Improving Your Email Open Rate:
              When Clear & Concise is BETTER

Heather S. Delphin, brand strategist
heather@thinkcreativegroup.com         thinkcreativegroup.com
The Facts & Stats
Email Companies
Industry Averages
Golden Rules for Success
Examples
Action Plan
Questions

                           Overview
Marketers who plan to increase investments in digital marketing:

75.2%     say their allocations will increase steadily as 2014 approaches


18.4%     say their allocations will increase greatly


58.4%     plan to reduce or keep their offline marketing budgets flat


39.4%     Marketing executives cite email marketing as their company's
          top-performing advertising channel in 2009




                                                           Facts & Stats
Which product should you use?
Email companies
Industry Averages
Accounting        27.36%   Financial Services   20.87%
Advertising       23.79%   Healthcare/Medical   24.66%
Architecture      32.05%   Hotel                27.50%
Art               26.12%   Insurance            24.43%
Arts/ Music       16.22%   Internet/Web Svc.    20.34%
Beauty/ Health    29.88%   Legal Services       25.48%
Church            32.95%   Marketing            20.52%
Construction      23.86%   Music                27.94%
Consulting        22.34%   Non-profit           27.66%
Creative Agency   20.97%   Real Estate          22.84%
Education         25.86%   Restaurant           26.17%
Entertainment     15.42%   Retail               27.61%
                           Travel               24.97%
                                                  Average Email Campaign Stats/ MailChimp




                            Industry Averages
Golden Rules
Best Practices
• Have an email strategy – stay inline with your overall marketing strategy
• Keep a marketing calendar
• Use a recognizable "from" name
• Send your emails between Tuesday – Thursday, 9:30am – 3:00pm
• Become a trusted sender – only use OPT in email addresses – offer a confirmed of opt in
• Send useful, helpful, relevant and compelling content
• Give tips and insight
• Keep an idea pad at hand
• Test your subject lines
• Spell check and have a co-worker proofread with a fresh set of eyes
• Test send the email to yourself or co-worker




                                                                      Golden Rules
Best Practices
• Keep navigation of your website on the top of all emails
• Clean and simple
• Easy to follow flow
• Show clear hierarchy of the importance of the content
• Add hyperlinks to related material on your website
• Check the plain text version to make sure it translated correctly
• Link to specific pages on your website
• Track your result and adjust where necessary
• Allow people to sign up for your e-newsletter through your website




                                                                       Golden Rules
Don’t
• Let the subject line be an after thought
• Wait till the last second to slap a subject line on before you send
• Use Red text
• USE ALL CAPITAL LETTERS
• Send incomplete information
• Use excessive punctuation
• Excessively use of "click here" especially in all capital letters
• Excessively use of $$, and other symbols
• Send a misleading (or missing) subject line
• Use Spam-like words: Guarantee, credit card, etc.
• Put all of the content directly into your e-newsletter




                                                                        Golden Rules
Best & Worst Subject Lines
Good Examples
• CLIENT: Kitchen Zinc
• SUBJECT LINE:
  You're invited –
  Free Wine tasting at Kitchen ZINC
• SENT: 159
• OPEN: 77
• OPEN RATE: 48.4%
• STANDARD: 26.17%




!          !            !             !
!


                  Examples
• CLIENT: FUZION Medical Aesthetic
        Boutique
• SUBJECT LINE:
  Dr. Goodkind on Ct Style
  this Thursday at 12:30
• SENT: 1,092
• OPEN: 326
• OPEN RATE: 30.21%
• STANDARD: 29.88%




!         !           !          !
!

                 Examples
• CLIENT: Santa Energy
• SUBJECT LINE:
  Rebates available -
  for a limited time only
• SENT: 5,741
• OPEN: 3,011
• OPEN RATE: 53.36%
• STANDARD: 23.86%


!           !               !   !
!




                  Examples
• CLIENT: think creative group
• SUBJECT LINE:
  think creative wins big [pencils]
• SENT: 353
• OPEN: 158

• OPEN RATE: 50.64%
• STANDARD: 20.52%




!            !            !           !
!




                  Examples
• CLIENT: think creative group
• SUBJECT LINE:
  Are you using Facebook in your
  marketing plan?
• SENT: 243
• OPEN: 107

• OPEN RATE: 44.03%
• STANDARD: 20.52%

!          !           !           !
!




                Examples
Action Plan
Take Action

• Get in the game
• Review your marketing goals for 2010
• Review your current email template
• Plot out an eblast marketing calendar
• Use your assets
• Decide what company is the best fit
• Grow your email list




                            What you can do today
Heather S. Delphin, brand strategist
heather@thinkcreativegroup.com

Think creative email_openrate_presentation_ap_2010

  • 1.
    Improving Your EmailOpen Rate: When Clear & Concise is BETTER Heather S. Delphin, brand strategist heather@thinkcreativegroup.com thinkcreativegroup.com
  • 2.
    The Facts &Stats Email Companies Industry Averages Golden Rules for Success Examples Action Plan Questions Overview
  • 3.
    Marketers who planto increase investments in digital marketing: 75.2% say their allocations will increase steadily as 2014 approaches 18.4% say their allocations will increase greatly 58.4% plan to reduce or keep their offline marketing budgets flat 39.4% Marketing executives cite email marketing as their company's top-performing advertising channel in 2009 Facts & Stats
  • 5.
  • 6.
  • 7.
  • 8.
    Accounting 27.36% Financial Services 20.87% Advertising 23.79% Healthcare/Medical 24.66% Architecture 32.05% Hotel 27.50% Art 26.12% Insurance 24.43% Arts/ Music 16.22% Internet/Web Svc. 20.34% Beauty/ Health 29.88% Legal Services 25.48% Church 32.95% Marketing 20.52% Construction 23.86% Music 27.94% Consulting 22.34% Non-profit 27.66% Creative Agency 20.97% Real Estate 22.84% Education 25.86% Restaurant 26.17% Entertainment 15.42% Retail 27.61% Travel 24.97% Average Email Campaign Stats/ MailChimp Industry Averages
  • 9.
  • 10.
    Best Practices • Havean email strategy – stay inline with your overall marketing strategy • Keep a marketing calendar • Use a recognizable "from" name • Send your emails between Tuesday – Thursday, 9:30am – 3:00pm • Become a trusted sender – only use OPT in email addresses – offer a confirmed of opt in • Send useful, helpful, relevant and compelling content • Give tips and insight • Keep an idea pad at hand • Test your subject lines • Spell check and have a co-worker proofread with a fresh set of eyes • Test send the email to yourself or co-worker Golden Rules
  • 11.
    Best Practices • Keepnavigation of your website on the top of all emails • Clean and simple • Easy to follow flow • Show clear hierarchy of the importance of the content • Add hyperlinks to related material on your website • Check the plain text version to make sure it translated correctly • Link to specific pages on your website • Track your result and adjust where necessary • Allow people to sign up for your e-newsletter through your website Golden Rules
  • 12.
    Don’t • Let thesubject line be an after thought • Wait till the last second to slap a subject line on before you send • Use Red text • USE ALL CAPITAL LETTERS • Send incomplete information • Use excessive punctuation • Excessively use of "click here" especially in all capital letters • Excessively use of $$, and other symbols • Send a misleading (or missing) subject line • Use Spam-like words: Guarantee, credit card, etc. • Put all of the content directly into your e-newsletter Golden Rules
  • 13.
    Best & WorstSubject Lines
  • 16.
  • 17.
    • CLIENT: KitchenZinc • SUBJECT LINE: You're invited – Free Wine tasting at Kitchen ZINC • SENT: 159 • OPEN: 77 • OPEN RATE: 48.4% • STANDARD: 26.17% ! ! ! ! ! Examples
  • 18.
    • CLIENT: FUZIONMedical Aesthetic Boutique • SUBJECT LINE: Dr. Goodkind on Ct Style this Thursday at 12:30 • SENT: 1,092 • OPEN: 326 • OPEN RATE: 30.21% • STANDARD: 29.88% ! ! ! ! ! Examples
  • 19.
    • CLIENT: SantaEnergy • SUBJECT LINE: Rebates available - for a limited time only • SENT: 5,741 • OPEN: 3,011 • OPEN RATE: 53.36% • STANDARD: 23.86% ! ! ! ! ! Examples
  • 20.
    • CLIENT: thinkcreative group • SUBJECT LINE: think creative wins big [pencils] • SENT: 353 • OPEN: 158 • OPEN RATE: 50.64% • STANDARD: 20.52% ! ! ! ! ! Examples
  • 21.
    • CLIENT: thinkcreative group • SUBJECT LINE: Are you using Facebook in your marketing plan? • SENT: 243 • OPEN: 107 • OPEN RATE: 44.03% • STANDARD: 20.52% ! ! ! ! ! Examples
  • 22.
  • 23.
    Take Action • Getin the game • Review your marketing goals for 2010 • Review your current email template • Plot out an eblast marketing calendar • Use your assets • Decide what company is the best fit • Grow your email list What you can do today
  • 24.
    Heather S. Delphin,brand strategist heather@thinkcreativegroup.com