2. Lets Get Creative Instructors Laurence Rothman Senior Consultant, Brand Reputation, Nationwide rothmal@nationwide.com @LaurenceRothman Corey Duncan Interactive Creative Director, PulsePoint/DatranMedia cduncan@datranmedia.com @Corey_Duncan #datranmedia, #pulsepoint #stormpost

4. Aligning Creative with Business Strategy

5. From Strategy to Execution

6. Best Practices Based Implementation

7. Email Anatomy 101

8. Design and Copy

9. Testing and Optimization

10. Winners & Losers

12. State of the Union An Extreme Example Across Desktop, Social and Mobile …and, surprise…. It integrates with social!

13. State of the Union Email is Everywhere

14. State of the Union Email + Social = Better Performance Across Both Channels

15. State of the Union …and it Translates Very Well to Mobile for Those on the Go! Advanced HTML & CSS Basic HTML Text

17. During weekends, ESPN.com is visited by more mobile users than desktop.

18. “Working with Microsoft, we discovered that mobile web users are 3 times more likely to find what they are looking for when a site is optimized for mobile.” –Icon Mobile

20. State of the Union Trends – Email on Mobile Advanced HTML & CSS Basic HTML Text

22. Polls

23. Promo Blasts

24. Coupons

25. Order Confirmations

26. Email Acquisition

27. Account Alerts

30. Frames that look like YouTube, Windows Media or Quicktimevideo players

33. Grabs readers attention

35. Low video quality

37. Grabs readers attention

39. Low video quality

43. State of the Union Trends – Social Social Linking Simply linking from your email to your company’s social page

44. State of the Union Trends – Social Social Sharing The ability to share specificcontent from your email on social networks Sharing = Liking, Sharing or Tweeting

45. State of the Union Trends – Social Social Dispatches Taking content from social networks and inserting them into emails creating relevant and interesting content

47. Email is a mature channel

48. You aren’t just competing with companies in the same vertical, but with all companies in the email channel who are competing for your subscribers’ attention

49. Knowing basic best practices isn’t enough anymore, must consider:

50. Lifecycle marketing

51. Advanced strategies

53. Aligning Creative Goals with Core Business Strategies Pre-Requisites Know Your Audience Plan Your Strategy Define Your Measurement Success

54. Aligning Goals and Strategy Know Your Audience Your Audience1. Who (demo, behavior, other needs) 2. What/Why (do they expect from you?) - Information - Breaking news - Loyalty discounts and promos - Singles matches - Weather 3. When - What are their RFM needs? - Do those change? - When might they need you most? 4. How do they prefer to hear from you? - Format (HTML, text, etc…) - Does that change by device/type of communication 5. Where are they viewing your email? - Desktop? - Mobile? - Tablet?

55. Aligning Goals and Strategy Know Your Audience Audience Measurement Using audience measurement technology will give you a true picture of who is interacting with you emails… the more you know the better you can target their behaviors and interests

56. Aligning Goals and Strategy Know Your Audience Where are they reading your emails? Understanding where and how your audience reads your emails can help you optimize and devise content strategies that work more broadly 71% of email opens are on the Computer That’s 7 in 10 users 28% of email opens are on a Mobile Device That’s 1 in 4 users Source: Sample ReturnPath data

57. Aligning Goals and Strategy Know Your Audience Where are they reading your emails? Understanding where and how your audience reads your emails can help you optimize and devise content strategies that work more broadly 68% 18% of mobile opens are on the of mobile opens are on the iPhone iPad That’s 2 in 3 users That’s 1 in 5 users Source: Sample ReturnPath data

58. Aligning Goals and Strategy Know Your Audience Operating Systems Matter Source: litmus.com blog: The Current State of Mobile Email Compatibility, May 2011

59. Aligning Goals and Strategy Know Your Audience Click Maps and Heat Maps Knowing how your audience reads and interacts with your communication; knowing exactly where their eye or mouse cursors go can help determine if your message is clear and readers are taking the correct CTA

60. Aligning Goals and Strategy Know Your Audience Using Data to Incorporate Dynamic Content Knowing more about your consumer and making content more relevant can pay off

61. Aligning Goals and Strategy Know Your Audience Once you understand where your audience is reading their email, how they read it, why they read it… then you can start to plan a creative approach that meets your overall marketing goal. There is no silver bullet, know your audience! Relevant content is still king.

62. Aligning Goals and Strategy Plan Your Strategy ACQUIRE CONVERT GROW RETAIN REACTIVATE What marketing programs will help you win back lost customers? What marketing programs will help you capture new email addresses? What marketing programs will help you convert prospects to customers? What marketing programs will help you grow customer value? What marketing programs will help you ensure customer loyalty? SUSPECT PROSPECT CUSTOMER ACTIVE CUSTOMER RECAPTURED CUSTOMER

63. Aligning Goals and Strategy Define Your Measurement Success Measure of success getting messages to your audience Measure of subscriber interaction with campaign Measure of financial impact Bounce Rate Open Rate Revenue bounces/emails sent opens/emails delivered revenue per campaign Spam Complaint Rate Click-Through Rate Conversion Rate spam complaints/emails delivered total clicks/emails delivered orders/visits Inbox Delivery Rate Click-to-Open Rate Average Order Value total clicks/total opens revenue/bookings emails that reach the inbox Unsubscribe Rate Revenue Per Email unsubscribes/emails delivered revenue/emails delivered

64. From Strategy to Execution Creative Best Practices that Drive Results!

66. Recipients rarely see an email in its entirety, so information hierarchy is critical, with the most important information at the top, working down.

68. Width matters more than length.

69. In email, complex coding increases cost and production times as well as jeopardizes rendering and user experience.

70. In email, rich media including forms, scripting and Flash usually don’t render correctly... or at allEmail is very much it’s own medium with it’s own set of rules… IF you follow best practice.

72. Viewing an email is different from browsing online

73. Viewers are not necessarily looking for something

75. Header

76. Navigation

77. Table of Contents

78. Primary Message

79. Submessage(s)

80. Siderail

81. Recovery Module

83. From Strategy to Execution Email Anatomy 101 – Pre-Header

85. View with images/view mobile version prompt

87. Extend the subject line and highlight secondary messages in the email

88. Feature calls-to-action not present anywhere else in the emailOLD NEW

89. From Strategy to Execution Email Anatomy 101 – Header & Navigation

90. From Strategy to Execution Email Anatomy 101 – Header & Navigation SMART HOT

91. From Strategy to Execution Email Anatomy 101 – Header & Navigation Your header and navigation should change based on message content

92. From Strategy to Execution Email Anatomy 101 – Primary Message

93. From Strategy to Execution Email Anatomy 101 – Primary Message WEBSITE Balance imagery and text Include prominent call-to-action Link to matching web page for increased conversion EMAIL

94. From Strategy to Execution Email Anatomy 101 – Sub-Messages

95. From Strategy to Execution Email Anatomy 101 – Sub-Messages Use visual prompts like color, headlines, imagery and graphics to guide viewers’ gaze Test submessage count tolerance SIDERAIL LAYERCAKE

96. From Strategy to Execution Email Anatomy 101 – Sub-Messages Test submessage count tolerance – not just once, but periodically Be aware of the law of diminishing returns; sometimes, less is more YIKES!

97. From Strategy to Execution Email Anatomy 101 – The Recovery Module & Footer

98. From Strategy to Execution Email Anatomy 101 – The Recovery Module & Footer Recovery Module The final outpost; acts as a catch-all Include alternate content links Add incentives to inspire engagement Footer Include subscription management links Include forward to a friend Ensure CAN-SPAM compliance “ Just in case you were totally bored by everything else, here’s some other stuff… ”

99. From Strategy to Execution Email Anatomy 101 – The Gift Services Footer Umbrella your GSF with a benefits-focused headline Use equi-sized modules for easy last-minute message swap-outs Link to your website gift center — it’s a great catch-all for gift givers Promote gift cards — they’re so hot right now Surface gift services — the unique ways you help make holiday shopping easy Detail order-by dates, particularly as we approach mid-December Dynamically generate local retail store info to drive brick-and-mortar traffic HOT HOLIDAYTIP

100. From Strategy to Execution Email Anatomy 101 – The Gift Services Footer HOT HOLIDAYTIP

101. From Strategy to Execution Design – Landing Pages If an email is your “invite,” then the party it leads to should be an equally experiential destination for your audience. A well-designed email draws the customer to your brand; a well-designed landing page is where you full engage them with your brand and offerings. Tightly coupled email and landing page combinations can be an effective means to increase conversion

102. From Strategy to Execution Design – Landing Pages WEBSITE EMAIL

103. From Strategy to Execution Design – Getting Your Message Seen Group content in separate modules Include clear content section headers Place imagery in an “S-curve” to guide gaze across and down page Use button treatment for primary call-to-action Include alternate HTML text calls-to-action For longer-form mails, include a TOC

104. From Strategy to Execution Design – Modular Makes Creatives Easy to Optimize and Test A library of flexible creative elements from which REI builds a range of message configurations One flexible template. Three configurations! Now that’s smart design.

105. From Strategy to Execution Copy – Getting Your Message Read Be brief, you have 2-5 seconds Keep copy focused Use bullet points Make call-to-action clear and direct

106. From Strategy to Execution Copy – Getting Your Message Read Before Hello James, This Saturday is your last chance to register for the Email Evolution Conference. This year you’ll see how to craft email copy, grade your emails and learn about activation strategy. After Hi James! Email Evolution Conference: Last Chance to Register by Saturday See how to: Craft email copy Grade your email designs Learn about activation strategy

107. From Strategy to Execution Copy – Getting Your Message Read Headlines should be short and catchy Your headlines should work with your calls-to-action (because that’s all people read anyway!) Example: Liquid AssetsShop Fluid Outfits »

108. From Strategy to Execution Copy – Getting Your Message Read Effective Calls-to-Action are Key! Recipients want to know where you’re taking them “Read more” is vague Use more descriptive action words: Shop shoes now Sign up! See it now Get in there! Check it out! Buy now

111. From Strategy to Execution Copy – Subject Lines Epsilon Study: “Rethinking the Relationship between Subject Line Length and Email Performance: A New Perspective on Subject Line Design” Subject line length isn’t as important as commonly thought Order of the information is more important SL1: “This weekend only at your local Acme Store, special savings on Ladies Apparel!”time > brand > benefit > category SL2: “Special savings on Ladies Apparel at your local Acme Store this weekend only!”benefit > category > brand > time Test into length and order!

113. What is this about?

114. Why should my subscribers care?

115. What do they do about it?

116. Consider the above-the-fold mark and the preview pane

117. Include a good balance of images and text

118. Provide clear primary and alternate calls-to-action

119. Throw in a few bells and whistles

120. Personalize

121. Leverage dynamic content

123. Copy length

124. Call-to-action treatments

125. Prices and product names

126. Photography

127. Bells and whistles

128. Personalization

130. Testing occurred over a three month period

131. Tested with every email send until all the main components were performing at the highest level

132. We’ll look at the two most significant testsFeature Feature Promo Promo

133. From Strategy to Execution Testing and Optimization - Example Version A Version A THE FIRST COURSE Test 1 was an A/B split betweentwo versions of the feature andtwo versions of promo spots Feature Feature Promo Promo

135. Feature performed slightly better in old version

136. Overall, the two versions were flat on interaction due to fewer feature clicksFeature Feature Promo Promo

137. From Strategy to Execution Testing and Optimization - Example THE SECOND COURSE Test 2 was an A/B/C/D split between four versions of the feature area Feature Version A Feature Version B Feature Version C Feature Version D

140. Pick and choose the best of the best

141. Full-scalethe creative tests that do well

142. Continue to tweak and test content that is not performing as well

144. Winners and Losers LinkedIn What challenges and opportunities does this mail present? What was done well? What could be improved? What testing opportunities do you see?

145. Winners and Losers Mont Blanc What challenges and opportunities does this mail present? What was done well? What could be improved? What testing opportunities do you see?

146. Winners and Losers American Girl What challenges and opportunities does this mail present? What was done well? What could be improved? What testing opportunities do you see?

147. Winners and Losers Banana Republic What challenges and opportunities does this mail present? What was done well? What could be improved? What testing opportunities do you see?

148. Winners and Losers Domino’s What challenges and opportunities does this mail present? What was done well? What could be improved? What testing opportunities do you see?

149. Winners and Losers Tide What challenges and opportunities does this mail present? What was done well? What could be improved? What testing opportunities do you see?

150. Winners and Losers Bally Total Fitness What challenges and opportunities does this mail present? What was done well? What could be improved? What testing opportunities do you see?

151. Winners and Losers REI What challenges and opportunities does this mail present? What was done well? What could be improved? What testing opportunities do you see?