1. Recommendations aimed to
increase Zoo Atlanta’s email
open and click-through rate
Recommendation No. 1
Make emails mobile-friendly for multiple devices. Answer the question, “which smart phones are our
subscribers are using.”
Recommendation No. 2
How do we find out which smart phones our subscribers are using? Create a short survey asking, “What
type of mobile device do you have?”
Recommendation No. 3
Instead of sending email blasts, differentiate emails by using psychographic information (personality,
values, opinions, attitudes, interests, and lifestyles). This will ensure messages are effective and will
make the consumer feel as if the message is for him/her.
Recommendation No. 4
Are our lists double-opt-in? If not, this should be a consideration. This will ensure no one is in our lists
that does not want to be.
Recommendation No. 5
Offer incentives and special prizes to loyal subscribers (subscribers that read our messages frequently).
Consumers will open emails that benefit them.
Recommendation No. 6
Avoid using words such as “free” for it triggers spam filters. Stay cognizant of spam triggers to avoid
messages being sent to spam. If we want consumers to read our messages, we must ensure that they
have a chance to receive them.

2. Recommendation No. 7
Ask the individuals that unsubscribed why they did so.
Recommendation No. 8
Include our Call to Action (CTA) early on in your message.
Recommendation No. 9
Add more links through our images for individuals to click on.
Recommendation No. 10
Incorporate more discounted offers.
Recommendation No. 11
Hold user surveys at least once a month to gain the consumer’s opinion.
Recommendation No. 12
Desktop and smartphone email opens happen most often between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.—during the
typical workday. (Harland Clarke)
Recommendation No. 13
Subject lines fewer than 10 characters long have an open rate of 58%. (Adestra July 2012 Report)
Recommendation No. 14
For discounts or offers, establish an element of surprise with subject lines that don’t give away the
email. Ex: We have a surprise for you!
Recommendation No. 15
Increase in pop-up boxes for list growth.

3. Subject Line Statistics
(Green = consistency between sent to opened ratio ex: 195/200)
(Black = inconsistency between sent to opened ratio ex: 99/500)
Top 5 subject lines that gathered the most opens in January.
1. 119/218 emails opened – (1/19/15) - subject line content = Raffle
2. 70/144 emails opened – (1/27/15) - subject line content = College and career fair
3. 41/139 emails opened – (1/19/15) - subject line content = Consignment Discount
4. 190/959 emails opened – (1/28/15) - subject line content = Volunteer Orientation
5. 181/951 emails opened – (1/19/15) - subject line content = Volunteer Orientation
Top 5 subject lines that gathered the most opens in February.
1. 5/5 emails opened – (2/19/15) - subject line content = Costa Rica expedition
2. 23/52 emails opened – (2/6/15) - subject line content = Raffle
3. 707/3112 emails opened – (2/17/15) - subject line content = Boys and Girls scout program
4. 1747/11294 emails opened - (2/6/15) - subject line content = Summer Camp registration
5. 1511/10660 emails opened - (2/16/15) - subject line content = Learn what it takes to
become a vet at Zoo Atlanta
Top 5 subject lines that gathered the most opens in March.
1. 4/7 emails opened – (3/19/15) - subject line content - Safari Day Camp
2. 24/44 emails opened – (3/27/15) - subject line content - Raffle Robins AFB Travel Show
3. 16/30 emails opened - (3/27/15) - subject line content - Raffle EEA Conference
4. 89/185 emails opened – (3/27/15) - subject line content - Raffle Southside Steam Expo
5. 3/11 emails opened – (3/27/15) - subject line content - Raffle Alliance Theatre Event
Top 5 subject lines that gathered the most opens in June.
1. 41/80 emails opened – (6/18/15) – subject line content - 20% off Safari Day Camp
2. 121/238 emails opened - (6/18/15) – subject line content – 20% off Safari Day Camp
3. 44/89 emails opened – (6/18/15) – subject line content – 20% off Safari Day Camp
4. 2105/12108 emails opened – (6/12/15) – subject line content – Kids and Family Program
5. 1536/12056 emails opened – (6/12/15) – subject line content – Summer Programs at the Zoo

4. Email Open Rate for the 1st Quarter (January-March) of 2015
 Emails sent in January - 109907
Emails opened in January - 13957
= 12.69%
 Emails sent in February - 70723
Emails opened in February - 7201
= 10.18%
 Emails sent in March - 130677
Emails opened in March - 17148
= 13.12%
Open rate for the first quarter in total - 11.99% or 12.00%
Email Open Rate for June of 2015
 Emails sent in June – 50894
Emails opened in June – 6674
Open rate in total = 13.11%
12.69%
10.18%
13.12% 13.11%
0.00%
2.00%
4.00%
6.00%
8.00%
10.00%
12.00%
14.00%
January February March June
Zoo Atlanta's Email Open Rate for the First
Quarter (Jan-Mar) and June of 2015

5. Evaluation
In this evaluation, I wish to provide recommendations to increase Zoo Atlanta’s email open
rate. As exemplified, Zoo Atlanta’s email open rate has fluctuated from %12.69, %10.18 and %13.12 in
the months of January, February and March. Being that the non-profit industry’s open rate is
approximately 20%, the Zoo wishes to increase the rate and to be more consistent.
To begin with, I commend the fact that the Call to Action is presented early in every email.
This immediately informs the reader why the email is being sent to them. Alternatively, I found that
emails sent with the word “Raffle,” along with emails sent with the word “Discount,” usually were
placed top 5 in opens for the months observed, compared to the emails that did not. Though, I do not
suggest offering raffles and discounts in every Eblast, I do recommend that it is done at least once
every month. Furthermore, when referring to consumers in emails, I would suggest using first person
narrative to connect to the audience more fluently. Case in point, “We need volunteers” sounds more
engaging than “Zoo Atlanta needs volunteers”. Additionally, it is recommended that the subject line be
held under 10 words. Through my thorough research, email subject lines with characters less than 10
words have an improved chance of being opened. If not completed already, work to make our email list
double opt-in to rid of consumers that no longer wish to receive our content. This may lead to less opt-
outs. As shown from the chart above, the rate for the month of June is more consistent to the one of
March than the previous ones. Altogether, I believe if executed fittingly, the email open rate can
ascend more consistently.