Skimmability

Heading and subhead copy critical

First 2-3 words most important

Make hyperlinked

Large fonts work well

Images often missed

Use text link calls-to-action

Readers scan down the left of an E-mail

First part of para important

F shape eyetrack

Email intros skipped

Use to personalise and engage e.g. with hyperlinks

Test! Test! Test! “Data Trumps Intuition” Test version A Send Volume: 10,000 Sample criteria: Random Click through rate: 6.1% Test version B Send Volume: 10,000 Sample criteria: Random Click through rate: 4.5% Main Broadcast Send Volume: 180,000 Click through rate: 5.8% Source:

Which layouts do you use / work? Source:

Effective B2B Enewsletter template layout

Before After Aims: Use left column Disrupt symmetry Use scannable headlines Introduce editorial

Aims:

Use left column

Disrupt symmetry

Use scannable headlines

Introduce editorial

Don’t give too much choice?! Six different jams. 40% of the customers stopped to taste. 30% of those bought. Twenty-four different jams. 60% of the customers stopped to taste. But only 3% bought! http://sivers.org/jam

Six different jams. 40% of the customers stopped to taste. 30% of those bought.

Twenty-four different jams. 60% of the customers stopped to taste. But only 3% bought! http://sivers.org/jam

How many links should we have? Source:

Get seen! Beware image blocking

What makes email recipients click?

6 Are we tracking “after the click”?

Define standard email tracking codes – example: Name: &utm_campaign=SBIT210809C Source: &utm_source=ES_BITE_Email Medium: &utm_medium=Internal_Email Content: &utm_content=SBIT210809C_Cabaret_Image Tip: Use conversion goals and bounce rate to assess effectiveness

Define standard email tracking codes – example:

Name: &utm_campaign=SBIT210809C

Source: &utm_source=ES_BITE_Email

Medium: &utm_medium=Internal_Email

Content: &utm_content=SBIT210809C_Cabaret_Image

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