The digital marketing agency Hitting the Mark - Email effectiveness in practice Tink Taylor, DMA - Email Marketing Council IAB - E-Communications Council

Email Health Check Email marketing is overtaking traditional print marketing ... But how effective are these emails? Issues determining effectiveness Data Delivery Design The digital marketing agency

Email marketing is overtaking traditional print marketing

... But how effective are these emails?

Issues determining effectiveness

Data

Delivery

Design

Why is design a concern? The challenge: Make your creative stand out in an ever more crowded inbox. Achieve by: Using best practice for Technical design Creative design Educating marketers and the agencies of the issues? The digital marketing agency

The challenge:

Make your creative stand out in an ever more crowded inbox.

Achieve by:

Using best practice for

Technical design

Creative design

Educating marketers and the agencies of the issues?

Our research We signed up to receive emails sent by the UK’s top retailers Creative is subjective A structured approach gave us a consistent method for comparison Emails judged by a panel experts Key criteria assessed Results were tabulated The digital marketing agency

We signed up to receive emails sent by the UK’s top retailers

Creative is subjective

A structured approach gave us a consistent method for comparison

Emails judged by a panel experts

Key criteria assessed

Results were tabulated

The key criteria Sign up Design - technical Design - visual and content Links Targeting The digital marketing agency

Sign up

Design - technical

Design - visual and content

Links

Targeting

User Account Management Signup Obvious links Make it quick and easy Collect data for targeting Unsubscribe Legal requirements Don’t make it too complicated Understanding why Viral Links Forward to a friend Social network bookmarking The digital marketing agency

Signup

Obvious links

Make it quick and easy

Collect data for targeting

Unsubscribe

Legal requirements

Don’t make it too complicated

Understanding why

Viral Links

Forward to a friend

Social network bookmarking

Design - Technical Choosing the right HTML programmers CSS, JavaScript, Forms, Flash, Video, Email Width Choosing the right designers Balance of images to web text The digital marketing agency

Choosing the right HTML programmers

CSS, JavaScript, Forms, Flash, Video, Email Width

Choosing the right designers

Balance of images to web text

Design - Technical Rendering 19% of recipients deleted mails entirely constructed from images assuming it is blank 19% of recipients assumed an email is spam if it fails to render properly The challenge: All email clients operate differently The digital marketing agency Outlook 2003 Outlook 2007 Outlook Express 6 Outlook XP T-Online (Germany) MSN Hotmail Lotus Notes 6.5.4 Virgin Media (UK) Windows Live Hotmail Windows Mail Yahoo Classic Yahoo Mail AOL 9 AOL Web Comcast Earthlink Free & Neuf (France) Gmail GMX (Germany) Mail.com Thunderbird Orange (UK)

Rendering

19% of recipients deleted mails entirely constructed from images assuming it is blank

19% of recipients assumed an email is spam if it fails to render properly

The challenge:

All email clients operate differently

Design - Technical Rendering Manual testing Inbox preview tools The digital marketing agency

Rendering

Manual testing

Inbox preview tools

Design - Content Friendly From address B2C – branding is extremely important B2B – known contact may work best The digital marketing agency

Friendly From address

B2C – branding is extremely important

B2B – known contact may work best

Design - Content Subject line Consider the length & key message 35% of email users open messages because of what is contained in the subject line (Jupiter) Purpose Competitions Special Offers Regular newsletter Segmentation Personalisation Relevance The digital marketing agency

Subject line

Consider the length & key message

35% of email users open messages because of what is contained in the subject line (Jupiter)

Purpose

Competitions

Special Offers

Regular newsletter

Segmentation

Personalisation

Relevance

Design - Content Content Structure – preview panes, length, call to action Legal requirements 21 retailers did not include the necessary information: Company registration number Country of registration Registered office address Privacy policy Spam-proof content ‘ hot, free, tips, enter, sample, private, reserved, products, introductory’ The digital marketing agency

Content

Structure – preview panes, length, call to action

Legal requirements

21 retailers did not include the necessary information:

Company registration number

Country of registration

Registered office address

Privacy policy

Spam-proof content

‘ hot, free, tips, enter, sample, private, reserved, products, introductory’

Design - Visual Design Recipients read from top left to bottom right – consider the position of brand logo Design appropriate to the content Change elements of the design to ensure it stays fresh, seasonal imagery Design should complement the promotion, consider the ‘fold’ Design should be applied consistently and within brand guidelines The digital marketing agency

Design

Recipients read from top left to bottom right – consider the position of brand logo

Design appropriate to the content

Change elements of the design to ensure it stays fresh, seasonal imagery

Design should complement the promotion, consider the ‘fold’

Design should be applied consistently and within brand guidelines

Design – The DIY Approach The digital marketing agency

Design - Visual and Content Examples Branding Email & landing page consistency Campaign specific design – season Call to action Make it clear: Who is it from? What’s in it for me? What do I do next? The digital marketing agency

Branding

Email & landing page consistency

Campaign specific design – season

Call to action

Make it clear:

Who is it from?

What’s in it for me?

What do I do next?

Links Balance of links to content Make the links obvious First link importance Landing page 40% of retailers scored half or less Microsites Multichannel marketing e.g. press ad or in-store The digital marketing agency

Balance of links to content

Make the links obvious

First link importance

Landing page

40% of retailers scored half or less

Microsites

Multichannel marketing

e.g. press ad or in-store

Targeting Effectiveness Segmentation 91% scored half or less STA Travel used the information we provided during sign-up Targeting What are you sending? Who are your recipients? Consider simple segments Capture more data Brand fatigue The digital marketing agency

Segmentation

91% scored half or less

STA Travel used the information we provided during sign-up

Targeting

What are you sending?

Who are your recipients?

Consider simple segments

Capture more data

Brand fatigue

Results Average score was 72.7%, but a third failed to score over 70% Top brands: Topshop (86.5%) STA Travel (85.5%) Lowest areas: Evidence of Targeting: average of 16% Campaign specific design: average of 29% Legal requirements: 49% The digital marketing agency ASDA (84.5%) Marks and Spencer (83.5%)

Average score was 72.7%, but a third failed to score over 70%

Top brands:

Topshop (86.5%)

STA Travel (85.5%)

Lowest areas:

Evidence of Targeting: average of 16%

Campaign specific design: average of 29%

Legal requirements: 49%

ASDA (84.5%)

Marks and Spencer (83.5%)

Conclusion The digital marketing agency Even some of the top retailers still failing to maximise the potential of email Areas to be improved: Design - creative, coding and content The call to action Targeting Test, test & test again Learning from experiments Overcome fear of failure

Even some of the top retailers still failing to maximise the potential of email

Areas to be improved:

Design - creative, coding and content

The call to action

Targeting

Test, test & test again

Learning from experiments

Overcome fear of failure

Stress free email marketing The digital marketing agency The keys to success The marketers view The right content To the right audience At the right time The recipients view Who is it from? What’s in it for me? What do I do next?

The keys to success

The marketers view

The right content

To the right audience

At the right time

The recipients view

Who is it from?

What’s in it for me?

What do I do next?

Further Information... The digital marketing agency Useful sites Legal & Data Protection Information http://www.ico.gov.uk Email best practice http://email.dma.org.uk http://www.iabuk.net/email dotMailer Resource Centre http://www.dotMailer.co.uk/resource_centre http://www.dotMailer.co.uk/hitting_the_mark

Useful sites

Legal & Data Protection Information

http://www.ico.gov.uk

Email best practice

http://email.dma.org.uk

http://www.iabuk.net/email

dotMailer Resource Centre

http://www.dotMailer.co.uk/resource_centre

http://www.dotMailer.co.uk/hitting_the_mark

Contacts Tink Taylor – Business Development Director t: 0208 622 4814 e: [email_address] w: www.dotMailer.co.uk The digital marketing agency

Tink Taylor – Business Development Director

t: 0208 622 4814

e: [email_address]

w: www.dotMailer.co.uk