Email Marketing

Results Driven Email Marketing Presented By: Aoife Ross E: [email_address] W: www.circulator.com P: +353 (0) 1 475 92 99

Workshop Agenda Technical Issues Email Marketing Overview How to integrate email into your marketing mix 1 2 3 4 Moving up the email marketing food chain

“ The process of delivering relevant , engaging and timely marketing messages about your products and services to a specific group of recipients via electronic mail.” Email Marketing gives you unprecedented access to your audience … (office, sitting room, kitchen, car … via laptop, iPad, mobile) Killing Time via Mobile – make mobile content that fits! Main advantages over other mediums: - High ROI - Low Cost - Flexibility - Low barriers to entry - Traceability - Speed - Accessibility - Impact What is Email Marketing?

Email marketing spend is expected to hit €2.3 Billion by 2012 in Europe. By 2014, interactive marketing in the US will near $55 billion – 21% of all marketing spend. This includes social media, email marketing, mobile marketing and display advertising. - Forrester Email Marketing is Increasing

Statistics Email marketing generated an ROI of €48 for every euro spent on it in 2010. Outperforming all other direct marketing channels. Total Revenue from Email 2010 = € 400bn!! 75% of online consumers prefer to receive promotional messages via email More than half of online consumers have made a purchase as the direct result of an email marketing - more than any other online communication channel.

Ireland – 2011 Email continues to be the most popular online marketing format Used by 67% of Irish marketers. . But in general is not being used properly !!

Average Open Rates in Ireland – 2009 Popular Question : what is the average open rate ? Realistic Answer : There is no real average !!

Evolution of Email Marketing Plain Text with attachment Image Based with tracking Optimised, Automated..

Corporate Uses of Email Marketing

Future of the medium ? Positive  Negative  74% of Marketers believe the content is getting more relevant 58% see email as an integral part of their multichannel activities 44% believe customers prefer email as a marketing channel Spam – we hate spam ! Inbox Overload Abuse of the medium

Short Editorial Long Editorial Short Promotional Long Promotional Alerts, press releases, tip of the day or week and product launches These messages are short and to the point. They inform your subscribers about news and tips The content should be focused on editorial rather than promotion. A suggested balance is around 70% editorial 30% promotion. “THIS IS NOT A SALES HAMMER” Email newsletters, long press releases and industry guides - Allows you to write a little bit more This is not a sales pitch You can utilise space to promote offers and buying information. E-Cards, sale announcement and reminders Keep this type of email short and sweet. The aim is to get the reader off the email as quick as possible Take one key message and promote it. Must have a clear benefit to the recipient. Sales Letter and Catalogue email Allows you to present many benefits of your product or service. Also allows you to present many products on one email. Ideal for products or services that require more explanation. Direct sales driven so your copy should reflect this. Types of Email

Client: Seat Ireland Campaign: Seat Ibiza Launch Email type : Product Offer Call to action: Book a Test Drive Full Specs & prices Order a Brochure Send to Friend Visit Seat website Email Example - Short Promotional

Client : RTE Campaign : NSO Season Email Type : Newsletter Call to action: Multiple Links to RTE.ie Online Booking Viral – Send to Friend Info on events Email Example – Short Editorial

Email Example – Short & ‘Long’ Editorial

Images Downloaded Only 30% of people will see this Everyone will see this automatically … Technical Issues - Get a good mix of images & html

Technical Issues - Example of ‘Nice’ Email Marketing..

Main CTA was Image based – should be html Use ‘Alt Tags’ to prevent email client from auto inputting text Keep the ‘T&C’s’ short !! Technical Issues - But what if images don ’ t download?

Example Email With & Without Images 70% of people will see this Only 30% will view the images automatically

Optimised HTML Email – What’s it worth? 36% uplift in sales

How does your email appear on a phone ? Unnecessary Clutter Send yourself a test email Subject Line: To the point Intro: No Techie Stuff A recent campaign to an ‘Online Marketing’ Audience - 23% opened it on a Smart Phone

Visual Interaction with Email.. People scan emails to determine if the content is relevant Design for Zero Attention…

Successful Integration of Email & Traditional Marketing

Planning : Why - Who – How If doing a monthly email, map out 6 - 9 months in advance with at least two stories / creative / offers for each month. Integrate with in-house calendar of events (summer, Christmas, Religious holidays etc). Goals : Method – Measurement – ROI Be clear in your objectives. In order to really measure success, it is vital to know why you are using email marketing, what you hope to achieve by using this method of communication and decide what the value is to your customer. Once you have set your goals, you can then prepare a method of measurement. Security : Data Protection Data protection laws are in place to protect the customer and it is highly important to respect the laws surrounding the collection and storage of data. Permission : Acquisition of Subscribers Just because a customer bought a product from you in the past, does not necessarily mean that you can add them to all your mailing lists and send them content whenever you deem appropriate. It is better practice to notify them that you will be adding them to a mailing list Top Ten Tips

Content : Seasonal , Relevant The world is suffering from information overload, with messages being sent via social media, billboards, direct mail, publications and more. This means that the message you deliver must be informative, entertaining and engaging with a focus on the target audience. Sending content that matters will increase engagement, interest and help you achieve your end goals. Database Growth : Methods and Incentives Your message must be relevant, but remember that your database should be too! Keeping your data relevant and up to date is a key way of ensuring that the right message gets to the right people. Data Segmentation : Importance of testing Your message may be relevant to different sections of your database, and this is why segmentation of your database is vital. There are various different ways to segment data and this will depend on the data, the service or product and the type of message you will be sending. Top Ten Tips

Preparation : Timing is everything Once you have collated your data and segmented it accordingly, set clear goals for your campaign and created engaging content, an email marketing strategy will structure the campaign and allow for those “unknown issues” to be dealt with easily. Test the market – preparation and planning Social Media : Benefits and Pitfalls The emergence of social media has changed the face of communication for ever. Rather than choose between email and social media, combine these powerful mediums to your advantage. Incorporate Twitter, blog updates, Facebook links and video with your email and generate user content which can then be used in future mailings. The more involved customers are in your email marketing campaign, the higher your interaction rates will be and this will benefit your end goal. Delivery : Things to watch Now that the message is ready to go, the next challenge is getting into the inbox of your intended target customer. Testing, good planning and optimised content all help towards getting the message to the inbox. There are no shortcuts you can take to avoid the spam filters, but with the assistance of your email marketing provider, they can ensure your message does not fall into the spam folder. Top Ten Tips

Effort : The biggest decline in campaign interaction occurs two months after opt in Email Marketing does not stop once the email has been sent – review and refine constantly Make sure that your message is always targeted, relevant, interesting, engaging and useful Remember : The better the email marketing campaign, the better the return Aim : Why are you engaging with your customers in the first place? Remember: Email marketing does not stop once the message has been sent. The better the email marketing campaign, the better the return – this, after all, is why we should engage with your customer. Some Additional Pointers

Sample Email Marketing Plan Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Month1 Month 2 Month 3 Quarter 1 Quarter 2 Quarter 3 Strategy Plan Analyse Improve Set Up Design Report Deliver Set Up Split Test 1 Split Test 2 Execute Campaign Analyse Results Run Multiple Campaigns Review & Update Strategy Train & Design Reset KPI’s Campaign Review CRM Systems Cleanse & Consolidate Customer Data Consolidate Campaigns Segment & Analyse Segment & Analyse Segmentation Integration Integrate Google Track & Report Results Affiliate Program

Define the Types of Campaigns New Business Campaign Loyalty Campaign Touch Campaign Special Offer Campaign Reawakening Campaign Viral Campaign Strategy Plan Analyse Improve Design

Define Creative for different segments / campaigns Strategy Plan Analyse Improve Design

The Online Sign Up Easy to find Offer benefit Easy to use Don’t ask for too much info Send auto responder upon signup List Building & Data Management 30% Increase

List Building & Data Management Top Tip Subscriber option to choose which information they want to receive (after email capture)

List Building & Data Management Don’t ask for too much personal info & make it easy to use

List Building & Data Management Don’t ask for unnecessary information – What do you actually need for data segmentation E.g. Use a separate form for postal details ?

Reasons for the Auto Responder

Other Sources CRM Email Clients Business Card Collection Segment your data by: Profile (Age, Gender, Location) Customers / Prospects Previous behavior (click or buy) List Building & Data Management Increase your subscribers at low cost….

Data Growth Auto Responder = Conversions Facebook Subscription Module – Grow your database

Social Media v Email Marketing 51 years since the first website 40 years since the first email 17 Years since the first social networking site (geocities) A newsletter goes into the inbox and sits there, whereas social networks use a stream-based interface metaphor, where new postings constantly replace old ones.

Campaign Creation Data Management Sending Reporting & Analytics Pratical Example Of Using an Email Marketing Syetem

Incorporate this into Subject Line, similar to ‘mail merge’ e.g. Company Law Seminar @ the G Hotel – Galway on Tue 17th Why Segment your Data

Analysis: B2B - About 80% email opened between 9 am and 5 pm B2B - 62% opened between Tuesday and Thursday Personal email accounts are often checked during evening and weekend B2B Tue – Thurs 10am - 4pm B2C test to see When is the best time to send ? What Factors Impact Open Rates ? Relationship with subscriber base Timing Subject Lines Frequency Perceived Relevance

Split Testing increases ROI – The Process Why Test ? Testers achieve higher return of up to 60% It makes the messaging more relevant due to feedback Small changes can make a big difference Good news - most marketers don’t

4. Test, compare and pick a winner 3. Choose the right testing methodology 1 . Decide what to test 2. Determine how to measure success The Testing Process

Define your KPI – Interaction Rate | Click Through | Sales

B2C Split Testing Results – Jan 2011 Best performing time is Sunday @ 2:30pm which produced a 21.5% interaction (double the campaign average) SendDate Send Day / Time Interaction % 01/17/2011 Mon - 10.30 12.5 01/17/2011 Mon - 14.30 11.32 01/17/2011 Mon - 19.30 10.99 01/18/2011 Tue - 10.30 9.49 01/18/2011 Tue - 14.30 10.17 01/18/2011 Tue - 19.30 10.67 01/19/2011 Wed - 10.30 9.9 01/19/2011 Wed - 14.30 10.44 01/19/2011 Wed - 19.30 9.79 01/20/2011 Thur - 10.30 9.86 01/20/2011 Thur - 14.30 9.67 01/20/2011 Thur - 19.30 9.73 01/21/2011 Fri - 10.30 9.86 01/21/2011 Fri - 14.30 9.94 01/21/2011 Fri - 19.30 9.94 01/22/2011 Sat - 10.30 9.82 01/22/2011 Sat - 14.30 10.82 01/22/2011 Sat - 19.30 14.62 01/23/2011 Sun - 10.30 17.21 01/23/2011 Sun - 14.30 21.58 Average 11.54

Other Test Variables : Subject Line, Sender Name, Content (4 Stories V 2), Frequency, Segmentation Test Results – Variable: Time & Day, KPI: Open Rate Subject Line Time Day : Date Opens % Unsub % Click:Open 10 Things To Remember Before.. 10:30 Mon 18 Jan 21 0.2 34 10 Things To Remember Before.. 14:30 Mon 18 Jan 23 0.2 36 10 Things To Remember Before.. 10:30 Tue 19 Jan 26 0.2 38 10 Things To Remember Before.. 14:30 Tue 19 Jan 31 0.2 38 10 Things To Remember Before.. 10:30 Wed 20 Jan 34 0.2 39 10 Things To Remember Before.. 14:30 Wed 20 Jan 30 0.2 38 10 Things To Remember Before.. 10:30 Thur 21 Jan 28 0.2 36 10 Things To Remember Before.. 14:30 Thur 21 Jan 26 0.2 34 10 Things To Remember Before.. 10:30 Fri 22 Jan 22 0.2 33 10 Things To Remember Before.. 14:30 Fri 22 Jan 14 0.2 32

Google loves new relevant content – why not use your email marketing activities to improve your SEO by automatically archiving your messages with ‘SEO aware' tags. Integrate with Google Analytics and track what happens after the subscriber clicks through to your site Real ROI Measurement Integrate with Google Analytics and “close the loop..” Use email marketing to help your SEO

Q: When you want to share something from the Internet with your friends or family, such as a video, link or article, what methods do you use? Viral Email Marketing..

Allow people to Share your emails.. Don’t forget email sharing.. “ As a result of one person receiving our newsletter, 1000 new people received it.” Why ? The info was relevant !

Coupon Distribution Drives Footfall – Coupons are back !!

Integrate Video into your email campaigns US Internet users viewed 14.8 billion online videos in January 2009 Emails containing video - interaction rates up by 150%

Daily updates Topic Specific Updates Journalist specific updates Sports updates Area related updates Editor area updates (for those who posted comments etc) A weekly round up of events Low cost ad space converting to desirable ad area once database is grown “ People who read this, also read…” Surveys Competitions Coupons Job Alerts Technical Content and Capture

Do segment and target your audience with relevant information Do make sure you convey value in your emails Do write a subject line that catches the eye Do learn about your competitors e-mail trends Don’t email out of the blue Don’t spam people who aren’t interested Don’t try and cheat your customers into opening e-mails. Remember, keeping yourself up to speed will give you edge – you’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain. Round Up

Email Marketing

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Email Marketing