Just a Few Email Marketing Best Practices

how customers happen

Ed Alexander Chief Digital Consultant

For those who desire more sales for the same (or just slightly more) effort

Why “Best in Class” Results Matter Why should you care that our email marketing gets “Best in Class” results (Opens, Clicks, Converts) – across all our client email marketing campaigns, not just key Customer lists? Because our clients make more money. As an example, let’s assume, using this chart’s data, that: a) you too are getting “Best in Class” Click results

(around 5% ●) b) your Conversion rate is as good as ours (nearly half of

all clicks convert (8% convert, 17% click), and c) your average sales per email campaign are $20,000. By following our practices outlined in this eBook, you could have more than tripled your Click rate from 5% to 17%, increasing your email campaign sales results from $20,000 to over $60,000. You’d make an extra $40K.

●

Despite the rise of Social, 90% of us use Email. A lot. (Pew Research Center)

Client lists perform better, of course:

So, what works? NOT “e-blasts” (a cringeworthy term) & rented lists. Why? • Very few opens (historical results: usually <15%) – unacceptably low • Many unsubscribes (historical results: usually >20%) – unacceptably high • SPAM blocking/reporting - email version of “Do not call”, BBB complaints • Shortest path to bad reputation (recovery is difficult and expensive) • Want a really bad reputation? Combine them! E-blast a rented list. Tailored, segmented email Your audience gave you info out of trust. Now, use it to serve them better. • Even a single demographic criterion – gender, age, geo – works wonders • Behavior on Email: Opens, Clicks, Converts • Behavior on Web & landing pages: visits, navigation, flow, purchase

history

Want the recipe? Okay, let’s dig in.

This is how we do it (examples to follow) 1. Subject line: boost reader productivity, using “C.U.R.V.E.”:

Curiosity, Urgency, Relevance, Value, Emotion 2. Data & list quality

Behavior-linked, current, enriched (forms, surveys) 3. Leveraging technology

Integrate CRM, SFA, Email, Web, Mobile, Social 4. Compelling content - short, sweet, mobile-friendly

A terse burst of snackable motivation 5. Mobile-first formatting

Responsive design - re-sizes to fit any screen on the fly 6. Simple navigation

The “Golden triangle”: interest > validation > action 3 clicks to convert (2 is better)

Email : Let us count the ways…

To: David

From: Ed | fanfoundry

Subject: 3/28 preso, links, etc.

Date: March 28, 2012

David,

I look forward to meeting all of you at

Wednesday’s breakfast on “Trends With

Benefits”.

Here are the links:

•What’s Your Social Profile” (online poll)

•NSTC.org event registration page

•EatMedia.com event page

•Fanfoundry.com event page

5

Cheat Sheet - condensed

Header (From, Subject)

Text/Graphics

<alt> tags

Text layout / proofing

Call to Action (CTA)

Mobile friendly

Social links

Test it on yourself

x g79xq8.gif

❶ Using this “cheat sheet”…

Phone and finger are shown in exact proportion

6

PresoTitleLogo.gif

❸How many #FAILS did you find? (Hint: check every Cheat Sheet box)

(see previous slide)

To: David

From: Ed | fanfoundry

Subject: 3/28 preso, links, etc.

Date: March 28, 2012

David,

I look forward to meeting all of you at

Wednesday’s breakfast on “Trends With

Benefits”.

Here are the links:

•What’s Your Social Profile” (online poll)

•NSTC.org event registration page

•EatMedia.com event page

•Fanfoundry.com event page

x g79xq8.gif

7

Self-test – probably not done.

Header – Subject is boring

Text/Graphics – message begins with graphic placeholder. Confusing.

<alt> tag - useless

Text layout / proofing: subjects do not agree – “…meeting all of … David”

Call to action: “Here are the links:” boring. Too many choices. Confusing.

Mobile friendly – links are on adjacent lines, a frequent cause of “fat finger” misfires

Social links – none present

Now try this example (custom template)

“Peekaboo” sidebar

Identity

Pre-header (WIFM)

1 – 2 screens of content

Body text as pre-header

Subject (WIFM)

(personalization)

(validation)

Appears in your Email list view

Clear CTA

How it looks live:

minimal scrolling

Boost brand value without interrupting readers’ “flow”

1. INTEREST

2. VALIDATION

3. Call to Action (CTA)

The “Golden Triangle” Of Conversion: 1. Interest (WIFM) 2. Validation 3. Call to Action

Another “flow” tip:

Especially necessary on mobile handsets, where competition for attention is fierce

dead zone

Did we mention mobile? The “mobile-first” imperative:

$

1984: 6.5B people, no mobile phones 2014: 7.1B people, 6B mobile phones

1. INTEREST

2. VALIDATION

3. CALL TO ACTION (CTA)

1. The Golden Triangle of Conversion

2. The Cheat Sheet

Let’s review.

3. Continually refine (this is how we do it.) Your subscribers trust you, so thank them, with: • Benefits-oriented, relevant messaging (WIFM) • Data & list quality (behavior driven) • Leverage technology (SFA, CRM etc.) • Compelling content (terse, snackable) • Mobile-first formatting • Simple, "3-clicks to convert" navigation

4. Be the hero.

Don’t make people think, work or wait. We’re not lazy, just busy. Make life easy. For clues to improve: (a) study user behavior (b) A/B test to turbo-charge results.

Power tip: connecting your email list results to CRM records helps you prioritize prospects, nurture community, detect usage patterns and keep data clean.

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For further reading on mobile email, CRM and other related topics, visit www.fanfoundry.com Use the handy article search by topic / keyword .

Thank you!

Need help with any of this? Contact:

Ed Alexander, Chief Consultant +1 (781) 492-8638 (USA East) ed@fanfoundry.com @fanfoundry

how customers happen