This document provides tips for effective email marketing. It discusses building an email list, maintaining list quality through updates and removing unsubscribes. Key aspects of email design are covered like subject lines that grab attention, call to actions, email length, use of images and formatting for compatibility. Metrics like open and click through rates along with unsubscribes and bounces are identified as ways to measure email marketing success. The document emphasizes the importance of focusing on building relationships with subscribers through relevant content over time.

1. Effective Email Marketing
Dave Archer
President and CEO
(775) 315-7635
Dave@NCET.org / www.NCET.org

2. NCET
• Northern Nevada-based 501(c)3
• Helps Nevadans start and grow
businesses
• Monthly and annual educational events
• Serves as a clearinghouse and marketing
arm for nonprofit and gov’t resources

3. Why Use Email Marketing
• Effective
• Relatively inexpensive
• Timely
• Flexible

4. The Key to Successful
Email Marketing is…

5. Your List

6. Email Goals
• Build and maintain quality list
• Maximize open rates
• Maximize conversion rates:
– Purchases
– Downloads
– Click-thru
– Other
• Minimize unsubscribes / spam reports

7. NCET Email
• Email service: Constant Contact
• Email list ~10,000 Nevada business, community
and educational leaders
– Built one email address at a time
• 1.7 million emails per year
– From 1 to 7 email each week
– Event / Program Promotion, Newsletters
• Open rate ~ 14%

8. List Maintenance
• Lists need TLC - and lots of it
– Unsubscribes and address changes erode lists fast
• Beware of list fatigue
– Conversion rate vs unsubscribe rate
• Bounces
– Contact individuals to verify correct email address or for
updates
• Blocks
– Contact individuals / IT departments about spam filters,
white lists, etc.

9. • Buying or Renting Lists
– Friends don’t let friends buy lists.
• Creating lists
– Customers
– New contacts / business cards
– Webpage sign up form
• Unsubscribes / spam reports
List Maintenance

10. Effective
Emails

11. Email Addresses
• Your email address is as important as your brand
– Carefully consider your name and domain
– Should be consistent with your brand
• Selecting a name and a domain name
– .com, .edu, .gov, .net, .org
– Be careful with .biz
– Gmail, Yahoo, AOL?

12. Developing Effective E-Mails
• Format
• Subject Line
• Call to Action
• Email Length
• Frequency
• Graphic and Image
• Background
• Fonts
• Colors
• Dimensions
• Compatibility
• Attachments

13. Format: HTML vs Text

14. Subject Line
• Grab reader’s attention
• Don’t mislead - deliver what you promise
• A-B testing of different subject lines
• Avoid spam filter traps
– http://spamassassin.apache.org

15. Call to Action
• What do you want your reader to do?
– Call now
– Buy
– RSVP
– Click-thru
– Save-the-date
– Image advertising

16. Email Length
• Need to capture attention in first sentence
• Unless it’s a newsletter, keep it “above the
fold”

17. Above the fold

18. Frequency
• Know your audience
– Weekly? Monthly?
• Recipients will accept emails that deliver
something new, interesting or important
• Will be irritated by emails containing
“useless” or repetitive information and will
unsubscribe

19. Graphic and Images
• Too many images can distract
• Too many images can increase download
times
• Test by sending to yourself
• How does it look on your phone?

20. Backgrounds
• Avoid busy backgrounds
• White is good…

21. Colors
• Which is easiest to read?
• Which is easiest to read?
• Which is easiest to read?
• Which is easiest to read?
• Which is easiest to read?
• Which is easiest to read?
• Which is easiest to read?

22. Fonts
• Which is easiest to read?
• Which is easiest to read?
• Which is easiest to read?
• Which is easiest to read?
• Which is easiest to read?
• Which is easiest to read?
• Which is easiest to read?

23. Colors

24. Dimensions
• 600 – 720 pixels wide
– Avoid requiring reader to scroll across email
to read
• Above the fold is ideal
– Give reader a reason to scroll down

25. Compatibility
• HTML
• Non-HTML/Text
• Mac
• iOS / Android
• Test your emails on different Macs/PCs,
phones, etc.

26. Attachments
• People hesitate to open them because of
possible viruses, worms etc.
• Creates yet another barrier to
communicating your message

27. BREAKING NEWS: Bugs in your food

28. “The High Notes, revised”

29. Festive finds

30. Measuring Success
• Spam reports
• Unsubscribes
• Bounces
• Open Rates
• Click-Throughs

31. Email Vendors

32. Database Software - $150 - $300

33. Questions?
Dave Archer
President and CEO
NCET
(775) 315-7635
Dave@NCET.org / www.NCET.org

34. Email Editing Software
$100 - $500

35. Spam
• Don’t send spam
– Use built-in spam checker or 3rd party service
such as http://spamassassin.apache.org
• Don’t be perceived as spam
– Frequency
– Content
• “Opt-in” is the best policy