Adopting email marketing best practices isn’t about ticking boxes. It’s about execution. During this webinar I discuss a variety of best practices and share real-world examples of brands with good, bad and the best executions. Topics covered include signup forms, welcome emails, mobile-friendly emails, preheaders, personalization, unsubscribe pages, and more.

1. The Good, the Bad, and the Best
Practices for a Post-Wild West Email Marketing World
Chad White
Principal of Marketing Research at ExactTarget
Author of Email Marketing Rules

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3. Chad White
Principal of Marketing Research at ExactTarget
Author of Email Marketing Rules
Long-time blogger – 2,500 posts and counting
Email Insider columnist for MediaPost
Former journalist at Dow Jones and Condé Nast
@chadswhite

4. What are best practices?

5. Have you heard this?
“Best practices are old-school.
New-school marketing doesn’t
have best practices.”

6. Have you heard this?
“The best practice is the practice that
is best for your business.”

7. Have you heard this?
“If there’s one example of a
marketer successfully breaking
a best practice, then it’s no longer
a best practice.”

8. Have you heard this?
“The best practice is what most
companies do.”

9. Have you heard this?
“Best practices define mediocrity.”

10. “Best practices are
those practices that
generally produce
the best results or
minimize risk.”
@chadswhite

11. Adopting best
practices isn’t about
ticking boxes.
It’s about execution.
@chadswhite

12. @chadswhite

13. Let’s look at the GOOD,
the BAD, and the BEST of
8 email marketing practices…
@chadswhite

14. 1.
Signup
Process

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22. 2.
Signup
Confirmation
Pages

23. Signup Confirmation Pages…
• Confirm opt-in was successful
• Set expectations
• Collect more subscriber data
• Secure additional opt-ins
• Engage with offers or content
@chadswhite

24. @chadswhite

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27. 3.
Welcome
Emails

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38. 4.
Preheader
Text

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43. 5.
Defensive
Design

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52. 6.
MobileFriendliness

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60. 7.
Personalization

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63. Lenovo, welcome email — Chad, thank you for signing up.
Enjoy your exclusive Lenovo offer.
Michael’s, progressive profiling email — Chad, isn't it time we
got to know each other?
Olive Garden, birthday email — Chad, go celebrate your
birthday with a free app or dessert!
ThinkGeek, 5/17/13 — Chad, I am your father
@chadswhite

64. FragranceNet, 10/7/13 — Just for you, . $10 OFF + Free
Shipping*
Subway, 9/4/13 — Chad, it's time to celebrate! Any regular
FOOTLONG(TM) is a $5 FOOTLONG(TM) all SUBtember(R)
long. (At participating restaurants. Pricing details inside.)
Volkswagen, 2/22/13 — Chad, don't miss out on a limited-time
offer on the 2013 Passat
Chili’s, 7/21/13 — 2 Coupons for Chad
@chadswhite

65. @chadswhite

66. 8.
Unsubscribe
Process

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71. “Email marketing’s
impressive power
obscures
an unfortunate
truth…”
@chadswhite

72. “Poor practices
are blunting email
marketing’s
effectiveness and
keeping its ROI from
being truly awesome.”
@chadswhite

73. Has this session inspired you
to make an improvement to
your email program?
If so, please share it on DFChatter or Twitter.
@chadswhite

74. EmailMarketingRules.com
rules.ws
Design Track Resources
pages.exacttarget.com/etdesign

75. Don’t Forget Your
Complimentary
Copy of Email
Marketing Rules
@chadswhite