FOR BEGINNERS - Msgworks•Finally, choose how you would like MailChimp to send you unsubscribe...

FOR BEGINNERSThe basics of great email marketing

© 2016 MSGWORKS.COM THIS MATERIAL IS FOR MSGWORKS TRAINING USERS ONLY. NOT FOR RESALE OR DISTRIBUTION.

SECTION 1 - LISTS & DATA

•  A campaign is only as good as the data that it uses. Spending time to get your customer and subscriber lists into great shape will increase open and click through rates, minimise unsubscribes and generate more results!

•  Before you start with MailChimp, make sure your data is as clean as possible and that you have permission to mail everyone on your list.


•  Before you can import your data, there are a few steps to go through

•  You will need to enter some basic details, including the default “from” name and email address and a default subject line.

•  The first time you set up a list, you may need to verify the “from” email address. Click ‘verify this domain’ - MailChimp will send you a verification code that you can enter.


•  You should also include a short message to remind people why they are receiving the email. This message will appear automatically beneath all emails, next to the “unsubscribe” option.

•  (MailChimp always includes an option to unsubscribe, this cannot be turned off)

•  You can customise this text and amend it any time by going to ‘settings’ on the list page.

•  MailChimp also automatically includes the contact details that you specified when you set up your account.


•  Finally, choose how you would like MailChimp to send you unsubscribe notifications

•  (Daily Summary is probably the most useful, especially if you have large lists)

•  Once you have set up all your information, the next step is to create a signup form.

•  As well as creating a form that you can embed on your website landing pages, the signup form is also where you will tell MailChimp what data you wish to capture, using data fields such as name, phone no, salutation, etc.

•  Exactly what data fields you want to use is up to you. For a simple newsletter subscription, you might only need a customer’s first name and email address. Or you might want to capture data about their company or phone no. or what they are interested in. This is all fully customisable within MailChimp.


•  Click ‘signup forms’ on the list page to get started.

•  This will take you to the form designer, where you can set your data fields

•  You can also customise how the form looks - essential if you want to embed the form on your landing pages


•  By default, the form is set to include First Name, Last Name and Email Address. You can add additional fields by clicking the options on the right

•  Here I have added a new text field

•  On the right I can change the name of the field, the field tag, a default value (if required), whether filling in the field is compulsory and whether the field should be visible or hidden.


•  FIELD TAGS:

•  You will use these for personalising your emails. Accurate personalisation makes a huge difference to response rates. But incorrect personalisation has the opposite effect! It is worth taking the time to set easy-to-remember field tags for all fields.

•  By default the email tag is called EMAIL

•  First Name is called FNAME by default

•  To include this in the body of an email, you need to enter the tag name like this: *|FNAME|*

•  So when you write copy like �“Thanks for getting in touch, *|FNAME|*” �and send it to your customer Bob, he will see it as�“Thanks for getting in touch, Bob”


•  Here, I am adding a salutation field, so that I can easily add “Dear Bob” to my email. I have chosen a new text field from the field type options.

•  By default the email tag will be something generic like MMERGE2 - not very memorable - changing it to SALUTATION would be better.

•  I have also set the field to hidden so that it doesn’t show up on the form that the customer sees

•  First Name is called FNAME by default

•  To include this in the body of an email, you need to enter the tag name like this: *|FNAME|*

•  So when you write copy like �“Thanks for getting in touch, *|FNAME|*” �and send it to your customer Bob, he will see it as�“Thanks for getting in touch, Bob”


•  If you are planning on using the form to embed on your website landing pages, you will want it to look good. MailChimp provides some design tools to do this.

•  In the “Design it” section, you can change colours, fonts, add instructions and headings, etc.


•  Note that you are not able to remove the MailChimp logo under the free plan.

•  Paid accounts let you add your own logo and/or remove the MailChimp logo.

•  Don’t forget about the button! You want your call to action to be as strong as possible.


•  MailChimp provides templates for a number of different form types - these can be easily linked to automation, triggering response emails.

•  Automation is covered in more detail in our advanced course.

•  If you need to edit or add/remove fields or field tags, you can do so at any time by going to Settings in the list section.


•  A note about data protection:

•  It is good practise (and a legal requirement) to have unambiguous consent to contact anyone on your list. The best way to do this is via “double opt-in”: anyone subscribing to your list via your form should get a confirmation/validation email to confirm that they really are who they say they are. MailChimp provides tools to make double-opt in easy.

•  If you are not using double opt-in, you need to make sure that you keep accurate records of the source of the data and that your signup procedure is transparent and makes it clear what your subscribers can expect to receive.

•  MailChimp automatically provides an Unsubscribe option and also allows you to record your data source, but ultimately responsibility rests with you.

•  For more information, visit https://www.gov.uk/data-protection/the-data-protection-act . The Direct Marketing Association (http://www.dma.org.uk) also has useful guides for you to follow.


•  Now let’s import a list

•  Apart from using a signup form, there are three other ways to add people to your list


•  Make sure your list is in .csv format, with no blank rows or columns - it will also save time if the column headings match your data fields in MailChimp

•  When you import your file MailChimp attempts to match column names to field names.


•  Any that aren’t recognised are highlighted in red. You have the option of finding a match from an existing field (e.g. matching “Surname” with “Last Name”), adding the column as a new field to MailChimp, or skipping the column and not importing that bit of your list.

•  You can also set the field for different data types.


•  Mostly you will be adding new subscribers this way, so you will want to check the “subscribed” button.

•  But if you had an external list of addresses that you wanted to remove from your MailChimp list, you can do that by importing them as “unsubscribed” or “cleaned”

•  Once the list import has finished you can view it from the Lists section.

•  You can amend or update it by selecting Manage Subscribers or Add Subscribers.


•  Adding subscribers can be done manually…

•  (Note the option to update a person rather than just add new - useful for avoiding duplicate records)

•  …or you can also copy and paste from a file. Bear in mind that the field settings / column names will need to match and be in the same order for this to work.


SECTION 2 - GROUPS & SEGMENTS

•  Once your data is in place, MailChimp provides sophisticated tools for segmenting your data for better targeting.

•  Better targeting means better response rates and happier customers.

•  There are two basic ways of doing this: groups and segments

•  On the surface, they do very similar things, but there are some key differences.

•  The way I prefer to use them is as follows: use groups for information that has come from outside MailChimp (for example, a subscriber’s country or product preference or anything else you might ask them on your signup form). Use Segments for behaviour within MailChimp (for example, whether they clicked on the last campaign, or the time they joined the list).

•  MailChimp creates a basic hierarchy, so: List > Group > Segment. You might have several segments within a group and several groups within your list.


•  To access groups or segments, go to Manage Subscribers

•  When you set up a group, you have the option to add group membership to your signup form. For example you could have a drop down list of countries to choose from.


•  Once you have created your groups you can find them under Manage Subscribers on the List section.

•  For some reason, MailChimp hides them from view so you will have to click “show groups” on this page to make them visible.

•  Once groups have been set up, you can add people to the groups the same way you would add to the main list.


•  (You can also check which groups a subscriber belongs to by clicking on them in the list view. This brings up their profile, with group membership at the bottom. You can change which groups they belong to here, if you wish)

•  Segments are managed in a similar way.


•  When you create a segment, you use a series of conditions to identify list members

•  For example, you might want to identify people belonging to your group “customers” who haven’t been contacted for a while


•  Once you are happy with your selection, save your segment and give it a name - it will then always be available for future use.

•  Most segments are dynamic, that is they automatically update when your data changes.

•  You can also create ‘static’ segments of fixed data that never changes - for example you might have a small list of people that you need to exclude from a specific mailing. You can create a static segment by importing or copying and pasting, or by unselecting the “Auto Update” box shown above.


SECTION 3 - TEMPLATE DESIGN

•  Now the creative stuff begins!

•  You could now just go ahead and create a campaign… but it will save a lot of time if you create templates in advance. This way you don’t have to remember to add things like your logo or regularly used artwork, or colours or salutation fields, etc.


•  Choose Templates and select Create Template

•  MailChimp provides some standard layouts for you to get started


•  You can also use ready made templates if you want. Note that only the ones flagged “Drag and Drop” are easily editable - the others allow you to change text and images, but any other formatting relies on editing the HTML code.

•  Finally, you can also get your geek on and code your emails yourself (or use HTML code from elsewhere).

•  But this tutorial focuses on using the drag and drop editor.


•  Once you have selected your basic layout, you are taken to the drag and drop editor screen.

•  Certain elements are already provided (on the left) but you can add any of the different content types by clicking on them on the right and dragging them to your email.

•  To edit, click on the element on the left (here we are editing the header section) and the right hand section changes to show editing tools.


•  Now, let’s add an image.

•  I have uploaded an image from my computer (this image will be stored in MailChimp for future use)

•  MaiChimp has identified a problem with the image size which needs fixing, this also gives me an opportunity to edit the photo


•  I can fix the image size, but I can also use various tools to enhance or change the image. It’s not Photoshop, but you can still get some pretty good results.

•  You can easily add hyperlinks to your images (or any other element)…


•  …and change the settings so the image shows full-width (edge to edge) or automatically adjusts for high resolution screens (to avoid looking pixelly)

•  Now let’s edit the body of the email.


•  you will want to change the copy of course, but you can also change the style, font and other settings.

•  NOTE: Because MailChimp wants your email to be readable wherever it is opened, you only have a limited choice of fonts. For more flexibility, you will have to resort to HTML.

•  You can change the number of columns under the settings tab

•  You can add hyperlinks to any portion of text, by selecting the text and choosing the link tool from the content tab


•  Don’t forget to add any personalisation you need by using field tags. For example you might want to add *|SALUTATION|* to the body of your email so that it starts “Dear Bob”

•  Make sure you add any other elements that you will always want to include, such as your logo, social media sharing or follow buttons and your contact details

•  Make sure you always include a really strong call to action!

•  Once you are happy, give your template a name and save it.

•  Now, let’s create a campaign and send some emails!


SECTION 4 - CAMPAIGNS•  Now for the moment of truth!

•  Campaigns are the core of MailChimp. Planning, targeting, designing and scheduling the right campaigns is what will drive your success.

•  There is a hierarchy of importance in direct marketing, which goes (from most important to least): list > timing > offer > creative

•  Luckily, MailChimp is ideal for ensuring you send the best design, with the best offer, at the right time to the right people. But your campaigns need to be carefully planned and set up.


•  Mostly you will want to use a regular campaign or an A/B test. Here we will look at a regular campaign.

•  Remember that hierarchy? Make sure you choose the right people to send the campaign to. Use your groups and segments to get your targeting spot on.


•  The first step is to name your campaign and come up with a killer subject line.

•  (It’s also a good idea to personalise the “to” field, so that the Email looks like it has been sent to “Bob Smith” rather than [email protected] or whatever. It all helps your open rates!)


•  There are also some other options for tracking and monitoring your emails - these are covered in more detail in the Advanced MailChimp course.

•  The next step is to design and customise your email. Let’s use that template we created earlier.


•  You can edit your template just as you did when you created the template (this won’t overwrite your template)

•  Don’t forget to add personalisation

•  Don’t forget to change the header and footer areas too, if you have them. They are easily overlooked!


•  Make sure you include a call to action and give your audience some way of contacting you. Here we are adding a “buy now” button.

•  The button can be edited in on the right - don’t forget the hyperlink!


•  What you include in your email is obviously up to you, but you want it to be as relevant and compelling as possible.

•  Experiment with very plain emails that look like personal correspondence, or with media rich, visually exciting emails that your audience is going to want to share.

•  But always keep your copy focused on your audience and what they are going to want to hear. Generally you either want to be solving a problem for them, entertaining or informing them, or creating a sense of desire!

•  Keep it personal and avoid being boring or spammy.

•  Here’s a great example that I received recently. Compelling, fun, and with a great call to action.


•  Once you are done, MailChimp provides a handy checklist to ensure everything is ready

•  NOTE: One additional option is Social Cards. These are strictly optional, but handy if you want people to share your email content.

•  They allow you to set how your content will appear if shared on Twitter, Facebook or Pinterest


•  That’s it! Your campaign is ready to send!

•  But remember the second most important bit of the hierarchy? Timing!

•  You will probably want to send your email at the best possible time for your audience to open it.

•  It is easy to schedule your campaigns to go out later.


•  That’s it! Your campaign has been scheduled

•  What if you want to change something in your campaign after it has been scheduled? Easy. From the Campaign section, just click edit. Your campaign will be put on hold until you have finished.

•  Sorry, this option is not available if you hit “Send Now” instead of “Schedule Campaign”!


•  Once you have campaigns set up, they can be easily replicated. Doing this will copy the list, segments and design to a new campaign. You can edit each of these elements in your new campaign.


•  A/B TESTING:

•  Testing is critical to the long term success of your email campaigns. Our advanced course goes into testing in more detail, but I generally advise that you try and test every single campaign you send.

•  Often, especially if you have small lists, this is best done manually. Simply create two campaigns, and send them to two segments of your list. Then compare how each of them performed using MailChimp’s reports.

•  Common test items would be the timing, subject line, offer or creative.

•  For larger lists, MailChimp also offers the ability to do an automatic A/B split test. If you select this option, you will be asked what you want to test. MailChimp will split your list into two groups and send one of each email to a selection of people. After a period of time, MailChimp will choose which of the emails got the most opens or clicks and send that version to the rest of the list.


•  MailChimp provides great reports to allow you to track the performance of your campaigns. The headline figures are “Open Rate”, “Click Rate” and bounces/unsubscribes, but you can also set goals and track conversion and revenue. This is covered in more depth in the advanced course.

•  also included in the advanced course is more information on MailChimp’s built in automation features, which allow you to automatically respond to actions by your subscribers

•  A fully automated system allows you to have an ongoing dialogue with many customers at once, saving you time and increasing your conversion rates!


•  MailChimp is very easy to use, but there is always more to learn.

•  Luckily MailChimp has an excellent, searchable help section, with masses of tutorials

•  Failing that, I am also happy to help if you get stuck! Just get in touch.


THANK YOU!•  I hope you enjoyed the session and that you will soon be running incredibly successful email

campaigns

•  As part of the service, I offer pretty much unlimited support for any questions you may have. So if there is anything that I missed today or anything you can’t remember later, just call or email with your question and hopefully I’ll be able to help.

•  I also really appreciate all feedback, good or bad, so please let me know how you found the session. If you loved it, please recommend Msgworks to your friends and colleagues.

•  Get in touch:�[email protected]�+44 (0)191 666 6716�Twitter: @msgworks�You can also find us on Facebook and LinkedIn

FOR BEGINNERS - Msgworks•Finally, choose how you would like MailChimp to send you unsubscribe...

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