The document evaluates the online presence and email marketing strategies of U.S. state tourism agencies, highlighting their performance in sign-up processes for newsletters and the effectiveness of their email communications. It provides a detailed analysis of which states have the best and worst practices, underlining the importance of ease of access and user-friendliness in engaging potential travelers. Recommendations for best practices in both sign-up and e-newsletter content are also provided to enhance consumer engagement and retention in the tourism sector.

1. August 26, 2010Promoting America State by State: Email Expert Review of Fifty State Tourism Agencies

2. Dr. Philip Rhodes, Ph.D.Philip holds a Ph.D. in Information Design from the University of Portsmouth. He has extensive research and teaching experience in hypermedia design and information architecture. He speaks fluent Portuguese, having lived and worked in Brazil. Before joining OTOinsights, he worked with US solution providers Rare Medium and Sapient, as Director of Information Architecture. Specializing in offering user-centric online solutions within the banking, education, and telecommunications sectors. He also taught at several universities in Brazil and the UK, and has been widely published. Philip is both the Managing Director and the Director of Customer Experience Research & Design at OTOinsights, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.Managing Director & Director of Research

3. Agenda

4. OTOinsights Overview

5. Established in 1997, One to One Interactive is the first global enterprise to assemble a complete solution for brands, agencies, and publishers executing one-to-one marketing strategies. The company employs over 140 professionals in 7 offices located in North America, Latin America, Europe, and Asia.One of the 20 “Hottest Independent Digital Firms” GloballyAdAge, 2007One of the Fastest Growing Private CompaniesInc Magazine, 2008

6. OTOinsights OverviewEstablished in 2002, OTOinsights has conducted over 400 research project in over 30 countries.Specialists in neuromarketing and customer experience strategy, research and design.Undertake discrete point-in-time projects and strategic engagements.Experience across all platforms including digital (e.g. web, intranets, mobile devices, PDA’s, i-TV, etc.), call centers, retail environments and physical products (e.g. laptops, printers, etc.)OTOinsights Offerings:Amplifying Engagement

7. OTOinsights | Amplifying EngagementBrand Perception ResearchInformation DesignNeuromarketingResearchCustomer Experience Research Eye-Tracking

8. Pre-Cognitive Neurological Engagement

9. Cognitive Emotional Tagging

10. Usability Testing

11. Focus Groups

12. In-Depth/Paired Interviews

13. Online Surveys

14. Expert Evaluations

15. Accessibility Audits

16. Ethnographics

17. Research/Tracking

18. Socially Informed/ Multi-Channel Personas

19. Engagement Mapping

20. Cultural Anthropology

21. Trend Spotting

22. User Needs Analysis

23. Information Architecture

24. User Scenarios

25. Behavioral Use Cases

26. Feature Matrix

27. Wireframes

28. Site Maps

29. Prototype DevelopmentOTOinsights Clients: Travel8

30. PART 1 | Context: The US travel landscape

31. Context: The US travel landscapeUS travel landscape is significant revenue generator, both in terms of domestic travellers and international visitorsAlthough 2009 saw reductions in number of travellers (domestic and international), and hence an overall reduction in revenues, 2010 and the next 4-5 years is expected to see continued growthThe internet has an increasingly important role to play in the travel landscape, yet how are official state organisations capitalising on that potential growthTravel in the US:Travellers spent a total of $704.4 billion in 2009

32. Predicted that travellers with spend $748.3 billion in 2010Context: The US travel landscapeHow many people are travelling to US states?

33. US study (July 2010)

34. 1,469 million domestic leisure travelers in 2009

35. 54.9 million international visitors in 2009

36. $610 billion spent by domestic travelers

37. $94 billion spent by international visitorsHow will travel numbers change?Domestic travel predicted to increase 1.8% - 3.6% year on year for the next 4 years

38. International travel to the US predicted to increase 3.1% - 5.1% year on year for the next 4 yearsContext: The US travel landscapeThe Internet and travel?

39. 90 million US residents used the Internet to plan travel in the past year

40. Sites visited include:

41. Destination websites

42. Travel Agency websites

43. Travel company websitesIncreased use of the Internet has led to significant decrease in the number of calls to state and local tourism offices

44. Context: The US travel landscapeEmail and travel?

45. The ‘open rate’ for travel related emails is relatively high (approximately 13%, with click-through date of 3%). More so than e-commerce, insurance, technology and government emails.

46. 10 million travellers a year respond to travel emails leading to unplanned travel.PART 2: Review of 53 States (sites/e-newsletters)

47. MethodologyExpert Approach

48. 2 experienced customer experienced consultants

49. Independently reviewed US state travel sites and e-newsletters

50. Focus

51. Ease of finding link to sign-up

52. Information required to sign-up

53. Timeliness of email response

54. Quality of e-newsletterResults | SummaryThe numbers

55. 36/53 sites had a link to sign-up on the homepage

56. 7/53 had links on deeper pages

57. 10/53 had no e-newsletter

58. 23 sent email confirmation

59. Only 3 sent the current e-newsletter within 24 hours

60. A further 6 made the archive of e-newsletters availableSign-Up Process

61. Results | Sign-upKey criteria used in the analysis:

62. Is the sign-up available from the homepage

63. Is it possible to enter ‘sign-up’ details on the homepage

64. No additional information required to sign-up e.g. postal address, annual income, etc.

65. Can the user customise the newsletter to their areas of interest

66. Is there is a clear confirmation page

67. Is the user informed what will happen next

68. Is the user given access to the latest newsletter or an archive of newslettersSign-up | The best and worstKey ExcellentVery poorNo email newsletters

69. Sign-up | The best and worstBestTexas1. Arkansas3. Missouri3. Maryland3. VermontWorst41. Wisconsin38. New York38. North Dakota38. Georgia34. VirginiaNote that 12 states did not offer an e-newsletters

70. Sign-Up Process: The Best

71. The best | TexasSign-up is clearly shown on the side of the homepage

72. Only an e-mail address is required

73. No unnecessary information is requested

74. Users are able to create an account which will provide them with access to further features

75. However it is clear that this is optionalThe best | TexasClear confirmation is sent via email

76. The user is provided with more information regarding the e-newsletters

77. The look and feel of the confirmation email is consistent with the website, with a clear Texas logo

78. Users are given a link back to the websiteThe best | ArkansasSign-up is clearly shown on theside of the homepage

79. Only name and email addressare required

80. It is clear that the Zip Codeis not mandatory

81. Users are able to select their interests in order to customise the email newsletter

82. Option to select a ‘general newsletter’ is also providedThe best | ArkansasConfirmation page has a clear indication that their subscription was successful

83. Users are informed that they will receive an email confirmation

84. Confirmation email received immediately

85. Website links providedThe best | MissouriThe sign-up is clearly shown at the top at the homepage

86. Users are informed of the benefits of subscribing

87. Ability to enter email address on the homepage

88. The user is able to personalise the e-newsletter by checking the relevant boxes

89. ‘?’ icons provided to assist usersThe best | MissouriClear confirmation screen

90. Users informed about thecontent of the e-newsletters

91. The option to unsubscribe is provided

92. Email confirmation sent

93. List of interests selected during sign-up

94. Link back to the website is providedThe best | MarylandThe sign up is clearly shown within the ‘What’s Happening’ section which is suitable

95. Clear heading on the sign up page

96. Clear indication of frequency of e-newsletters

97. Ability to view archived newsletters before subscribing

98. Only email address is requestedThe best | MarylandThe user can choose which categories they wish to receive information on

99. Clear indication that the user has subscribed and preferences have been savedThe best | VermontThe sign up button is clearly displayed on the homepage and accompanied by an ‘envelope’ icon

100. Clear heading on the sign up page

101. Users are able to select specific interests

102. However these are limited to ‘up to three’ and selection method not intuitive

103. Only email address is mandatoryThe best | VermontClear confirmation page

104. Users provided with a link to view the latest e-newsletter

105. Immediate email confirmation sent

106. However, users are required to confirm subscription by clicking on a link in the email

107. No indication of this was given on the confirmation pageSign-Up: The Worst

108. The worst | WisconsinLink to the e-newsletter is on the homepage

109. However it is hidden through use of poorly contrasting colours

110. Users are asked a lot of unnecessary questions, including:

111. Screen name, zip code and a passwordThe worst | WisconsinThe confirmation page “welcomes back” the user

112. The user is referred to by the screen name rather than their own name

113. The ‘save changes' link has no purpose for users that have just subscribed

114. Required to confirm via email link

115. Users have been forced into creating an accountThe worst | New YorkLink to newsletter at the top of the homepage

116. However link is hidden due to small font and not accompanied by an icon

117. Account creation required

118. ZIP code is mandatory

119. User must go through many pages in order to sign up (three steps)The worst | New YorkConfirmation page states that an email had been sent in order to confirm subscription

120. However no email was receivedThe worst | North DakotaLink to sign-up on the homepage

121. However, lots of mandatory information required in order to subscribe

122. e.g. address, password required, ‘how did you hear about us?’

123. Required to create an account in order to receive the e-newsletterThe worst | North Dakota‘Thank you’ message on the confirmation page gives the user the impression that they are now a member and have completed the subscription process

124. However a delayed email was received 5 minutes later requesting confirmation by clicking on a link

125. No indication of next stepsThe worst | GeorgiaNo link to subscribe on the homepage, had to conduct a search to find it

126. Once the user clicks on a search result, the sign up link is still very hidden at the bottom of a text heavy pageThe worst | GeorgiaAppears as though the user is taken to another site as the logo has changed

127. Broken link in the centre of the page – it does not do anything

128. Right column ‘email entry’ field works correctly

129. However there is no confirmation page, just a message which appears in the right column

130. No confirmation emailThe worst | VirginiaLink on homepage

131. However link is below the fold of the page

132. Once the user clicks ‘subscribe’ they are returned to the top of the page without any indication that anything has changed

133. Only if the user scrolls down will they realise that they have completed the subscription

134. No confirmation email sentE-mail Newsletters

135. Results | e-mail newsletterKey criteria used in the analysis:

136. Are links to the site provided and are they clear

137. Are links provided to social networking sites

138. Is the e-mail personalised

139. Is there a specific and catchy subject line

140. Is there an option to unsubscribe

141. Is a real address, phone number or other similar details about the sender provided

142. Is there consistency with the e-newsletter and the websiteE-mail newsletter | The best and worst17 email newsletters reviewKey ExcellentVery poor

143. E-mail newsletter | The best and worstBestArizona1. TennesseeOklahoma4. Kentucky4. MinnesotaWorst17. Florida16. Vermont12. New Mexico12. North Carolina12. North DakotaOnly 17 e-newsletters were reviewed

144. E-mail Newsletters: The Best

145. The best | ArizonaThe e-newsletter has consistent look and feel and navigation with the site

146. The logo is a link to the website

147. The social media links are prominently displayed at the top of the page

148. There is also a link to a photo competition, which adds a level of interestThe best | ArizonaHeadings are clear and the links provided are unambiguous

149. The images are large and excellent quality

150. Contact information is clearly provided at the bottom of the page

151. There is a clear link to ‘unsubscribe’The best | TennesseeThe logo is obvious and takes the user to the main site

152. The aesthetic is visually appealing and consistent with the main site

153. The social media links are clearly displayed at the top of the page

154. Contact information is clearly provided

155. There is a clear link to unsubscribe at the foot of the pageThe best | OklahomaSimple and clear presentation with key information provided

156. The ‘play’ icon reaffirms that the link will take the user to a video

157. Consistent look and feel to the website

158. Logo provides a link to the site

159. Includes multiple social media tools to share the pageThe best | OklahomaClear contact information is provided

160. The unsubscribe option is located at the bottom as would be expected by users

161. However it is slightly hidden within a paragraph of textThe best | KentuckyThe heading and logo are clear and provide a link back to the main site

162. Branding is consistent with the site

163. The sections are well divided and the colour contrast aids page scanability

164. Each article also has a link to further information on the main site The best | KentuckyThe separate ‘Upcoming Events’ section is useful and displays the dates and key information

165. There are social media links both to share the newsletter and take the user to the Kentucky Tourism social networking pages

166. Option to unsubscribe is ‘one-click’ and takes the user to a confirmationThe best | MinnesotaThere is consistency with the website in terms of branding and look and feel

167. The logo is a link to the website

168. The layout and visual style of the newsletter is clean and it is simple to scan through

169. Each of the headings is a link to the related article

170. Short description of each article and an accompanying imageThe best | MinnesotaThere are links to their Facebook and Twitter as well as other useful links on the left

171. There is a clear link to ‘unsubscribe’E-mail Newsletters: The Worst

172. The worst | FloridaUnable to see images on the email newsletter (even when images are enabled)

173. The link to ‘see online version’ leads to an error page

174. Lack of a visible link to the website

175. No links to social networking sites

176. Lack of consistency with the website – unable to see if there is any brandingThe worst | VermontPoor contrast of grey text on a green background on the title of the ‘in this issue’ section

177. There is no option to unsubscribe from the newsletters

178. There are no contact details provided

179. The August issue is not available and the sample is the ‘July’ issue (even though we are now almost in September)The worst | VermontThe newsletter was poorly formatted when viewed in Google Chrome

180. The newsletter was not sent via email upon completing the subscription processThe worst | New MexicoThere is no option to unsubscribe from the e-newsletter from this page

181. ‘In this issue’ links take the user to what appears to be the full version of the newsletter

182. However, ‘hot deals’ leads to a different page

183. There are no social network links on this cover pageThe worst | New MexicoThe actual newsletter is very long and requires the user to scroll a lot

184. The newsletter is very text heavy, especially on the second half of the page

185. The newsletter was not sent via email upon completing the subscription processThe worst | North CarolinaThe logo is not a link to the website

186. There is a link to ‘subscribe’ at the top of the page

187. No links to social networking sites are provided

188. ‘Opt out’ is not visible and another link to ‘subscribe’ is positioned at the front of the footer

189. No contact information is providedThe worst | North DakotaLogo is not a link to the website

190. The option provided to unsubscribe is labeled ‘instant removal’

191. The text ‘instant removal’ does not look like a link

192. Many broken links e.g. ‘read more news stories’ links to a 404 error pageThe worst | North DakotaIt is stated that the newsletter is available both in text and HTML format, however the option to chose is not providedPART 3: Insights & Conclusions

193. ConclusionsBest Practice Sign Up:Include Sign-up on the homepage

194. Sign up should be located towards the top of the page (at least above the fold)

195. Should be accompanied by an image or icon e.g. an envelope to draw attention

196. Ensure sign-up requires minimal data entry e.g. name and email address

197. Include a short sentence stating the benefits of signing up e.g. promotions, stay up to date with news and events etcConclusionsBest Practice Sign Up:Do not require any unnecessary information to be entered (such as postal address or annual income)

198. Do not require users to ‘create an account’ or ‘become a member’ of the siteConclusionsBest Practice Sign Up:Consider including a short second step/page allowing users to customise the newsletter by selecting specific areas of interest

199. Provide a ‘select all’ tick box or ‘general newsletter’ opt in

200. Provide a link to the latest newsletter or an archive so that users know what to expect before subscribing

201. Do not require users to re-enter information e.g. do not request name / email address a second timeConclusionsBest Practice Sign Up:Include a clear indication on the website that the subscription process is complete and has been successful

202. Ideally include a clear, separate confirmation page with different content

203. Include a clear thank you message on this page

204. Provide an indication of what the user can expect next i.e. email confirmationConclusionsBest Practice Sign Up:Send email confirmation immediately

205. User should not need to ‘reconfirm’ the subscription

206. Ensure consistency with site i.e. branding and logo, etc.

207. Include information about newsletters e.g. frequency and type of content

208. Include a link back to the website

209. Include a link to unsubscribe

210. Include contact detailsConclusionsBest Practice E-Newsletter: Include a clear and catchy subject line so that the user immediately recognises the email

211. Ensure consistency with the site in terms of branding e.g. logo, layout, etc.

212. Include links to the site and ensure that they are clear e.g. logo and url address

213. Do not include hidden links e.g. decorative images or plain textConclusionsBest Practice E-Newsletter:Include links to social networking sites

214. To share the e-newsletter

215. Links to the states social network site for tourism e.g. Facebook page

216. Ensure that the e-mail is personalised – use of first name, etc.

217. There must be a clear option to ‘unsubscribe’

218. This must not be hidden within text

219. Do not use terms such as ‘remove’ or ‘opt out’ConclusionsBest Practice E-Newsletter: (Notes)Provide a real address, phone number or other similar contact details about the sender

220. Do not include excessive amount of text

221. Limit the length of the e-newsletter, do not cause the user to vertically scroll excessivelyQuestions?Dr. Philip Rhodes:prhodes@onetooneinteractive.comFor copies of the presentation or further info on OTOinsights services please email: marketing@onetooneinteractive.comFollow OTOinsights on Twitter:http://twitter.com/OTOinsights http://twitter.com/fhios

222. Future Webinars from One To One InteractiveJoin us for our next Webinar on September 23rd at 11 AM Eastern Time:“Search Best Practices: How to Dominate Search in 2011”With Greg Slama, Search Marketing Specialist at OTOiRegister at: http://bit.ly/aQd5gv