The document outlines the importance of email marketing in the digital age, emphasizing trends, best practices, and essential strategies for effective campaigns. Key points include the necessity of relevancy and personalization, effective list management, and the integration of email with social media channels. The document also discusses creative testing and optimization, highlighting the need for continuous adaptation to consumer behaviors and preferences.

1. EMAIL MARKETING
IN THE DIGITAL AGE
Trends, Best Practices and Predictions

2. OVERVIEW
Fundamentals
List
Management
Creative
Testing &
Optimization
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3. FUNDAMENTALS
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4. Where Does Email Fit In?
On its own or in conjunction with channels like social media and mobile,
email remains a key route to address 2014 marketing priorities
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Driving
Conversion Rates
Increasing Brand
Awareness
Collecting And
Leveraging Data
Producing concrete sales results A core focus and top priority For better communication that
cuts through the clutter
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5. Email Marketing
Isn’t New
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But the facts* remain:
! Consumers receive an average of 44 emails a
day, 25% of which are permission-based
commercial messages.
! 88% of US online consumers check email daily
! 81% of subscribers have been motivated to
provide a company with their email address due
to some form of promotion
! 50% of consumers make purchases as a direct
result of email
* Source: ExactTarget Email X-Factors Report

6. Email Facilitates ‘Lifecycle’ Marketing
Acquire On-board Engage Retain
Acquiring new audience
members and
converting potential
customers into
subscribers
Onboarding subscribers
and accustoming them
to the frequency and
content of interactions
Engaging subscribers
with relevant,
purposeful campaigns
Retaining subscribers
with targeted re/
engagement and win-back
strategies
Strategic email campaigns provide the ability to
reach customers across a number of different stages
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7. Relevancy
Is Factor #1
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Consumers quickly decide which companies
they like receiving messages from based on
relevancy.
! Personalization is Paramount:
Noticeable evidence that content is
targeted drives conversions.
! Value is Evident: It’s important to make the
advantage of being on the email list clear.
This can be achieved via special deals,
promotions or exclusive content.

8. 8
The Mobile
Imperative
About 45% of email opens
happen on phones
! “Mobile First” approach to emails
(HTML5/CSS3 animations)
! Mobile design techniques
include:
• Responsive/adaptive emails
• “Mobile Aware” emails
! Recognize that users, particularly
mobile users, are scrolling

9. 9
Email & Social
Channels
Overlap
! Social engagement levels
now impact email open
rates, click-throughs and
conversions.
! Used together, email and
social reinforce messaging,
resulting in greater overall
reach, awareness,
interaction and sharing.

10. LIST MANAGEMENT
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11. 11
Driving
Sign-up
! Pop-Ups and Overlays: Can be annoying
but are proven to be effective.
! Messaging: Incentives for registering must
be clear and relevant.
! Opt-In: Some data shows that double opt-in
provides better results.
! Social: Leverage social channels to grow
lists. An easy method is to setup an email
form on a facebook tab.
! Contests & Promotions: Can spike list
growth.
! eCommerce: Incorporate email sign-up
into all account registration and
ecommerce flows. Source: Mailchimp

12. 12
Welcome
Emails
Automated emails should create an
immediate link with subscribers
! Increase account creation, customer
acquisition, and list growth.
! A good opportunity to reward
subscribers with offers or valuable
information.
! Consider a welcome email series
instead of a single email.
! Make sure that a welcome series is a
portal to your site.
! Incentivize or say thanks on birthdays,
upon reactivation or at other occasions.

13. 13
List
Segmentation
Smart segmentation
strategies ensure
messaging relevance
! Responsiveness/
behavior/history
! Demographics
! Purchase amounts
! Ethnicity/language-specific

14. 14
List Cleansing
& Management
Improve your list integrity with
accurate list cleansing
! Improve deliverability, minimize
SPAM traps, improve response
rates
! Delete inactive subscribers
! Investigate hard and
soft bounces
! Consider partner services like
briteverify, datavalidation or
leadspend
Source: Mailchimp

15. CREATIVE
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16. Understanding
Reading Patterns
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! Top to bottom and left to right
! Strong vertical patterns encourage
scanning the full length of email
! Simple/short messaging prompts
pauses for reading and comprehension

17. Design Imperatives
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! Clean simplicity with a touch of boldness
! Cohesion between the offline and online
brand
! Fun, clever by way of all available and
supported methods (e.g. disruptive
messaging, surprising animations, etc…)

18. Design
Fundamentals
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! Keep primary CTA as high as possible
! Readability: Minimum and consistent text
size/color should be maintained
! Visual Emphasis: Position key content
points at a glance
! White Space: Grouping content to
increase comprehension
! Clever, fun and surprising

19. Trends: Mobile First
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Leverage mobile-specific
features
such as high
resolution screens
or modern HTML/
CSS to create more
beautiful and
dynamic emails not
possible on typical
desktop clients.
Judicious use of
retina resolution graphics
for sharper presentation
(e.g. for use on logos, call to
action’s, etc…)
CSS Animation:
Images move, zoom or grow.
In this example: Ken Burns effect
happens in the circle.

20. Content
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! Personalization
! “Content First” editorial to build user trust and
confidence moving forward
! Preheaders can add additional context to the subject
line without overwhelming users. Most email clients
pick up the initial piece of content displayed in an
email
! Follow up and last chance reminder emails
! Infographics
! Social links (e.g. share email, pin imagery, etc…)
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21. 21
Long Tail
! Emails with multiple promotion
items regularly perform better
than simpler counterparts
! “Long tail” additions provide
additional points of
engagement – great if the main
message does not connect
! Additional engagement
opportunities without negatively
impacting primary message

22. Trends: Animated GIFs
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Add a little
punch to
otherwise
static emails.
Interaction with an app
http://bit.ly/ZfZTDL
Animation of fashion model
http://bit.ly/1o1kwjd

23. Trends: Other Dynamic Effects
“On they fly’ elements
such as a countdown clock
Inline Video *
Video plays inside the email
* Supported on iPhone / iPad, Apple Mail, Some Android 2.3-4.4, Outlook.com - Video will autoplay, but controls are not visible/useable.
All other clients display an animated GIF in place of the video. Video works when viewing the HTML in browsers (aside from IE 8)
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24. Trends: Rate this Email
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Many brands are including
a “Rate this email” link
within the footer, where
users can fill out a survey or
add suggestions/comments
straight from the email. This
is a great way to get instant
feedback from your actively
engaged users.

25. 25
Retention
Strategies
Finding and rewarding
your best – and worst –
customers
! Sincere and appreciative email
messages with rewards your
customers will value
! Higher-value incentives for best
customers
! Triggered, high incentive
campaigns for inactive
subscribers

26. TESTING &
OPTIMIZATION
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27. 27
Subject Line Testing
Test open rates via small pilot groups
! Learn what motivates your specific audience
! Leverage Google Search or Twitter to research what resonates with them
! Use actionable language
! Be explicit, though subject lines phrased as questions may perform better
! The use of symbols in subject lines (when appropriate) is a great way to actively engage more
opens
! Under 50 characters to avoid truncation
! Avoid using promotional phrases or things that sound spammy

28. 28
Heat Maps
Whether it is on the desktop or on
a phone, heat maps are a great
way to see where people click.
! Mostly near the top? Do your
customers scroll?
! Do they like photo or text links?
• Do different types of
photos (e.g. products
versus lifestyle) get more
clicks?

29. 29
Testing &
Optimization
! Heat Maps: Where are people clicking?
! Subject Lines: What motivates your
audience
! Segments: Based on customer behavior,
demographics, sign-up date, etc
! Images/Colors: Test display and choice
of images
! Copy Variants: Tone, length, calls to
action, offers, etc.
! Mobile: Optimized vs non-optimized
! Frequency: When might fatigue set in?
! Date & Time: When to send?
Testable Email Elements

30. Measuring Success
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Move beyond open and click-through rates
! Where do recipients go on your website?
! How often do they visit?
! Study conversions and/or email revenue
! Are there new ways to think about how to
segment your list based on behavior?
! Understand deliverability, bounces,
unsubscribes and complaints

31. Optimize &
Innovate
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" User behavior patterns
change and evolve
" Every audience/
business is unique

32. About
Flightpath
! Founded in 1994
! Creative digital agency
! Headquartered in New
York City
! 50+ employees
! Privately held
! Email specialists
! Results oriented
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33. THANK YOU
flightpath.com