Email Strategy, Design and User Experience

EMAIL STRATEGY,
DESIGN AND USER
EXPERIENCE
Justine Jordan, Litmus

AGENDA
‣ Introductions
‣ Laying a great foundation
‣ The subscriber experience
‣ Increasing performance through A/B tests
‣ Email review / group exercise
!
YES! You can download the slides:
litmus.com/lp/generalassembly

‣ Content, education, community at Litmus
‣ Previously at ExactTarget
‣ Midwest born and bred
‣ I ♥ email
I’M JUSTINE.
HELLO!
@meladorri @litmusapp

HELLO!
‣ Your name
‣ Where you work / your company
‣ What you do there
‣ What email-related challenges are you facing?
‣ What are you hoping to learn tonight?
GETTING TO KNOW YOU…

HAVE YOU HEARD?
EMAIL IS DEAD.
EMAIL STRATEGY / DESIGN / USER EXPERIENCE
OR NOT.

‣ Effective — yields more ROI than any other channel
‣ Inexpensive — sending one email < $0.01
‣ Immediate — no complicated set-up
‣ Measurable — opens, clicks, conversions roll in right away
‣ Easy — software makes it so!
!
It works—and customers prefer it.
EMAIL 101

‣ It’s all about permission
‣ Not implied
‣ Not purchased
‣ Expires after a certain period of time
!
Respect the user’s inbox
EMAIL ≠ SPAM

Emails are not
weapons of
mass destruction.

‣ Physical mailing address
‣ A way to unsubscribe
‣ Don’t make the user jump through hoops
‣ Process request within 10 days
‣ Opt-in / permission required in some countries
‣ Prior business relationship usually OK
!
Know the law in the countries you send to
CAN-SPAM, CASL AND OTHER ACRONYMS

“… you recently created a Litmus account.”
“… you recently downloaded our templates.”
“… you recently ran a test.”
“… you signed up for our newsletter.”
You got this email because…

EVERY EMAIL SHOULD HAVE A
PURPOSE.

EMAIL IS:
A unique medium
with unique
considerations

EMAIL IS NOT:
A JPG
A print ad
A banner ad
A one-page web site

‣ WHO are you sending to?
‣ WHAT do you want them to do?
‣ WHEN is it appropriate to send the message?
‣ WHERE will the recipient read it?
‣ WHY are you sending this message?
‣ HOW are you going to measure success?
ASK THE FIVE W’S

‣ Internal vs. external
‣ B2B vs. B2C
‣ Demographics
‣ Know your audience!
WHO
‣ Register for a webinar
‣ Read an article
‣ Buy something
WHAT
‣ Triggered vs. mass
‣ Drip or automation
‣ Behavioral-based
‣ Day and time
WHEN
‣ Mobile / tablet
‣ Web browser / webmail
‣ Desktop / at work
WHERE
‣ Brand awareness
‣ Content marketing
‣ Influence behavior
‣ Drive purchases
WHY
‣ Opens
‣ Clicks
‣ Conversions
HOW

NO PLAN? NO PURPOSE?
NO EMAIL.

‘WHERE’ HAS BECOME A COMPLICATED QUESTION.

25%
27%
48%
Mobile Desktop Webmail
‣ Smartphones (iPhone, Android)  
and tablets
!
‣ Installed email programs  
(Outlook, Apple Mail)
!
‣ Email accessed through a web browser
(Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo!)
MOBILE
DESKTOP
WEBMAIL

MOBILE EMAIL:
+400% since 2011

TYPES OF EMAIL
YOU SHOULD SEND

‣ Lead nurturing
‣ Drip campaigns
‣ Product updates/announcements
‣ Actions (and inactions)
‣ Brand awareness
‣ Events and webinars
‣ Follow-ups
MORE EMAIL OPPORTUNITIES

FROM NAME SUBJECT
LINE
PREHEADER OPEN TAP/CLICK PAGE/SITE
SUBSCRIBER EXPERIENCE

FROM NAME SUBJECT
LINE
‣ What is recognizable, trustworthy and relevant?
‣ Does the subscriber have a relationship with  
a person or the brand?

FROM NAME SUBJECT
LINE

FROM NAME SUBJECT
LINE
+ open rates
– gimmick
~ value
SYMBOLS IN SUBJECT LINES

Source: https://litmus.com/blog/how-to-write-the-perfect-subject-line-infographic
THE PERFECT SUBJECT LINE?
1. ‘Free’ is okay!
2. Shorter = better?
3. Relevance
4. Specific
5. Useful
6. Test!
FROM NAME SUBJECT
LINE
PREHEADER

FROM NAME SUBJECT
LINE
‣ Support your subject line
‣ Call to action
‣ Reminder
‣ Special message
‣ Make it measurable
BE CREATIVE, USEFUL, HELPFUL, FUNNY OR ENGAGING

✔
✔
✔
✘
✘
FROM NAME SUBJECT
LINE

FROM NAME SUBJECT
LINE
~25 characters
25% of the inbox
!
!
~35 characters
25% of the inbox
!
!
~85 characters
50% of the inbox
FROM NAME
SUBJECT LINE
PREHEADER

FROM NAME SUBJECT
LINE
‣ Prioritize and prune
‣ Use color, weight & size for emphasis
‣ Bullets are your friends
‣ Use rational & emotional appeals
‣ Link images and text
‣ Use a variety of media (charts, buttons,
graphics, images, videos) for visual
interest and to communicate
ENGAGE THE USER

FROM NAME SUBJECT
LINE
“Does your iPhone fold?
…Mine doesn’t…”

FROM NAME SUBJECT
LINE
“Scrolling is easier than clicking.”

FROM NAME SUBJECT
LINE
‣ Minimize friction
‣ Be clear and concise
‣ Test buttons vs. text
‣ Use active language
‣ Consider size, placement,  
color, and context
CREATE A GREAT CTA

‣ Create hierarchy with symbols
‣ Avoid hard breaks
‣ Put links on a new line
‣ Tabs, spacing and CAPs to organize
‣ Convey imagery with text
DON’T FORGET THE TEXT VERSION

REVIEW: WHY ARE THESE ON THE ‘BAD EXAMPLES’ SLIDE?

EMAIL:
UNDER THE HOOD

‣ HTML for email is not HTML for the web
‣ Code like it’s 1999; use HTML tables for layout
‣ Think in modules: images and text should be in their own table cell
‣ Avoid CSS for positioning or layout
‣ Rely on progressive enhancement / graceful degradation

‣ No JavaScript, Flash, forms…
‣ Web standards don’t apply; support for HTML and CSS is wonky
‣ Use inline CSS(Gmail strips out the <style> block)
‣ Background images are not supported in Outlook 2007+
‣ Web-based email clients behave differently based on the browser (IE vs Firefox)

‣ Many different email apps and
programs
‣ Varying support for HTML/CSS
‣ Screen sizes
‣ Individual preferences
‣ PREVIEW / TEST!
OUTLOOK, GMAIL, IPHONE…

THE MOBILE
FACTOR

70%+ open on mobile >15% open on mobile

80.3%
30.2%
13.5%
3.8%
6.3%
If you get an email on your phone that doesn’t look good, what do you do?
Source: BlueHornet Study: Consumer Views of Email Marketing, 2012 and 2013
Delete it
Unsubscribe
View on computer
Don't know
Read anyway
0 25 50 75 100
+68%
+15%

The finger is the new mouse

BIGGER IS BETTER
‣ Body copy: 16px+
‣ Headlines: 22px+
‣ Buttons: 44px by 44px
‣ Space: 10px+
‣ Tappable touch targets

iOS will resize fonts under 13px
-webkit-text-size-adjust: none;

iOS tries to help…
‣ Make phone calls
‣ Track packages
‣ Find addresses
‣ Create events

Bright screen = dead battery

email mobile version web site
Kill ‘mobile versions’

Large text

‣ More than a “line of code”
‣ Set of conditional statement that enables specific styles
‣ If the screen size is x, then display y
‣ If the screen size is x, then increase headline size to y
‣ If screen size is x, then show image at 100%
‣ Detects screen size, not device type
‣ Not supported in every mobile email app
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT RESPONSIVE EMAIL

Email is an application
and occasionally a mobile browser

Rendering is inconsistent
across devices and operating systems

WHICH TEST WON?
Email is the ideal environment for fast, easy, and cheap testing.
!
BUT—what works for one email won’t always work for another.

‣ Time of day
‣ Day of week
‣ Subject lines
‣ Creative look/feel
‣ Imagery
‣ Call to action
CREATE A HYPOTHESIS SO YOUR TEST IS REPEATABLE.
‣ Preheader
‣ Navigation
‣ Content layout
‣ Length of content
‣ Personalization
‣ Segmentation

Subject lines
‣ Specific vs vague
‣ Buzzy vs straightforward
!
Call to action
‣ Product vs content
‣ Click opportunities
!
Video thumbnails
‣ Person vs product
!
Button color
‣ Green vs blue
SOME TESTS WE’VE RUN AT LITMUS…

Version A: Green button Version B: Blue button

Version A: Green button Version B: Blue button
NO
CHANGE

Version A: Start testing Version B: Read our overview

Version A: Start testing Version B: Read our overview
2X
CLICKS

Subject line A:
Don’t forward this…
!
Subject line B:
The best way to share emails
SUBJECT LINES

Subject line A:
Don’t forward this…
!
Subject line B:
The best way to share emails
SUBJECT LINES
54%
MORE CLICKS

Separate sections
vs
All links together
DIGEST EMAIL

Separate sections
vs
All links together
DIGEST EMAIL
30%
MORE CLICKS

MEASURING
SUCCESS

‣ Twitter mentions
‣ Unsolicited comments
‣ Endorsements
‣ Web visits
‣ Blog comments
‣ Anecdotal evidence
BEYOND THE OBVIOUS
@litmusapp mentions

GREAT
RESOURCES
!
!

Q&A

PLAN YOUR
NEXT GREAT EMAIL

‣ Who
‣ What
‣ When
‣ Where
‣ Why
‣ How
FIVE W’S
‣ Audience
‣ Objective
‣ Goal
BRIEF
‣ Subject line
‣ From name
‣ From address
‣ Preheader text
‣ Headline
‣ Subhead
‣ Copy
‣ Call to action
‣ Graphics / images
PLAN
Sketch a wireframe of your email and identify key components.
‣ Elements
‣ Your hypothesis
‣ Success criteria
TEST

THANKS!
‣ Body Level One
‣ Body Level Two
‣ Body Level Three
‣ Body Level Four
‣ Body Level Five
JUSTINE JORDAN
‣ Body Level One
‣ Body Level Two
‣ Body Level Three
‣ Body Level Four
‣ Body Level Five
‣ justine@litmus.com
‣ litmus.com
‣ @meladorri
‣ @litmusapp
!

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