Engagement content in email

MarketingSherpa Summit 2016: Using Sticky Content in Email Travis Rice Art Director, Yes Agency Services

Email Summit | February 23, 2016 2

I.  Sticky content in email §  What is “sticky content”? §  The engagement marathon §  There’s value in linking out §  Best-in-class examples

II.  Batch creation of content §  Curated or custom? Who’s writing? §  Let your Brand + audience direct you §  Execution: combining marketing & sticky §  Building on a solid foundation

III.  Cadence & your mailing calendar §  Training your audience to open §  The “sell, sell, fun” formula §  Developing a roadmap to suit your program

Discussion outline


Sticky content in email


§  Engagement, or sticky, content helps subscribers feel they are getting more than just a sales pitch.

§  Sticky is interesting, editorial, bite-sized content.

§  When done well, it increases open & click-through rates while providing value to your audience.

What is “sticky” content?


§  If you’re pushing offers week after week, subscriber engagement will drop off.

§  61% of consumers say they feel better about, and are more likely to buy from, a company that delivers custom content.1

§  Don’t focus on short-term gains… adding sticky content to your program is an investment in healthy subscribers.

§  You’re building a base of loyal openers.

The engagement marathon: long-term audience health

1Custom Content Council


§  Remember, you’re adding value for the reader. §  While it seems counterintuitive to link away from your site,

the reader will remember that you pointed them to that great article.

§  Consistently provide supplemental content & the audience will be looking for your next email… “wonder what’s in this month’s newsletter”.

§  Curating existing content that syncs well with your marketing message is an efficient way to add sticky.

§  27,000,000 pieces of content are shared everyday.2

Don’t be afraid to link out

2AOL and Nielsen


Best-in-class: who’s doing it right


§  Solid contender for best retail email ü  Sticky elements: editorial profiles, tips, trivia ü  Even their straight marketing is well crafted & engaging ü  Case study in training subscribers to open

Bonobos


§  Doesn’t get much stickier than this ü  Includes: expert profiles, tool tips, photo essays, trivia,

interactive quizzes, workflow tips… ü  Monthly newsletter that leaves you counting the days

until the next drop

Hightail


§  Good example of a consistent formula ü  Sticky: photo contests, photo galleries, editorial articles, video

biographies of athletes, & customer stories ü  Each email closes with an engagement piece

Patagonia


§  Retail email + perfectly bite-sized content ü  Sticky elements: tips, galleries, editorial articles, & music ü  Well-curated, outside content that resonates with the audience ü  Always links out to blogs, SoundCloud, etc.

FY


§  For best-in-class content, look no further ü  Sticky: Interviews with design leaders, tips, tutorials, blog articles,

weekly list of favorite links, webinar series… ü  Striking design + engaging content = inbox favorite

InVision


§  Robust email program + multi-faceted content strategy ü  Sticky elements: travel tips, quizzes, interactive polls, custom articles ü  Well-designed template allows for seamless workflow & a wide range

of module types to showcase content

Marriott Rewards


Batch creation of content


§  Choose your tactic: curating outside articles, or creating custom content.

§  Who’s the editor? If you don’t have a copywriter, freelance journalists are a good resource.

§  Your audience persona & Brand voice should direct all content decisions.

§  Essential tip: don’t create on-the-fly.

§  Create a batch of content as a single project. Work through 3, 6, or 12 months worth of emails.

So, where do you start?


§  Fire up the email factory. Start with your container, the master template, then add the 2 ingredients: offer content + engagement content.

§  Since you planned ahead & created a library of content, now simply choose the piece that fits the email theme.

§  Develop a consistent approach for inserting sticky. Use the same module types & layout placement to establish a recognizable pattern.

Putting it all together


§  In a multi-screen world, templates are no longer a luxury. §  They are the cornerstone to ensuring accurate mobile

rendering across environments.

§  Template systems afford us workflow efficiencies + time to focus on what’s important…content.

§  When you have image specs & character counts for sticky modules, it’s easy to create plug & play content.

§  Building emails is a snap—simply place the content directly in the HTML template. No Photoshop. No responsive coding (it’s already done). Just hit send.

Building on a solid foundation


Cadence & your mailing calendar


§  Back to the engagement marathon...it’s time to invest in the long-term health of your audience.

§  Be strategic when planning the cadence of your emails. A proven formula is the sell, sell, fun approach.

Training your audience to open


§  Work with your strategist to develop a program roadmap in conjunction with your mailing calendar.

§  This will help identify key opportunities to insert engagement content.

§  Package your sticky emails so they’re identifiable.

§  Create a monthly or bi-weekly newsletter with a unique moniker: Brandname Digest, Weekly eNews, etc.

§  Once you have a quarter’s worth of emails under the belt, analyze your metrics, test, & refine.

Know where you’re going


Determine the value you can bring to your audience. Then deliver that consistently through your content.

Thank you

Travis Rice [email protected] | LinkedIn

Engagement content in email

Marketing

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