Using Welcome Emails to Drive Increased Engagement and ROI

Contents Why Welcome Emails? Elements of a Welcome Email Program Sample (Good & Bad) Welcome Emails & Best Practices Welcome Series REI 12-Part Welcome Series

Why Welcome Emails?

Elements of a Welcome Email Program

Sample (Good & Bad) Welcome Emails & Best Practices

Welcome Series

REI 12-Part Welcome Series

Why Welcome Emails?

List Churn and Inactives – The Good, Bad and So-So The bad news… A typical list will lose 1/3 of its members each year Bounces + spam complaints + unsubscribes = 2-4% / month 25% to 80% of your list is inactive Subscriber has not opened or clicked in specific time frame (e.g., 6, 12 months+) The good news… Churn can be reduced You control most of your destiny Some inactives can be reengaged The so-so news… Most are lost

The bad news…

A typical list will lose 1/3 of its members each year

Bounces + spam complaints + unsubscribes = 2-4% / month

25% to 80% of your list is inactive

Subscriber has not opened or clicked in specific time frame (e.g., 6, 12 months+)

The good news…

Churn can be reduced

You control most of your destiny

Some inactives can be reengaged

The so-so news…

Most are lost

The Honeymoon is over! Research by marketing publisher MarketingSherpa shows email subscriber interest begins to disintegrate as soon as two weeks after the opt-in, as measured by the open rate. Within two months, the open rate typically falls 20% to 25%.

Why Recipients Unsubscribe Too Frequent Irrelevant Content/Offers

Too Frequent

Irrelevant Content/Offers

Welcome Email – eec Retail Research Study 72% of major online retailers send out welcome emails. 98% of retailers’ welcome email now contain a link to their shopping site 32% of welcome emails include a discount, reward or incentive 62% of welcome emails asked the subscriber to whitelist them 79% of retailers sent out HTML welcome emails Most of the HTML welcome emails were HTML “lite,” making extensive use of HTML text 53% of welcome emails included links to the retailer’s privacy policy 58% of welcome emails were CAN-SPAM compliant in terms of including both a mailing address and unsubscribe method *Email Experience Council’s second annual Retail Welcome Email Benchmark Study (2007)

72% of major online retailers send out welcome emails.

98% of retailers’ welcome email now contain a link to their shopping site

32% of welcome emails include a discount, reward or incentive

62% of welcome emails asked the subscriber to whitelist them

79% of retailers sent out HTML welcome emails

Most of the HTML welcome emails were HTML “lite,” making extensive use of HTML text

53% of welcome emails included links to the retailer’s privacy policy

58% of welcome emails were CAN-SPAM compliant in terms of including both a mailing address and unsubscribe method

Elements of a Welcome Email Program

Subscriber Email Touch Progression Opt-in form DOI Confirmation Email Welcome Email or Series Regular Email Program

Engage and Delight…Every Step of the Way Dating Build trust with transparency Preferences on opt-in Engagement Welcome programs Bring the flowers Marriage Deliver on expectations Preference updates Move to lifecycle, trigger and behavioral-based programs Divorce Provide alternatives to unsubscribing

Dating

Build trust with transparency

Preferences on opt-in

Engagement

Welcome programs

Bring the flowers

Marriage

Deliver on expectations

Preference updates

Move to lifecycle, trigger and behavioral-based programs

Divorce

Provide alternatives to unsubscribing

Goals and Purpose Goals: Speed up conversion Minimize list churn Strengthen brand perception Reduce inactivity Purpose Educate subscriber Reward/Incent Instill/reinforce trust Enable immediate “email experience” Provide administrative information

Goals:

Speed up conversion

Minimize list churn

Strengthen brand perception

Reduce inactivity

Purpose

Educate subscriber

Reward/Incent

Instill/reinforce trust

Enable immediate “email experience”

Provide administrative information

Timing The Good News 61% of retailers deliver their welcome emails within 10 minutes of sign up, with most of those delivering within 3 minutes.* The Bad News 19% take more than 24 hours to deliver their welcome emails, with nearly a third of those taking more than a week to deliver.* *Email Experience Council’s second annual Retail Welcome Email Benchmark Study (2007)

The Good News

61% of retailers deliver their welcome emails within 10 minutes of sign up, with most of those delivering within 3 minutes.*

The Bad News

19% take more than 24 hours to deliver their welcome emails, with nearly a third of those taking more than a week to deliver.*

From Name/Address From Names: Use the same from name as regular emails Simple, logical and trusted brand From Name/Address Again, use same as regular emails Avoid ugly, number-oriented if possible Good Examples: Olive Garden [newsletter@olivegarden.com] MBNA America [MBNA@cardsatisfaction.com] Magazines.com [offers@magazines.com] Questionable Example: Penny at MarketingProfs [support@marketingprofs.com] [email_address]

From Names:

Use the same from name as regular emails

Simple, logical and trusted brand

From Name/Address

Again, use same as regular emails

Avoid ugly, number-oriented if possible

Good Examples:

Olive Garden [newsletter@olivegarden.com]

MBNA America [MBNA@cardsatisfaction.com]

Magazines.com [offers@magazines.com]

Questionable Example:

Penny at MarketingProfs [support@marketingprofs.com]

[email_address]

Subject Lines Good/OK Welcome to Fetchdog! Take 10% Off Your Next Order Branded Immediate value proposition Welcome to Art.com - Take 20% Off Today Branded Immediate value proposition Welcome to Sear.com Email Savings! Email program is branded Implied value proposition Not So Good Welcome No branding No mention of email program No value proposition Thank you for signing up! Signing up for what? No branding

Good/OK

Welcome to Fetchdog! Take 10% Off Your Next Order

Branded

Immediate value proposition

Welcome to Art.com - Take 20% Off Today

Branded

Immediate value proposition

Welcome to Sear.com Email Savings!

Email program is branded

Implied value proposition

Not So Good

Welcome

No branding

No mention of email program

No value proposition

Thank you for signing up!

Signing up for what?

No branding

Email address added Add to address book Privacy assurance and link Link/instructions on how to change preferences How to get started When the first email will arrive Resources, key links “ Your gift” incentive Unsubscribe link Reinforce value proposition Upsell Call to action/”offer” Welcome Content Checklist

Email address added

Add to address book

Privacy assurance and link

Link/instructions on how to change preferences

How to get started

When the first email will arrive

Resources, key links

“ Your gift” incentive

Unsubscribe link

Reinforce value proposition

Upsell

Call to action/”offer”

Sample (Good & Bad) Welcome Emails & Best Practices

Confirmation Emails – Are Not “Welcome Emails” Primary Purpose is to confirm subscription They aren’t a subscriber yet Pre-selling and reminding of value proposition is good, but should not take the place of welcome email; or distract from confirmation action

Primary Purpose is to confirm subscription

They aren’t a subscriber yet

Pre-selling and reminding of value proposition is good, but should not take the place of welcome email; or distract from confirmation action

Net a Porter: 3-Step Sign-Up/Confirmation Process Opt-in form with minimal (but key) information requested Double opt-in confirmation email Further information collected on confirmation page for additional targeting

Opt-in form with minimal (but key) information requested

Double opt-in confirmation email

Further information collected on confirmation page for additional targeting

Net-a-Porter: Double Opt-in Confirmation Email

Net a Porter: DOI Confirmation Page – Collect Additional Data

Value proposition Resources Welcome – 4-parts will follow Login immediately Tips and community FAQ Support contact Overview

MarketingProfs: Manages Expectations/Transparent

Value Proposition Key text navigation links Administrative text links Shopping link

Sears: Works Pretty Well Even With Block Images However, most critical shopping link is image only – should also be text link

Toys-R-Us: Disaster With Images Blocked

Top of email

Middle of email

Bottom of email

Best Practices Followed: Re-iterates benefits of signing up Set expectations on when first email would be received (though vague) Asked to be added to Address Book Link to privacy policy HTML to convey brand image Sent within 24 hours of registering Primary message is view-able in an images off environment

Best Practices Followed:

Re-iterates benefits of signing up

Set expectations on when first email would be received (though vague)

Asked to be added to Address Book

Link to privacy policy

HTML to convey brand image

Sent within 24 hours of registering

Primary message is view-able in an images off environment

Welcome Email – Betty Crocker Confirmation/Welcome email received when registering for their website Cross promotes their newsletters in case you didn’t sign up when you registered for the website Great use of imagery Coupons Star Ratings Recipe Box Best Practices Followed: Primary message is view-able in an images off environment Email comes from Betty Crocker (From Address). Includes personalization (first name)

Confirmation/Welcome email received when registering for their website

Cross promotes their newsletters in case you didn’t sign up when you registered for the website

Great use of imagery

Coupons

Star Ratings

Recipe Box

Best Practices Followed:

Primary message is view-able in an images off environment

Email comes from Betty Crocker (From Address).

Includes personalization (first name)

Good: Driving immediate engagement with Infiniti by providing key calls to action on the red buttons Needs to Improve: The entire main body of the email is an image Need a mix of text and HTML to optimize visibility in email clients and deliverability

Good:

Driving immediate engagement with Infiniti by providing key calls to action on the red buttons

Needs to Improve:

The entire main body of the email is an image

Need a mix of text and HTML to optimize visibility in email clients and deliverability

Welcome Series Think Series, Not Just a Single Welcome Email

Welcome 1 - Overview

Welcome 2 – Getting Started

Preferences reminder Reinforce Benefits 1

2

REI 12-Part Welcome Series (Courtesy Smith-Harmon www.smith-harmon.com)

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Takeaways Take baby steps Test subject lines Redesign for preview pane and blocked images Test layout, use of images, HTML Incorporate additional welcome content Monitor open, clicks and conversions for recipients of Welcome messages – impact on overall response rates Expand from a single welcome email to welcome program Continuously test

Take baby steps

Test subject lines

Redesign for preview pane and blocked images

Test layout, use of images, HTML

Incorporate additional welcome content

Monitor open, clicks and conversions for recipients of Welcome messages – impact on overall response rates

Expand from a single welcome email to welcome program

Continuously test

Q & A Follow Me Twitter @LorenMcDonald Columnist Media Post - Email Insider MarketingProfs GetToThePoint Many others… Blogs Silverpop – “Tales” http://marketing-suite.silverpop.com/loren-mcdonald.html Contact: Loren McDonald [email_address] www.silverpop.com

Follow Me

Twitter

@LorenMcDonald

Columnist

Media Post - Email Insider

MarketingProfs GetToThePoint

Many others…

Blogs

Silverpop – “Tales”

http://marketing-suite.silverpop.com/loren-mcdonald.html

Contact:

Loren McDonald

[email_address]