Email Messaging: How overcoming 3 common errors increased clickthrough 104%

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Today’s team

Dr. Flint McGlaughlinManaging Director

Adam LappAssociate Director, Optimization and Strategy

Gaby PaezAssociate Director of Research

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Background and Test Design

Background: Largest physician-only social network which offers its knowledge base to pharmaceutical companies.

Goal: To increase email clickthrough from rented list to landing page.

Primary research question: Which email will generate the highest clickthrough rate?

Approach: Multifactor sequential (year-to-year) test.

Experiment ID: Email Messaging TestLocation: MarketingExperiments Research Library

Research Notes:

�

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Company

Value is buried in second paragraph and at top above the eye-path.

Offer in email is for a 30-minute demo.

Call-to-action requires a relatively high commitment.

Experiment: Email control

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Company Name

Name

Name

Name

Name

Name

Number

Value is clearly communicated in headline and first paragraph.

Less commitment required in offer and call-to-action.

Experiment: Email treatment

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Company Name

Name

Name

Name

NumberCompany

Control Treatment

Experiment: Side-by-side

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Versions Clickthrough Rate Relative difference

Control 1.55% -

Treatment 3.16% 104%

104% increase in conversion The treatment generated a 104% higher clickthrough rate.

What you need to understand: By changing the messaging of the email to reflect Sermo’s value proposition, we were able to generate a 104% lift in clickthrough rate.

Experiment: Results

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Today, we will walk through THREE of the most common errors in email messaging, and apply these key insights live to audience-submitted campaigns.

3 Common errors in email messaging

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Error #1: Macro Distortion

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The Model is BrokenERROR #1: Macro Distortion

$

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The Micro-Decision FunnelERROR #1: Macro Distortion

DVP

DVP

g =

9.81

m/s

2

DVP

CVP

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The Macro ConversionERROR #1: Macro Distortion

Company Name

Name

Number

Name

Company Name

Name

Name

Name

Name

Name

Number

Email (CTR)

Landing Page (CVR)

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Subject Line

Email Landing Page

Headline

First Paragraph

Body

Call-to-action

Headline

Sub-headline

First Paragraph

Body

Call-to-action

Company Name

Name

Name

Name

Name

Name

Number

Company Name

Name

Number

Name

The Micro ConversionsERROR #1: Macro Distortion

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Company Name

Name

Name

Name

Name

Name

NumberSubject Line

Email

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Company Name

Name

Name

Name

Name

Name

NumberSubject Line

Headline

Email

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Company Name

Name

Name

Name

Name

Name

NumberSubject Line

Headline

First Two Inches

Email

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Company Name

Name

Name

Name

Name

Name

NumberSubject Line

Headline

First Two Inches

Body

Email

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Headline

Company Name

Name

Number

Name

Landing Page

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Company Name

Name

Number

Name

First Two Inches

Headline

Landing Page

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Company Name

Name

Number

Name

First Two Inches

Body

Headline

Landing Page

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Company Name

Name

Number

Name

First Two Inches

Body

CTA

Headline

Landing Page

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Subject Line

Headline

First Paragraph

Body

CTA

Headline

First Paragraph

Body

CTA

Email LP

Sub-headline

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Error #2: Conflated Objectives

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Subject Line

Headline

First Two Inches

Body

CTA

Headline

First Two Inches

Body

CTA

Email

LP

Note: At each stage in the email journey, you should only sell the next micro-conversion.

Conflated ObjectivesERROR #2: Conflated Objectives

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Subject Line

Headline

First Two Inches

Body

CTA

Headline

First Two Inches

Body

CTA

Email

Landing Page

But This

Headline

Landing PageSubject Line

Headline

First Two Inches

Body

CTA

First Two Inches

Body

CTA

Email

Not This

Conflated Objectives: ExampleERROR #2: Conflated Objectives

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Company

Not This

Instances of Conflation:

• IOC #1: Sells the 30-minute demo in first paragraph.

• IOC #2: Starts selling “online tools” before explaining benefits.

• IOC #3: Asks reader to get started when they may not be ready to start.


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Company Name

Name

Name

Name

Name

Name

Number

But This

• Each section of the page guides the reader through a logical series of micro-conversions.

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• Little to no value in headline and first two inches.

• At least two competing calls-to-action.

Not This


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Re: The Research Results You Requested

Dear MarketingExperiments Subscriber,

As the Director of MECLABS Group, I felt it was important to personally inform you regarding one of the most significant breakthroughs in the history of our paid search experimentation.

In this study, we were able to reduce cost by 35% and yet increase conversion by 300%. You can find out more by clicking here.

Perhaps this breakthrough will help you improve your paid search ROI.

Dr. Flint McGlaughlinDirectorMECLABS Group

P.S. This link will only be active for 24 hours; we are trying to get this information to our subscribers before it reaches the media.

But This

• Each section of the page guides the reader through a logical series of micro-conversions.


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Your email says exactly what’s on the landing page.

Your email takes more than 30 seconds to read from beginning to end.

Your email looks and feels just like a webpage.

Your email looks and feels like a magazine.

Your email has more than one central call-to-action.

Your Email Might Be Conflated If…ERROR #2: Conflated Objectives

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Error #3: Assumed Value

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Note: At each micro-conversion in the email journey, there is a value exchange.

For each micro-conversion, we must calculate and deliver the needed perceived value for the prospect to move to the next micro-conversion.

Perceived CostPerceived Value

The Value Exchange FulcrumERROR #3: Assumed Value

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Derivative Value PropositionsERROR #3: Assumed Value

1

3

2

Question: Why should [PROSPECT A] buy from you rather than any of your competitors?

Question: Why should your ideal prospect buy from you rather than any of your competitors?

Question: Why should [PROSPECT A] buy this product rather than any other product?

Question: Why should [PROSPECT A] click this PPC ad rather than any other PPC ad?

Prospect APros

pect

C

Prospect B

PRODUCT

#3

PRODUCT

#4

PRODUCT

#1

PRODUCT

#2PRODUCT

#3

PRODUCT

#4

PRODUCT

#2

PRODUCT

#3

PRODUCT

#4

Central Value

Proposition

Conversion steps associated with a specific product.

PRODUCT

#2

The Value Proposition Spectrum

PROSPECT-LEVEL

PROCESS-LEVEL

PRODUCT

#1PRODUCT

#1

PRODUCT-LEVEL

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Company

Not This

• Where’s the value?

Assumed Value: ExampleERROR #3: Assumed Value

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Assumed Value: ExampleERROR #3: Assumed Value

Company Name

Name

Name

Name

Name

Name

Number

But This

• Each micro-conversion step provides just enough value to move the prospect to the next one.

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Live Optimization

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Submission #1

Audience: Nonprofit professionals in fund-raising, marketing, social media and development

Objective:To get registrants for a paid Webinar

http://bit.ly/copwebinar

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Submission #2

http://bit.ly/awreport

Audience:Anyone who uses Google AdWords to promote their own company (not agencies) Objective:To fill out the lead form (on the landing page) to get their custom AdWords Performance Report

http://bit.ly/awreport

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Submission #3

http://bit.ly/nutramax

Audience: People who have expressed interest in our products in the past (both on/off-line sources) Objective:Drive traffic to our on-line store

http://bit.ly/nutramax

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Submission #4

http://bit.ly/discoverboating

Audience: Consumer boaters

Objective:Engage audience/Clickthroughs

http://bit.ly/discoverboating

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Email Messaging: How overcoming 3 common errors increased clickthrough 104%

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