With so much data, so many new channels and so much competition, it can be tough for today’s marketers to f ind their way through it all.

That ’s why we created this trusty f ield guide. I t helps you explore the world of modern marketing (with email at the center) and identify those tools that make forming a genuine, helpful connection with your customers a whole lot easier. No GPS required.

AUTOMATION // MOBILE DESIGN // CALLS TO ACTION // SUBJECT LINES // LIST GROWTH // DYNAMIC CONTENT

F O R R E T A I L E R S

THE MODERN MARKETER’S

80

0.5

95

.44

01

FIELD GUIDEISSUE ONE

2015

But really, automation is an easy (and approachable) way to both save time and send more personalized messages.

AUTOMATIONROBOTICO MAXIMUMRESULTIS

63% of companies who are outgrowing their competitors use marketing automation (Lenskold and Pedowitz Groups) .

BEHAVIORYou know you’ve found automat ion when

you come across a feature set that sched-

ules emai l messages in advance to reach

contacts with the right message at just the

right t ime.

Some marketers might be hesitant to embrace

automation because it seems too complicated

or impersonal. But really, automation is an

easy (and approachable) way to both save

time and send more personalized messages.

It ’s a win-win.

It thrives when fed smart audience data it

can use as a trigger. This is how automation,

despite the images of robots and machines

it evokes, actually becomes a more personal

way to reach your audience.

The simplest example of this is a thank you email.

I f someone makes a purchase or downloads

myemma.com || 3

If you’re not incorporating automated messages into your email strategy, you’re missing out on some of the best-performing emails that you’ll ever create. - CODY DE VOS, PRODUCT OWNER

FUN FACTSAutomat ion has 119% higher cl ick rates than broadcast emails (Epsilon).

Marketers who automate see up to 50% conversion rates (eMarketer).

Relevant emails drive 18x more revenue than broadcast emails (Juniper Research).

WHY RETAILERS LOVE IT

Saves tons of t ime.

Sends more targeted content.

Boosts engagement and results.

Subscribers who receive welcome notes show 33% more long-term engagement with that brand (chiefmarketer.com).

EMAIL 1 Thanks for signing up and a special discount.

EMAIL 2 Invitation to manage customer preferences.

EMAIL 3 Best-selling products and new arrivals.

EMAIL 4 Last chance to save with special discount.

THE WELCOME

SERIES

a piece of content, that triggers an automated

email thanking them for doing so. Savvier mar-

keters wi l l a lso bui ld in an ex t ra d iscount or

special of fer based on what the customer pur-

chased to keep them engaged (and buying).

Automat ion can be ef fec t ive when exhibi t ing

both sol i tar y and pack behavior. Sol i tar y au-

tomated emai l s t yp ica l l y f i re in response to

a specif ic contact milestone, such as bir thdays,

anniversaries or when someone spends or do-

nates a cer tain amount of money.

But it can also organize itself into packs called

automated ser ies. A pr ime example of an au-

tomated ser ies is a welcome series. When a

new subscriber f i l ls out your signup form, that

ser ves as the t r igger to launch the welcome

series. Your series could look like this:

I t ’s such an easy way to make a great f i r s t

imp ress ion – and i t ge t s long - te rm resu l t s .

Subscribers who receive welcome notes show

33% more long-term engagement with that brand

(chiefmarketer.com).

80% of people will simply delete an email if it doesn’t look good on a smart phone (Blue Hornet)

– a result no marketer wants to see.

MOBILE DESIGNRESPONSIVIUS OPTIMIZIUM

BEHAVIORThe importance of mobile design is impossi-

ble to ignore in the modern marketing ecosys-

tem. 80% of people will simply delete an email

if it doesn’t look good on a smart phone (Blue

Hornet) – a result no marketer wants to see.

But i f the same emai l looks beaut i ful on a

smart phone, tablet and desktop, then you’re

in the presence of mobile design.

Mobi le design is a l l about making emai ls

easier to scan and engage with on a mobile

device. It feeds on content that ’s large, easy

to see and simple to consume, so i t loves

big, bold images, large fonts and tappable

cal l - to -ac t ion but tons (see Sect ion 3: Cal ls

to Action).

When in doubt, design for the small screen

f irst . An email that looks gorgeous on a smart

phone will also look good on a tablet or desk-

top. Or to save time, use an email template

that ’s already responsive. I t automat ical ly

adapts to look great regardless of the device

that your audience is using to view email.

Bu t don’ t s top w i th jus t your emai l . Mos t

email drives your audience to do something

else, l ike visit a website, make a purchase

or watch a video, so make sure those land-

ing pages are a lso mobi le - opt imized. You

don’t want to lose them right when they’re

ready to do what you’re asking them to do

because it ’s too hard to see on their phone.

FUN FACTSPeople check their phones up to 150 times a day (kpcb.com).

53% of email is opened on a mobile device (Litmus) .

By 2018, 80% of email users are expected to access their accounts via mobile devices (Radicati ) .

Here are some ways marketers can create a mobile-friendly habitat for their emails:

> Arrange content in a single-column layout.

> Incorporate plenty of white space for easy scanning.

> Organize content into sections with clear dividers and headings.

> Use at least a 16-pixel font size for readability.

> Add buttons instead of text links for your calls to action.

> Keep it clean and simple. A bunch of crammed-in content will get ignored.

myemma.com || 5

1 - Mobi le - opt imized emai ls a lso look great on desk top.

2 - The simpler the design, the bet ter. Busy emails are too

tough to scan. 3 - Use large fonts and p lent y of whi te

space for easy reading. 4 - Big, bold and tappable images

at tract the eye and boost engagement. 5 - Chunk content

into sect ions with headings for those skimming on the go.

WHEN IN DOUBT, DESIGN FOR THE SMALL SCREEN FIRST.

WHY RETAILERS LOVE IT

Boosts click rates.

Helps your audience engage with content when they’re on the go.

Increases credibility for your brand.

1

2

3

4

5

Since launching a welcome email, 21% of Luv

Aj’s new subscribers have converted into

paying customers.

myemma.com || 7

What happens when str ik ing emai l design

marries sound marketing strategy? A blissful

un ion and t wo h igh - per forming of f spr ing

called Sales and Audience Growth. And with

those names , p robab ly a few schoo lyard

scuf f les.

Amanda Thomas, jewelry designer and found-

er of Luv Aj, made lovebirds of design and

s t rategy when she appl ied Emma’s advice

about automated welcome emails to her al-

ready successful email design.

Luv Aj ’s l ine of jewelr y ranges from body-

chains to handpieces and every thing in be -

tween. Amanda’s designs combine a worn

and torn edginess with a hint of femininity,

and her email design follows suit .

“The f irst t ime I used the drag & drop design

editor it was just ‘game over.’ I t ’s so easy to

use and saves me a ton of time,” said Amanda.

MAKING A MEMORABLE FIRST IMPRESSION

Prior to set t ing up her automated welcome

emai l , Amanda greeted new subscr ibers

wi th a p la intex t conf i rmat ion wi thout any

immedia te, b randed fo l low- up communi -

cat ion. She learned f rom Emma’s Brain iac

infographics that welcome emails generate a

33% increase in long-term engagement from

subscribers and a 13% increase in revenue

for retailers.

Amanda realized that by not having an au-

tomated welcome emai l , she was not only

missing an oppor tuni t y to bui ld a relat ion-

ship with her audience, but also a potential

increase in sales. As she said, “It ’s the f irst

oppor tunity to give subscribers a sense of

your personality. I f you’re already taking the

time to do email marketing, then you might

as wel l set up a welcome emai l that looks

pret t y and gives people something, l ike a

discount.”

Wi th the he lp of Emma’s ser v ices team,

Amanda designed a beautiful welcome email

that of fers subscribers 10% of f in the Luv Aj

online store.

In the three weeks since she launched the

welcome email, an astounding 21% of Aman-

da’s new subscr ibers have conver ted into

paying customers. Amanda also tripled her

subscriber list, and her open and clickthrough

rates are well above average for retai lers,

thanks in no small par t to her expert eye for

design and thorough understanding of her

audience.

ONE SIMPLE EMAIL:A CASE STUDY WITH LUV AJ

Not all CTA buttons behave in the same way – some attract way more clicks than others.

CALLS TO ACTIONCONVERSIONEN SKYROCKETYX

BEHAVIOROne of the smal lest but most power ful par ts

of any emai l , ef fec t ive cal ls to ac t ion (CTAs)

have evolved from text links into buttons so fast

that Darwin’s head is spinning. Why? But tons

a re much eas ie r to see (and t ap) on a mo -

b i le dev ice, and more peop le than ever a re

checking emai l on thei r phones (see Sec t ion

2: Mobile Design).

But not all CTA buttons behave in the same way –

some attract way more clicks than others. Here

are a few features of the most cl ickable CTAs

modern marketers will encounter in the wild.

“Using buttons instead of text links

increased our click rates by nearly 15%.”- ERICA TANNEN, THE-E-LIST

Why is color important? 85% of people say color is the main reason they buy a product (Kissmetrics) .

myemma.com || 9

We know our audience is checking email on their phones,

so we include large images that are easy to see and CTAs

that are easy to tap. It ’s resonating with our subscribers

too – click rates in recent campaigns have ranged from

17-37%, which is well above industry standard.” - A3 Merchandise

“

COLOR

CTA buttons come in a variety of colors, and while researchers

haven’t identif ied one color that gets more clicks than others,

they have found some interesting trends:

ORANGE provokes immediate action.

RED increases energy and urgency.

BLUE builds trust, safety and security.

YELLOW grabs attention and promotes positivity.

GREEN is relaxing and symbolizes growth.

So test out dif ferent colors that make sense for your brand

– and your design.

COPY

CTA buttons that just say “Click here” are being ignored into

extinction. It ’s general, meaningless and relatively passive.

More clickable buttons have copy that ’s short , specif ic and

ac t ive – copy l ike “Shop now,” or “Buy this outf it .” I t ’s t ight,

energizing and tells you exactly what’s going to happen when

you click the button.

WHY RETAILERSLOVE IT

Lif ts click rates quick.

Easy to A/B test to get better results.

Improves conversions from mobile devices.

SHOP NEW ARRIVALS

BUY THIS OUTFIT

PLACEMENT

CTAs are solitary creatures that love attention.

They can usually be found in highly visible

areas of emai l s o r land ing pages w i thout

other content (or worse, other buttons) around

them soaking up the spotlight. Surround them

with plenty of space and place them above

the fold or in the most logical p lace where

someone would be looking to take act ion.

A last word about CTAs: No one button works

bes t fo r ever y b rand , so you ’ l l o f ten see

them engaged in click competitions (aka, A/B

tests) against other buttons. Test CTAs with

dif ferent colors, copy and placement to see

what gets the most clicks from your audience.

SHAPE

Rec t angu la r bu t tons a re by f a r t he mos t

c o m m o n s h a p e ( y o u p r o b a b l y h i t o n e t o

v iew th is guide) , but don’ t be af ra id to t r y

out other shapes if they work for your brand.

For example, a circular CTA just looks l ike a

button that ’s begging to be pushed.

FUN FACTSApple recommends buttons should be at least 4 4 p ixe ls squared , the s ize of the human f ingertip.

Add an image to your email of someone look-

ing toward your CTA but ton. Eye - t rack ing

studies show we’ll look where they’re looking.

CTA but tons that just say “Click here” are being ignored into ex t inc t ion.

Place it in the most logical place on the page where people will expect to see it.

Surround it with white space to make it stand out.G i ve your C TA p len t y o f room to make

i t p o p , b u t n o t s o m u c h s p a ce t h a t i t

doesn’t feel a part of the overall design.

I t shou ld a t t rac t the eye, not look los t

in the deser t .

Place it above the fold. Visitors spend almost 80% of their t ime there.This ensures your audience wi l l see i t even i f they ’re jus t scanning

your emai l or page. P lus , you’ l l catch those fo lks who are ready to

act right away without forcing them to sif t through content to get there.

SHOP NOW

SHOP NOW

Choose images of people looking in the direction of your CTA.

myemma.com || 11

SURROUND IT WITH WHITE SPACE TO MAKE IT STAND OUT.

SUBJECT LINESDETERMINIZE OPENORDELETEIS

BEHAVIORSubjec t l ines are one of the most common

elements in the modern marketing kingdom.

They ’re ever y where, s tuf f ing ever y inbox.

However, GREAT subjec t l ines are a much

rarer spec ies . They ’re compel l ing and i r-

resistible to open – like the biggest present

underneath a Christmas tree.

But they also come in a darker, much more

common form…BAD subject lines. Here’s how

to tell them apart :

GREAT Relatively short . Anything over 50

characters can run the risk of being

sent to the spam folder.

BAD An epic run-on that’s better off being

the f irst paragraph of the email.

GREAT Specif ic to the audience, and the

content that ’s inside the email.

BAD Pulls the old click-bait and switch.

GREAT Compelling, but not too clever.

People are only scanning their

inboxes, so they might not take the

t ime needed to get the joke.

BAD Any subject l ine that ’s in all caps,

has an abundance of exclamation

points, or uses the word “free.” If you

see these subject l ines, run.

Sub jec t l ines are t yp ica l l y found hanging

out with preheader text and the From name

to determine your open rates. They ’re the

three pieces of informat ion your audience

uses when deciding whether or not to open

an email in a typical inbox.

Preheader text continues the thought of the

subject l ine and teases the content of your

unopened email. It then disappears once the

email is opened. It ’s another opportunity for

modern marketers to convince their audience

to open their mailing.

The From name should always be recogniz-

ab le to your aud ience. Us ing your brand

name is a safe bet . Or i f you want to use a

person’s n a m e a t yo u r o r g a n iza t i o n , i n -

corpora te the brand name in the from name

(e.g. Daryl Hall | Emma, Inc.) or in the subject

l i n e , s o y o u r audience knows r ight away

where it ’s coming from.

Subject l ines are competit ive by nature, so

marketers shou ld take advantage of th is

behavior by spli t test ing them against one

another. Split testing is when you send dif-

ferent subject l ines for the same mailing to

a small percentage of your audience. Then

the best-per forming subject l ine gets sent

to the remainder of your l ist . I t ’s a suref ire

way to learn more about your audience and

get the best open rates possible.

Want better open rates? Split test dif ferent subject lines with every email you send. It ’s a no-brainer.- GILLIAN STEWART, ONBOARDING SPECIALIST

They’re compelling and irresistible to open – like the biggest present underneath a Christmas tree.

myemma.com || 13

Serena & Lily recently sent an

email with the subject line “The

Private Sale begins. Enjoy up to

50% off.” It’s short enough for

mobile phones, it makes you

feel like you’re in on something

exclusive, and it specifically

tells you that you’re getting

major savings.

FUN FACTSiPhones cut off subject lines at 32 characters.

Personal ized subjec t l ines are 22% more likely to be opened (Adestra) .

69% of email recipients report email as spam based solely on the subject l ine (Convince & Convert ) .

WHY RETAILERS LOVE IT

Split testing is an easy way to boost open rates.

Simple subject l ine changes can produce big results.

LIST GROWTHRAPIDUS ACCUMULATIO

BEHAVIORWhen encountering any successful marketing

program, you can be sure to f ind a healthy

email l ist at its core. So growing that l ist and

keeping it healthy with more of the right kind

of subscribers is crit ical.

In order to thrive, an email l is t needs to be

fed by qual i t y content that can at t rac t new

subscribers and daily promotion of its signup

form. Here are some examples of smart l ist-

grow th techniques t ha t modern marke te r s

are seeing out in the wild.

GATED LANDING PAGES

This is where qual i t y content comes in – i t

serves as a magnet to attract new subscribers.

Most people are wi l l ing to give their emai l

address in exchange for h igh - qua l i t y and

relevant content. So say you have a pre-sale,

l imited-t ime product or sneak peek at new

arrivals, gate your content with a signup

form asking folks to provide their email ad-

dress in order to get it .

LIGHTBOXES

Once on the endangered species list due to

overuse and irresponsible deployment, light-

boxes (aka, pop-ups) have enjoyed a resur-

gence in recent years as a tool to keep email

l is ts on the rise. Why? They work. Big t ime.

Our email signups more than tripled after add-

ing a simple lightbox form to the Emma blog.

While some marketers worry they might annoy

their readers, lightboxes don’t af fect your site

bounce rates. Just don’t overdo it , and make

sure to give your site visitors an easy exit if

they don’t want to sign up.

A healthy email list is at the core of any successful marketing program.

We’ve seen a 700% lif t in online email signups since adding a lightbox form.- HEATH MILLER, RESTAURANT EQUIPPERS

myemma.com || 15

FUN FACTSThe average email l ist churns by about 30% every year ( industry standard ) .

Lightboxes increased our email signups 371%. (Emma) .

List growth = business growth. The ROI of email marketing is 4,300% (Direct Marketing Association) .

WHY RETAILERS LOVE ITTakes just a few minutes to set up most l ist growth tools and tactics.

Gets a wider reach for your communications and content.

Leads to more conversions, and ultimately, more revenue.

SOCIAL PROMOTION

By following you, your social media audience

has already shown some interest in your brand.

So encourage them to take the nex t s tep

by promoting your email signup link on your

social channels. Or show the value of j o i n -

ing your l i s t by occas iona l l y shar ing yo u r

emai l s on your soc ia l channe ls a f ter you

send . Even bet ter yet , tease the content

of an upcoming email a couple days before

you send. People love to be in the know, so

they’ll sign up for fear of missing out on the

big news.

And once someone signs up, be sure to give

them an experience worthy of them invit ing

you into their inbox. A smart way to do this is

through an automated nurturing series with

content ta i lo red to how they s igned up in

the f irst place (see Section 1: Automation).

For example, if someone signs up during the

checkout process, you could follow up with

this kind of series: thanks for your purchase;

here are some related items we think you’ll

love; rate and review your purchase…you get

the idea.

And once someone signs up, be sure to give them an experience worthy of them inviting you into their inbox.

BEHAVIORDynamic content is the chameleon of modern

marketing – it can change itself based on the

demographics or preferences of the person

who’s looking at i t . I t can be tr icky to spot ,

because when done right, the recipient just

t h ink s t he b rand i s rea l l y, rea l l y good a t

personal izing content . Sounds pret t y cool ,

right? That ’s cause it is.

Dynamic content takes personalizat ion to a

whole new level by allowing marketers to tar-

get individual subscribers with dif ferent con-

tent from the same mail ing. Here’s a simple

demonstration of how it works.

DYNAMIC CONTENT TAKES PERSONALIZATION TO A WHOLE

NEW LEVEL.

DYNAMIC CONTENTTARGETIA NEXTLEVELEM

All you’re trying to do when it comes to

marketing is build a synapse in the brain

that connects a person’s life experiences

to your brand.” - JESSE GOLDSTEIN, FOOD SHERIFF

“

myemma.com || 17

See how that saves a ton of t ime? Rather

than having to set up, design and schedule

separa te emai l s fo r men and women, the

N ike marketer jus t d id i t once (see what

w e did there?) and the email automatically

adapted for each rec ip ient . P lus , they ’re

get t ing al l the huge results that come with

sending highly targeted communications.

Dynamic content is super adaptable – it works

with whatever data f ie lds you’re captur ing

from your audience, whether that’s location,

purchase history or spirit animal (sea otter,

s ince you asked) . I t ’s a l so eas i l y t ra ined

– i t only displays the content you tell it to in

response to the data f ields you assign.

In this example from Nike, they created and sent a single email, but the image and copy changed

depending on whether or not a male or a female opened it .

Here’s what men saw: And here’s what women saw:

FUN FACTS56% of people unsubscribe from emails due to content that ’s no longer relevant (Chadwick Martin Bailey ) .

61% of consumers feel better about a company that delivers custom content and are more likely to buy (Demand Metric) .

Dynamic content can improve click-to-open rates by as much as 73% (Avari ) .

WHY RETAILERS LOVE IT

Creates a tailored brand experience for each subscriber.

Gets major results.

Saves boatloads of t ime.

Just f lat out fun to use.

EMAIL MARKETING FOR THE MODERN BRAND

myemma.com || 19

At Emma, we’re out to make marketing better. And for us that means helping our clients craft the kind of email programs that truly stand out in a crowded, noise-filled world.

It means creating a product experience that inspires creativity and anticipates how marketers think.

It means service that feels a lot less like tech support and more like adding a new member to your team.

WE WANT YOU TO DO YOUR BEST MARKETING.

How can we help?