Six Critical Steps for Successful eMail Marketing

6 Critical Steps to Maximise Email ROI Presenter: David Shiell Founding Partner, Web Liquid Group 15 th April 2008

Contents
Structure & Design
List Maintenance
Segmentation Strategies
Compliance
Metrics
Test, Review & Expand

1. Structure & Design
Structure
Define the Goal of the Message
Desired action
Create a perception
Reinforce a brand
Keep it Relevant
Engaging readers with relevant content
Marketers have only three seconds to catch a readers interest !
Message Content
Don’t overload with too much information
State key purpose up front
Provide a call to action
Provide something to click on
Company logo
Choose ‘From’ and ‘Subject’ lines carefully
Create shorter blocks of content
Relevance “ Maybe nobody goes to your Website because its about you.”

1. Brand & Design
Design
Formatting
Test designs on multiple email platforms
Dimensions
One size does not fit all

1. Brand & Design
Design
Images
Avoid using images for headlines / links / calls to action
Preview your email with images disabled
Always use ALT tags with images (image descriptions)
No ALT Tags ALT Tags

1. Brand & Design
Design
Preview Panes
65%+ B2B / 10%+ B2C email recipients use preview panes
Horizontal Preview Pane Vertical Preview Pane

2. List Maintenance
Clean Out List Segments Not Used
Take a close look at your lists and list segments.
Are there some list segments you are never using; If so, clean them out
Email Success is About Quality and Not Quantity
Review non-responders and try varying your email contact
If they still do not respond, consider removing them
Review New List Segments You Want to Make.
Are there ways to segment/strengthen messages to various groups
Ask Subscribers to Re-register
Advise them that you want to make sure their info is up to date
With email out performing offline direct by 17 percent, data quality is of vital importance to marketers - Internet Retailer

3. Segmentation Strategies Simply put, people care about what’s relevant to them, and they don’t have the time or inclination to weed through what’s not.
Obtain Relevant Data During Customer Relationship
Enables you to define critical performance parameters:
customer behaviour
customer value
customer satisfaction
Knowledge for Success
Such parameters provide the necessary ‘Knowledge’ for successful acquisitions, growth and retention strategies
KNOWLEDGE ACQUISITION GROWTH RETENTION

3. Segmentation Strategies
Demographics
Also simple e.g. Younger vs. older audiences consume information in different ways
Email Activity
Try segmenting on email opening, click-throughs or repeat behaviours
Click-Stream Analysis
Segment based on what a person does after they click on a link
Geography
Simple segment to initiate

3. Segmentation Strategies
Use Dynamic Content
Messages can be customised based on variables such as past purchase history, past email activity or website activity
Conversion/Purchase Activity
Integrate conversion behaviour data into your segmentation processes.
E.g. Adjust resources so you’re dedicating your efforts toward customers who spend the most £
Gather Additional Information
Implement incremental data acquisition strategies on each of your recipients
Ask for small bits of additional information
Utilise email surveys to gather more information

4. Compliance
UK Advertising Regulation
Advertising industry governed by a self-regulating system comprised of three bodies:
The Committee for Advertising Practice (CAP);
Creates, revises and enforces the British Code of Advertising, Sales Promotion and Direct Marketing (the CAP Code )
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA):
Administers CAP Code, investigates complaints and conducts research
The Advertising Standards Board of Finance (ASBOF):
Sets framework for industry policy making, is responsible for CAP and for funding the self-regulatory system
The regulatory codes complement the law, and are not a substitute.

4. Compliance
CAP Code Key Points
Ensure database is up-to-date/accurate and that personal information is held securely and for no longer than necessary
No sending marketing communications to anyone who expressly asked not to receive them or has not had an opportunity to object
Informing consumers at the time personal information is being collected, who is collecting, why and whether it will be disclosed to third parties
Obtaining consumers' explicit consent before marketing by email, unless it is to existing customers who are given a further right to object on each occasion
The crucial consideration for compliance is that individuals must fully appreciate that they are consenting and what they are consenting to.

Eight principles of The Data Protection Act (DPA) of 1988
Personal Data Must be Obtained Fairly and Lawfully
Do the people whose information I hold, know that I’ve got it, and are they likely to understand what it will be used for?
Legitimate Interests
Do I really need this information about an individual? Do I know what I’m going to use it for?
Adequate, Relevant and Not Excessive Use of Data
Accurate and Up to Date
4. Compliance

Eight principles of The Data Protection Act (DPA) of 1988
5. Not Kept for Any Longer than Necessary
Do I delete/destroy personal information as soon as I have no more need for it?
6. Data Must be Processed in Accordance with the Individuals Rights
7. Appropriate Measures to Prevent Unlawful Processing or Disclosure of Data
Duties and responsibilities of staff under the DPA
Policy for dealing with data protection issues
limited access to personal information
8. Data Must Not be Transferred Outside of the EU
4. Compliance

4. Compliance
Restrictions Specific to Emails
Prohibit sending of unsolicited email marketing communications to individuals without the recipient's prior opt-in consent
No opt-in requirement for B2B emails recipients; position may change in the future
Must ensure emails are clearly identifiable as a marketing communication and states who it is from
Emails sent to individuals must include a simple and free of charge opt-out mechanism to prevent future marketing

4. Compliance
Emailing Your Existing Customer Lists
Known as ‘Soft Opt-in’; Allowable to a Subscriber Where:
Obtained contact details in “the course of a sale or negotiations of a product or service”
Relates only to your similar products and services
Recipient given simple means of refusing the use of their contact details
On collection of the address, the recipient is given the opportunity to opt-out and is given chance to opt-out with every subsequent message
Third Party Lists
Can Only Use if Obtained on a Clear Prior Consent Basis
i.e. intended recipient has actively consented to receiving unsolicited messages by email from third parties

5. Metrics
The Basics
Opens
Open rates are becoming less reliable;
Viewing every aspect of your program - from the initial registration to the unsubscribe - can point to countless optimisation aspects. Auto Preview + image enabled = opened? Preview panes can give false positives! Images disabled can give false negatives! Disabled Images = Not opened?

5. Metrics
Bounces
Bounces indicate message delivery , but not acceptance ;
Soft Bounce - Temporary - e.g. email server busy/mailbox full?
Hard Bounce - Permanent - e.g. address doesn’t exist any longer?
Unsubscribes
Required for compliance; can also give valuable insight
Can indicate reader no longer interested in your offering
The Basics
Clicks
Show specific interest and a related activity.
Don’t just think of ‘links clicked’, think of them as a measure of activity based on categories
E.g. product information / calls to action

5. Metrics
Advanced
Visitor to Registration Ratio
Ratio should be close to 1:1
Subscribe Form Abandon Rate
Completion rate should be close to 100%
Delivery Rate
Nearly 20% of permission email does not get delivered by the ISPs

6. Test, Review & Expand
Choose the Best List or Segment to Test
Simplest form of testing is A/B test & control segments.
Vary one element in test segment then optimize future messages accordingly.
It’s better to make progress in small, manageable steps than to wait and plan for a long-term change that never comes to fruition.
Establish a Test Protocol
Determine a specific goal or form a theory to accomplish rather than attempting multiple goals
“ I’d like to have more people click through to my web site”
Decide what element to test
“ To optimize click-throughs, I’m going to test calls to action”

6. Test, Review & Expand
Measure and Analyze Results to Gain Insights
“ My click-throughs were spread out across areas, topics or actions”
Make Necessary Changes
“ I need to increase clickable areas or links”
Test and Review Frequency and Timing
No magic day or time that will work for every type of campaign
This variable should be tested depending on the mailer.
Never Stop Testing
Commit to making at least one change in each campaign

Systematic Approach PHASE 1
Generic reporting
Information Gathering
Data collection
Customer registration
PHASE 2
Refined customer registration info.
Reactive & Targeted
Click behaviour
Profiling
PHASE 3
Customer knowledge
Prediction
Proactive & Personalised

David Shiell t: 020 7253 4133 e: david@webliquidgroup.com More information available at webliquidgroup.com

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Six Critical Steps for Successful eMail Marketing

by Web Liquid on Jun 11, 2008

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Six Critical Steps for Successful eMail Marketing — Presentation Transcript