The document discusses six questions that marketers should ask themselves to improve email marketing results. The questions are: 1) Are we maximizing signup and profiling? 2) Are our messages really getting through? 3) How engaged are our audiences? 4) Are our emails contextual? 5) Is our creative effective? 6) Are we tracking "after the click"? For each question, the document provides best practices and suggestions to help marketers improve their email marketing strategy and results.

1. Email Marketing Best Practice Six BIG questions to improve results presented to: E-business 2009 Conference, The National B2B Centre 17 th September 2009 Dave Chaffey, Marketing Insights Limited www.davechaffey.com/presentations www.twitter.com/DaveChaffey

2. About Dave Chaffey

5. Agenda – Email Marketing Best Practice: 6 questions to improve your results Image blocking, banner blindness 5 Is our creative effective? Event-triggers, dynamic content insertion 4 Are our emails contextual? Reputation 2 Are our messages REALLY getting through? Google Analytics, Bounce rates 6 Are we tracking “after the click”? Activity levels 3 How engaged are our audiences? Run-of-site, Value-led call-to-action 1 Are we maximising signup and profiling? Key theme Email question

6. Question 1 Are we maximising signup and profiling?

7. Use a run-of-site, above the fold sign-up

8. Use a run-of-site, above the fold sign-up

9. Capture key profile fields Tips: 1. KISS 2. WIFM 3. Identify 2-3 key fields for lead qualification and targeting. Make mandatory. 4. Pre-tick sign-up – implied opt-in under Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 5. Use incentives or show value to maximise signup.

11. “ Learn more through time”: “Watch or Ask”

12. Question 2 Are our messages REALLY getting through? Not bounce rate, but Inbox deliverability

13. Why don’t your messages get through According to a DMA UK National Benchmarking report ( www.dma.org.uk ) average hard bounce rates are around 3%. The typical breakdown for an email bounce is: Address does not exist, c30% Invalid address syntax, c15% Invalid domain, c25% Mailbox full, c15% Message too large, c2% Blocked as spam, c8% www.returnpath.net for US and Canada

14. Actions to help delivery 1. Before you send email (Content) A. Limit use of spam keyphrases B. Test e-mail against spam checker, use: www.lyris.com/resources/contentchecker See www.spamassassin.org C. Test delivery / renderability in ISPs/Firewalls D. Educate your list members to whitelist you E. Setup Email server with best practice: Use subdomain: http://email.domain.com , SPF, SenderID, etc 2. After you send Email (Reputation): A. Remove bounces after 3 times (automatic) B. Track complaints through ‘closed-looped systems’ C. Track Opens and Clicks across web mail companies and main corporate clients

15. Question 3. How engaged are our audiences?

16. 3 advanced ways of measuring email engagement How do you measure engagement with email? Open/clicks/CTOR is NOT good enough, instead… Measure % Activity = Opens/clicks/CTOR/sales: 1. At position in lifecycle 2. By segment 3. By offer / email type 4. Aggregated over a longer time period

17. Measuring list activity – email engagement These “hurdle rates” are for whole list. Repeat: By segment By product categories purchased Tip. Measure the overall health of your list through activity / inactivity levels over time

18. Source: http://www.slideshare.net/gamages/advertising-fireworks-social-bonfires

19. E-newsletter success is all about relevant content B2B Make my work easier Help me develop Make me look good Give me a great deal B2C Make my life easier Help me learn / have fun Make me look good Give me a great deal See http://snipurl.com/26g8j

20. Integrating your email newsletter with social media: a virtuous circle 1 Blog 3. Company Twitter 5. Email Newsletter 2. RSS Feed 4. Facebook Fan page Track with bit.ly Track with bit.ly Track with Google Analytics Track with Feedburner Track with GA or ESP system Manual update or automatically withTwitterfeed Automatic feed with Feedburner Most popular topics selected Auto Update With App

22. Question 4 Are our emails contextual?

23. Why Right Touching? The most famous touch

24. What is “Right Touching”? Right Touching is: A Multi-channel Communications Strategy Customised for Individuals Which… Delivers the Right Value Proposition Accompanied by the Right Message With the Right Tone At the Right Time With the Righ t Frequency and Interval Using the Right Media / Communications channels To achieve… Right balance of value between both parties Tip: Automate email touches, targeting and content where practical

25. Examples of basic registration triggered e-mails B2B registration follow-up B2C brand education

26. BT - It’s all about past actions… “Recognition of activity” and dynamic content insertion Purchase Dispatched +7d +14d +21d Recognition of previous purchase

27. More Amazon triggered examples Recognition of previous category browsing Recognition of previous category browsing

28. 5 Is our creative effective?

29. Using eyetracking research to inform Email design Heading and subhead copy critical First 2-3 words most important Make hyperlinked Large fonts work well Images often missed Use text link calls-to-action Readers scan down the left of an E-mail First part of para important F shape eyetrack Email intros skipped Use to personalise and engage e.g. with hyperlinks Need to deliver Scannability and Skimmability

30. Test! Test! Test! “Data Trumps Intuition” Test version A Send Volume: 10,000 Sample criteria: Random Click through rate: 6.1% Test version B Send Volume: 10,000 Sample criteria: Random Click through rate: 4.5% Main Broadcast Send Volume: 180,000 Click through rate: 5.8% Source:

31. Which layouts do you use / work? Source:

32. Effective B2B Enewsletter template layout

33. Before After Aims: Use left column Disrupt symmetry Use scannable headlines Introduce editorial

34. Don’t give too much choice?! Six different jams. 40% of the customers stopped to taste. 30% of those bought. Twenty-four different jams. 60% of the customers stopped to taste. But only 3% bought! http://sivers.org/jam

35. How many links should we have? Source:

36. Get seen! Beware image blocking

38. What makes email recipients click?

39. 6 Are we tracking “after the click”?

40. Define standard email tracking codes – example: Name: &utm_campaign=SBIT210809C Source: &utm_source=ES_BITE_Email Medium: &utm_medium=Internal_Email Content: &utm_content=SBIT210809C_Cabaret_Image Tip: Use conversion goals and bounce rate to assess effectiveness

41. Thank you! Download this presentation from: www.davechaffey.com /presentations Any questions, do e-mail me: [email_address] Subscribe to my E-marketing Essentials, monthly briefing on what‘s new in E-marketing www.davechaffey.com Follow me on Twitter www.twitter.com/DaveChaffey