Webinar: Promoting America State by State: Email Expert Review of Fifty State Tourism Agencies

August 26, 2010
Promoting America State by State:
Email Expert Review of Fifty State Tourism Agencies

Dr. Philip Rhodes, Ph.D.
Philip holds a Ph.D. in Information Design from the University of Portsmouth. He has extensive research and teaching experience in hypermedia design and information architecture. He speaks fluent Portuguese, having lived and worked in Brazil. Before joining OTOinsights, he worked with US solution providers Rare Medium and Sapient, as Director of Information Architecture. Specializing in offering user-centric online solutions within the banking, education, and telecommunications sectors. He also taught at several universities in Brazil and the UK, and has been widely published. Philip is both the Managing Director and the Director of Customer Experience Research & Design at OTOinsights, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
Managing Director & Director of Research

Agenda

OTOinsights Overview

Established in 1997, One to One Interactive is the first global enterprise to assemble a complete solution for brands, agencies, and publishers executing one-to-one marketing strategies. The company employs over 140 professionals in 7 offices located in North America, Latin America, Europe, and Asia.
One of the 20 “Hottest Independent Digital Firms” Globally
AdAge, 2007
One of the Fastest Growing Private Companies
Inc Magazine, 2008

OTOinsights OverviewEstablished in 2002, OTOinsights has conducted over 400 research project in over 30 countries.Specialists in neuromarketing and customer experience strategy, research and design.Undertake discrete point-in-time projects and strategic engagements.Experience across all platforms including digital (e.g. web, intranets, mobile devices, PDA’s, i-TV, etc.), call centers, retail environments and physical products (e.g. laptops, printers, etc.)OTOinsights Offerings:Amplifying Engagement

OTOinsights | Amplifying Engagement
Brand Perception
Research
Information Design
Neuromarketing
Research
Customer Experience
Research
Eye-Tracking
Pre-Cognitive Neurological Engagement
Cognitive Emotional Tagging
Usability Testing
Focus Groups
In-Depth/Paired Interviews
Online Surveys
Expert Evaluations
Accessibility Audits
Ethnographics
Research/Tracking
Socially Informed/ Multi-Channel Personas
Engagement Mapping
Cultural Anthropology
Trend Spotting
User Needs Analysis
Information Architecture
User Scenarios
Behavioral Use Cases
Feature Matrix
Wireframes
Site Maps
Prototype Development

OTOinsights Clients: Travel
8

PART 1 | Context: The US travel landscape

Context: The US travel landscape
US travel landscape is significant revenue generator, both in terms of domestic travellers and international visitors
Although 2009 saw reductions in number of travellers (domestic and international), and hence an overall reduction in revenues, 2010 and the next 4-5 years is expected to see continued growth
The internet has an increasingly important role to play in the travel landscape, yet how are official state organisations capitalising on that potential growth
Travel in the US:
Travellers spent a total of $704.4 billion in 2009
Predicted that travellers with spend $748.3 billion in 2010

How many people are travelling to US states?
US study (July 2010)
1,469 million domestic leisure travelers in 2009
54.9 million international visitors in 2009
$610 billion spent by domestic travelers
$94 billion spent by international visitors
How will travel numbers change?
Domestic travel predicted to increase 1.8% - 3.6% year on year for the next 4 years
International travel to the US predicted to increase 3.1% - 5.1% year on year for the next 4 years

The Internet and travel?
90 million US residents used the Internet to plan travel in the past year
Sites visited include:
Destination websites
Travel Agency websites
Travel company websites
Increased use of the Internet has led to significant decrease in the number of calls to state and local tourism offices

Email and travel?
The ‘open rate’ for travel related emails is relatively high (approximately 13%, with click-through date of 3%). More so than e-commerce, insurance, technology and government emails.
10 million travellers a year respond to travel emails leading to unplanned travel.

PART 2: Review of 53 States (sites/e-newsletters)

Methodology
Expert Approach
2 experienced customer experienced consultants
Independently reviewed US state travel sites and e-newsletters
Focus
Ease of finding link to sign-up
Information required to sign-up
Timeliness of email response
Quality of e-newsletter

Results | Summary
The numbers
36/53 sites had a link to sign-up on the homepage
7/53 had links on deeper pages
10/53 had no e-newsletter
23 sent email confirmation
Only 3 sent the current e-newsletter within 24 hours
A further 6 made the archive of e-newsletters available

Sign-Up Process

Results | Sign-up
Key criteria used in the analysis:
Is the sign-up available from the homepage
Is it possible to enter ‘sign-up’ details on the homepage
No additional information required to sign-up e.g. postal address, annual income, etc.
Can the user customise the newsletter to their areas of interest
Is there is a clear confirmation page
Is the user informed what will happen next
Is the user given access to the latest newsletter or an archive of newsletters

Sign-up | The best and worst
Key
Excellent
Very poor
No email newsletters

Sign-up | The best and worst
Best
Texas
1. Arkansas
3. Missouri
3. Maryland
3. Vermont
Worst
41. Wisconsin
38. New York
38. North Dakota
38. Georgia
34. Virginia
Note that 12 states did not offer an e-newsletters

Sign-Up Process: The Best

The best | Texas
Sign-up is clearly shown on the side of the homepage
Only an e-mail address is required
No unnecessary information is requested
Users are able to create an account which will provide them with access to further features
However it is clear that this is optional

The best | Texas
Clear confirmation is sent via email
The user is provided with more information regarding the e-newsletters
The look and feel of the confirmation email is consistent with the website, with a clear Texas logo
Users are given a link back to the website

The best | Arkansas
Sign-up is clearly shown on theside of the homepage
Only name and email addressare required
It is clear that the Zip Codeis not mandatory
Users are able to select their interests in order to customise the email newsletter
Option to select a ‘general newsletter’ is also provided

The best | Arkansas
Confirmation page has a clear indication that their subscription was successful
Users are informed that they will receive an email confirmation
Confirmation email received immediately
Website links provided

The best | Missouri
The sign-up is clearly shown at the top at the homepage
Users are informed of the benefits of subscribing
Ability to enter email address on the homepage
The user is able to personalise the e-newsletter by checking the relevant boxes
‘?’ icons provided to assist users

The best | Missouri
Clear confirmation screen
Users informed about thecontent of the e-newsletters
The option to unsubscribe is provided
Email confirmation sent
List of interests selected during sign-up
Link back to the website is provided

The best | Maryland
The sign up is clearly shown within the ‘What’s Happening’ section which is suitable
Clear heading on the sign up page
Clear indication of frequency of e-newsletters
Ability to view archived newsletters before subscribing
Only email address is requested

The best | Maryland
The user can choose which categories they wish to receive information on
Clear indication that the user has subscribed and preferences have been saved

The best | Vermont
The sign up button is clearly displayed on the homepage and accompanied by an ‘envelope’ icon
Clear heading on the sign up page
Users are able to select specific interests
However these are limited to ‘up to three’ and selection method not intuitive
Only email address is mandatory

The best | Vermont
Clear confirmation page
Users provided with a link to view the latest e-newsletter
Immediate email confirmation sent
However, users are required to confirm subscription by clicking on a link in the email
No indication of this was given on the confirmation page

Sign-Up: The Worst

The worst | Wisconsin
Link to the e-newsletter is on the homepage
However it is hidden through use of poorly contrasting colours
Users are asked a lot of unnecessary questions, including:
Screen name, zip code and a password

The worst | Wisconsin
The confirmation page “welcomes back” the user
The user is referred to by the screen name rather than their own name
The ‘save changes' link has no purpose for users that have just subscribed
Required to confirm via email link
Users have been forced into creating an account

The worst | New York
Link to newsletter at the top of the homepage
However link is hidden due to small font and not accompanied by an icon
Account creation required
ZIP code is mandatory
User must go through many pages in order to sign up (three steps)

The worst | New York
Confirmation page states that an email had been sent in order to confirm subscription
However no email was received

The worst | North Dakota
Link to sign-up on the homepage
However, lots of mandatory information required in order to subscribe
e.g. address, password required, ‘how did you hear about us?’
Required to create an account in order to receive the e-newsletter

‘Thank you’ message on the confirmation page gives the user the impression that they are now a member and have completed the subscription process
However a delayed email was received 5 minutes later requesting confirmation by clicking on a link
No indication of next steps

The worst | Georgia
No link to subscribe on the homepage, had to conduct a search to find it
Once the user clicks on a search result, the sign up link is still very hidden at the bottom of a text heavy page

The worst | Georgia
Appears as though the user is taken to another site as the logo has changed
Broken link in the centre of the page – it does not do anything
Right column ‘email entry’ field works correctly
However there is no confirmation page, just a message which appears in the right column
No confirmation email

The worst | Virginia
Link on homepage
However link is below the fold of the page
Once the user clicks ‘subscribe’ they are returned to the top of the page without any indication that anything has changed
Only if the user scrolls down will they realise that they have completed the subscription
No confirmation email sent

E-mail Newsletters

Results | e-mail newsletter
Key criteria used in the analysis:
Are links to the site provided and are they clear
Are links provided to social networking sites
Is the e-mail personalised
Is there a specific and catchy subject line
Is there an option to unsubscribe
Is a real address, phone number or other similar details about the sender provided
Is there consistency with the e-newsletter and the website

E-mail newsletter | The best and worst
17 email newsletters review
Key
Excellent
Very poor

E-mail newsletter | The best and worst
Best
Arizona
1. Tennessee
Oklahoma
4. Kentucky
4. Minnesota
Worst
17. Florida
16. Vermont
12. New Mexico
12. North Carolina
12. North Dakota
Only 17 e-newsletters were reviewed

E-mail Newsletters: The Best

The best | Arizona
The e-newsletter has consistent look and feel and navigation with the site
The logo is a link to the website
The social media links are prominently displayed at the top of the page
There is also a link to a photo competition, which adds a level of interest

The best | Arizona
Headings are clear and the links provided are unambiguous
The images are large and excellent quality
Contact information is clearly provided at the bottom of the page
There is a clear link to ‘unsubscribe’

The best | Tennessee
The logo is obvious and takes the user to the main site
The aesthetic is visually appealing and consistent with the main site
The social media links are clearly displayed at the top of the page
Contact information is clearly provided
There is a clear link to unsubscribe at the foot of the page

The best | Oklahoma
Simple and clear presentation with key information provided
The ‘play’ icon reaffirms that the link will take the user to a video
Consistent look and feel to the website
Logo provides a link to the site
Includes multiple social media tools to share the page

The best | Oklahoma
Clear contact information is provided
The unsubscribe option is located at the bottom as would be expected by users
However it is slightly hidden within a paragraph of text

The best | Kentucky
The heading and logo are clear and provide a link back to the main site
Branding is consistent with the site
The sections are well divided and the colour contrast aids page scanability
Each article also has a link to further information on the main site

The best | Kentucky
The separate ‘Upcoming Events’ section is useful and displays the dates and key information
There are social media links both to share the newsletter and take the user to the Kentucky Tourism social networking pages
Option to unsubscribe is ‘one-click’ and takes the user to a confirmation

The best | Minnesota
There is consistency with the website in terms of branding and look and feel
The logo is a link to the website
The layout and visual style of the newsletter is clean and it is simple to scan through
Each of the headings is a link to the related article
Short description of each article and an accompanying image

The best | Minnesota
There are links to their Facebook and Twitter as well as other useful links on the left
There is a clear link to ‘unsubscribe’

E-mail Newsletters: The Worst

The worst | Florida
Unable to see images on the email newsletter (even when images are enabled)
The link to ‘see online version’ leads to an error page
Lack of a visible link to the website
No links to social networking sites
Lack of consistency with the website – unable to see if there is any branding

The worst | Vermont
Poor contrast of grey text on a green background on the title of the ‘in this issue’ section
There is no option to unsubscribe from the newsletters
There are no contact details provided
The August issue is not available and the sample is the ‘July’ issue (even though we are now almost in September)

The worst | Vermont
The newsletter was poorly formatted when viewed in Google Chrome
The newsletter was not sent via email upon completing the subscription process

The worst | New Mexico
There is no option to unsubscribe from the e-newsletter from this page
‘In this issue’ links take the user to what appears to be the full version of the newsletter
However, ‘hot deals’ leads to a different page
There are no social network links on this cover page

The worst | New Mexico
The actual newsletter is very long and requires the user to scroll a lot
The newsletter is very text heavy, especially on the second half of the page
The newsletter was not sent via email upon completing the subscription process

The worst | North Carolina
The logo is not a link to the website
There is a link to ‘subscribe’ at the top of the page
No links to social networking sites are provided
‘Opt out’ is not visible and another link to ‘subscribe’ is positioned at the front of the footer
No contact information is provided

Logo is not a link to the website
The option provided to unsubscribe is labeled ‘instant removal’
The text ‘instant removal’ does not look like a link
Many broken links e.g. ‘read more news stories’ links to a 404 error page

It is stated that the newsletter is available both in text and HTML format, however the option to chose is not provided

PART 3: Insights & Conclusions

Conclusions
Best Practice Sign Up:
Include Sign-up on the homepage
Sign up should be located towards the top of the page (at least above the fold)
Should be accompanied by an image or icon e.g. an envelope to draw attention
Ensure sign-up requires minimal data entry e.g. name and email address
Include a short sentence stating the benefits of signing up e.g. promotions, stay up to date with news and events etc

Conclusions
Do not require any unnecessary information to be entered (such as postal address or annual income)
Do not require users to ‘create an account’ or ‘become a member’ of the site

Conclusions
Consider including a short second step/page allowing users to customise the newsletter by selecting specific areas of interest
Provide a ‘select all’ tick box or ‘general newsletter’ opt in
Provide a link to the latest newsletter or an archive so that users know what to expect before subscribing
Do not require users to re-enter information e.g. do not request name / email address a second time

Conclusions
Include a clear indication on the website that the subscription process is complete and has been successful
Ideally include a clear, separate confirmation page with different content
Include a clear thank you message on this page
Provide an indication of what the user can expect next i.e. email confirmation

Conclusions
Send email confirmation immediately
User should not need to ‘reconfirm’ the subscription
Ensure consistency with site i.e. branding and logo, etc.
Include information about newsletters e.g. frequency and type of content
Include a link back to the website
Include a link to unsubscribe
Include contact details

Conclusions
Best Practice E-Newsletter:
Include a clear and catchy subject line so that the user immediately recognises the email
Ensure consistency with the site in terms of branding e.g. logo, layout, etc.
Include links to the site and ensure that they are clear e.g. logo and url address
Do not include hidden links e.g. decorative images or plain text

Conclusions
Best Practice E-Newsletter:
Include links to social networking sites
To share the e-newsletter
Links to the states social network site for tourism e.g. Facebook page
Ensure that the e-mail is personalised – use of first name, etc.
There must be a clear option to ‘unsubscribe’
This must not be hidden within text
Do not use terms such as ‘remove’ or ‘opt out’

Conclusions
Best Practice E-Newsletter: (Notes)
Provide a real address, phone number or other similar contact details about the sender
Do not include excessive amount of text
Limit the length of the e-newsletter, do not cause the user to vertically scroll excessively

Questions?
Dr. Philip Rhodes:prhodes@onetooneinteractive.com
For copies of the presentation or further info on OTOinsights services please email:
marketing@onetooneinteractive.com
Follow OTOinsights on Twitter:
http://twitter.com/OTOinsights
http://twitter.com/fhios

Future Webinars from One To One Interactive
Join us for our next Webinar
on September 23rd at 11 AM Eastern Time:
“Search Best Practices: How to Dominate Search in 2011”
With Greg Slama, Search Marketing Specialist at OTOi
Register at: http://bit.ly/aQd5gv

Webinar: Promoting America State by State: Email Expert Review of Fifty State Tourism Agencies

by One to One on Aug 26, 2010

Accessibility

Categories

Tags

Upload Details

Usage Rights

1 Embed 29

Statistics

Webinar: Promoting America State by State: Email Expert Review of Fifty State Tourism Agencies — Presentation Transcript