The document presents a talk by Tom Monaghan, emphasizing 13 key actions for effective email marketing. It covers topics such as personalizing emails, avoiding graymail, and the importance of data-driven decisions while suggesting strategies to improve engagement and open rates. The speaker urges marketers to focus on meaningful interactions and suppress unengaged contacts to maintain a healthy sending reputation.

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13 THINGS
to start, stop, or keep doing (only better).
Tom Monaghan
Postmaster & Director of Email Engineering at HubSpot

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1. Tom: a love story
2. Data schmata
3. The unlucky 13
4. A tiny review
5. Uncomfortable silence
AGENDA

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1. Tom: a love story
2. Data schmata
3. The unlucky 13
4. A tiny review
5. Uncomfortable silence
WHERE WE’RE GONNA GO

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1 TOM: A LOVE STORY

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HELLO.

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MY NAME IS TOM.
Well, actually it’s Thomas, but go with me here...

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I WORK ON EMAIL AT HUBSPOT.

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I LOVE EMAIL.
And want you to love it too.

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email marketerpart-time

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1 3 77K

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voluntarily

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engagement
unsubs
spam

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insert hubspot logo

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2 DATA SCHMATA

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Emails1,784,755,714
Campaigns
157,534
Recipients
202,595

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deliveries
opens
duration
recipients
@
devices
sourcespam
clicks
content
personalization

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THAT’S A LOTTA DATA.

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3 THIRTEEN
THINGS
START
STOP
KEEP DOING
(only better)

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1
YOU
ARE
WHAT
YOU
EAT.
Miles is
60% ice
cream.

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so is your marketing

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the names of every single list imported

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arg
rank
inactive
– 13%
– 11%

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inactive = 3% open rate

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97% didn’t open rate

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Stop doing this.

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You domain reputation is worth it.

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2
THERE
IS NO
ONE
SIZE
FITS
ALL
recognize
this outfit?

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Why are you writing this email?

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Drive blog (re)visits.Drumupsomedirectsales.
Move folks
down
the
funnel?
Resurrect your sending rep?
Drive a conversion for more data?
Remindeveryonethatyou’restillalive?
Look like your wicked busy?
Promote a hot new product.
Invite them to something that’s actually awesome.
Plan a meetup at Inbound.

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1. Pick a goal.
2. Define success. (page views, long reads, replies).
3. Build the email for that specific goal / success.
4. Everyone loves options (for the same thing).
5. Rinse, lather, repeat.
Stop with the Swiss Army Knife emails.

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3
MEASURE
TWICE,
CUT
ONCE.

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3
MEASURE
TWICE,
SEND
ONCE.

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Personalization works.

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Dear Tom,

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It’s because I love my name.
It’s a great name.
The best name.

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stick with the basics

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#protip
Nothing is more
impersonal than
screwing up
personalization.

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defaultValue

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{{ first.name }}

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Customer

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* Personalization cheat sheet: *
1. Does it work with a real contact?
2. Did you set up a default value?
3. Make sure it matches.
4. Don’t get too personal.
5. Test. Test. Test!

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4
NOREPLY?
I THINK
YOU
MEANT
“NO OPEN”

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Noreply is the worst.

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Personalize that From address.

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Make it from a real person.

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Replies rule the roost.
Opens are good.
Clicks are definitely better.

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#obviousINBOUNDprotip
If someone replies, they’ll open and click
more emails later.

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STOP
WITH
THE
TUESDAY
ALREADY!
5

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TUESDAY
Thursday
Wednesday

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Want an open?

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Friday or Monday
(if you really need to send during the workweek)

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Sunday or Saturday
(If you want to live a little and try a weekend.)

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Tuesday, Wednesday,
& Thursday
are dead to me.

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This is why we can’t have nice things.

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NOTHING SAYS
I LOVE YOU LIKE …
6

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Buying someone’s deets from a 3rd party.

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What about the names of list sellers?

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engagement
imports
forms
#unsurprisingstatoftheday4X
of contacts from
#inboundworks
#youcantbuyhappiness

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Remember 2015?
imports
forms
3X

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#inboundsgettingbetter

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EMAIL
IS
NOT
YOUR
SCRATCH
TICKET
7

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Some bad news.

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SPAM

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The definition has changed.

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graymail
/ɡrāmāl/
Bulk messages that aren’t technically spam,
because you did get permission, they’re somewhat
targeted, and you’re a legitimate sender, but …

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graymail
tl;dr
They’re just not that into you.
(anymore)

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How do you know?

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They’ll tell you by not opening.

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do you remember?

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77.7%

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25.9%

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Probability of an open after being ignored

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Probability of an open after being ignored
totally
100%
graymail

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No Lloyd.

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Suppress folks who aren’t engaging.

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Live to email another day.

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HubSpot customer?
Sends Since Last Engagement

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Stop being that marketer.
Don’t send graymail.
Start suppressing unengaged folks*.
*When you do, the inbox providers and protectors will like you more, way more.

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What to do when a storm rolls in.

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1. What’s it really mean.
2. How worried should you be.
3. What should you do next.
What to do when a storm rolls in.

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WHAT
DO I
DO
WHEN
THEY UNSUBSCRIBE? 8

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Unsubscribes: What do they really mean?
• You can’t please everyone all of the time.
• Be very happy they didn’t mark you as spam.

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Unsubscribes: How worried should you be?
• Not very. Look at the rate across similar sends.
• Look for what changed: sources, content, or
frequency.

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Unsubscribes: What should you do next?
• Spot check some contacts.
• Find the what changed.
• Consider suppression or fewer emails for your
borderline unengaged.

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WHAT
DO I
DO
WHEN
THEY STOP OPENING? 9

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Falling opens: What do they really mean?
• Not inboxing.
• Missing expectations.
• Get ready for worse.

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Falling opens: How worried should you be?
• Worried. This will not go unnoticed.
• Next comes Spam Complaints and Unsubs.
• If you’re not having inbox issues, you will be
before long.

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Unsubscribes: What should you do next?
• Suppress unengaged.
• Look for source problems.
• Focus on subjects. Test. Test. Test.

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WHAT
DO I
DO
WHEN
THEY MARK ME AS SPAM? 10

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SPAM: What do they really mean?
• Your reputation is at risk.
• Inbox problems ahead..
• Blacklistings.

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SPAM: How worried should you be?
• Very worried. Something is wrong.
• Find the cause now: new source, bad forms,
missed expectations.
• Slow or stop sending until source found.

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SPAM: What should you do next?
• Fix what’s broken.
• Do not pass go.
• Do not collect $200.

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#nerdprotip
No unsubscribes or spam complaints?
Killing it, right? Not so fast ...
They can’t unsub or mark you as SPAM from their junk
folder.

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WHAT
TO DO
WHEN
YOU
WANT TO KNOW MORE.
11

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HOW TO
BUILD
THE
PERFECT
SUBJECT LINE.
12

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logistic regression

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find the perfect words

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to make people open!

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kinda dumb

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Dislike success? Try these!
Physicians Worry: Thinking Less Handwashing!
New Career: Bullying Webinar!
Hey! Eliminate Thinking, Welcome Pain…
#welcomepain #toosoon?

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If it sounds like the title of something that guy …
Read it out loud.
Start over.

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1. Customize & personalize.
2. Emojis actually work.
3. Read it out loud…
The best subjects, guaranteed!

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WHAT
DO I
DO
WHEN
EMAIL STOPS WORKING.
13

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engagement slips a bit

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harder to inbox

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the end is near

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the sky is not falling.

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4 A TINY REVIEW

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1. Please oh please, stop with the Tuesday!
2. Have the courage to suppress your unengaged.
3. Treat other inboxes as you would want your inbox treated.

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5 UNCOMFORTABLE SILENCE

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THANK YOU.