White Paper outlines 10 steps to effective email marketing: 1. Establish a single marketing platform to integrate email campaigns. 2. Manage customer data effectively by gathering data from multiple sources and scrubbing for accuracy and compliance. 3. Form a single view of customer data across interactions to streamline processes. 4. Start the relationship right by respecting permissions, preferences and privacy when collecting customer data. 5. Create compelling, relevant content tailored to individual customers. 6. Have a customer dialog with sustained, triggered interactions over time. 7. Spam-proof all messages by checking for spam triggers and link issues. 8. Respond in real-time

1. White Paper
ten Steps to Effective
Email Marketing
Updated strategies and actionable steps to help B2B
and B2C marketers deliver integrated and measurable
email marketing campaigns in today’s quickly changing
online landscape
A successful email IntroductIon a complex and often-misunderstood
tool. Many marketers would argue it has
marketing campaign There’s a revolution going on in
been both a blessing and a curse to the
marketing today. New technologies
requires a diligent continue to emerge. Communication
practice of marketing. On the positive
and thoughtful approach channels are shifting and fragmenting.
side, email is an easy-to-use, low-cost
means of connecting with prospects,
to the entire email New social media channels change
customers and partners. However, these
the rules of marketing and customer
marketing process. positives can quickly become negatives.
engagement on a daily basis. Meanwhile,
Because of the low cost, there’s virtually
the pressure for marketing to deliver
no limit to how many emails a company
measurable ROI has never been higher.
can send, resulting in inbox overload.
Although email marketing has been
Many customers and prospects feel like
around for more than a decade it is still
they are constantly being spammed
with irrelevant messages, and email
For the following media, what are your spending plans in 2010 marketers have had to face the rise of
spam filters – making it more difficult to
100% 4
10 Increase reach intended audiences.
14 15 14
20 No Change
23 27
32
80% Decrease Customers and prospects do want to
hear from companies, but the messages
must be relevant. The rise of recent
60% 43 communications vehicles such as
37 70
Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google
48 84 82 84
Wave, and SMS have gained popularity,
40%
73 but email is still an important and
effective conduit for reaching customers
20% 38 35 and prospects, launching interactive
20 20
0% 3 3 3
Print Online Broadcast Radio Direct Events Tele- Outdoor
Mail marketing
B2B Magazine 2010 Outlook Survey - Nov 2009

2. marketing campaigns, and driving StEp 2: ManagE cuStoMEr
conversations via new social media data EffEctIvEly
and technology channels. As the breadth, volume and complexity
of data have exploded over the past
But email marketing is not just about decade, data management has become
sending emails. The process has many a well-known challenge for direct
moving parts that must be well- marketers. Having the right data
integrated in order to provide a content- available to help target customers and
rich experience for customers and present optimal offers is one of the best
prospects. Marketers need to manage ways for an organization to accelerate
customer and prospect lists respectfully its marketing efforts, and in order to
and create well-targeted campaigns to prepare data for email distribution, it
ensure that messages will be delivered must be gathered from the multiple
and not disappear into spam filters. sources and scrubbed to ensure ongoing
Campaign responses must be carefully accuracy and compliance.
monitored in order to evolve content
and offers for follow-up campaigns.
gathering customer data: In most
businesses, multiple departments
Many email solutions can be used to
gather and manage customer data,
send messages, but unless the recipient
often working in silos. Many online
opens the email, engages, and takes
marketing tools limit the amount
action, the campaign will not yield
and type of customer data that can
results. A successful email marketing
be referenced. But in reality, deep
campaign requires a diligent and
data should be drawn from multiple
thoughtful approach to the entire
channels such as offline connections,
email marketing process. Following
email response, form and survey data
the ten best practices outlined in
and company website browsing history.
this paper will help improve overall
Powerful new software tools can help
email marketing effectiveness, while
compile and track insights from all
navigating the quickly-changing online
existing corporate data assets as well
media landscape.
as create highly customized content
and interactive experiences based
StEp 1: EStablISh a SInglE on a complete transactional history
MarkEtIng platforM for each customer.
Thanks to the marketing revolution,
the days of “batch and blast” emails Scrubbing data: Marketing programs
are gone. Instead, companies are now will not succeed unless customer data
focusing on generating measurable is clean and in compliance with global
marketing ROI. Using a single source government-regulated opt-in policies.
or platform to manage email marketing This process includes:
processes enables better and faster
> Checking for bad email addresses
campaign management, with more
(including typos such as
predictable outcomes. Conversely, to name@yhaoo.com)
use disparate systems invites errors.
> Tracking opt-in permissions
Using a single marketing platform
> Learning about your customers
enables automated dialogs and through their behaviors and responses
nurturing campaigns that target the to your campaigns (building a profile)
right person with the right offer at the
right time in the buyer’s lifecycle.

3. > Ensuring that email addresses are prospect data, start building a positive,
valid so you can avoid sending to trust-based relationship by shoring up
accounts included in lists that are options for opt-in, permissions, delivery
designed to trap emails as spam preferences and privacy:
> Leveraging customer knowledge in
customer targeting opt-In – Give subscribers detailed opt-in
options that make it clear what they will
receive and when. When collecting email
StEp 3: forM a SInglE vIEw
addresses, have a syntax validation
of cuStoMEr data
in place or ask the user to enter their
Once customer and prospect data has address twice to ensure it is valid.
been gathered and scrubbed, email Also, send a triggered opt-in
campaign processes can be significantly confirmation e-mail to that address.
streamlined by building a single view This will provide an opportunity to
of each customer across multiple reinforce the opt-in, verify that the
interaction points. Keeping this view address is valid, and confirm what the
clean and up-to-date is a critical, recipient can expect to receive.
constant process. Allowing prospects
and customers to manage and update
permission – When customers or
their own data can ease the burden of
prospects opted in to receive emails,
maintaining updates. For example, allow
they didn’t give permission to overload
customers or prospects to enter in new
their inbox with messages. Respect
email addresses as they change.
granted permissions by sending only
Handling bounced emails automatically
relevant, timely, appropriate messages—
will also ease the strain of manually
and continue to build on the relationship
updating customer records. The
by asking permission for other types
records should be flagged as
of communications or confirming
“bounced”—and depending on the
frequency preferences.
type of bounce, the email address may
need to be cleared. Managing opt-in
Ask permission—again and again.
and permission-based marketing, and
Use the highest permission standard
automatically processing bounces
possible. At a minimum, use
(including recipient complaints), will
confirmed opt-in.
provide relevant customer data for more
discrete marketing. It will also improve
preferences – Do subscribers prefer
email deliverability by eliminating
HTML, text or mobile messages? How
erroneous data.
often? On what subjects? Continually
collecting preferences helps engage
Companies that segment their audience
the customer or prospect and build
to drive relevant, timely, targeted
knowledge that can be used in
campaigns outperform the pack—and
segmentation and targeting.
companies that get permission to send
emails and maintain clean data have the
Part of respecting each individual’s
best chance of getting their messages
preferences also includes respecting
delivered. Conversely, companies
when they no longer want to receive
that cannot track message delivery
communications. It is essential to make
or manage bounces typically find
it easy for people to unsubscribe, and
themselves wasting marketing dollars
to respond immediately to unsubscribe
due to poor list quality.
requests. An unsubscribe option
removes just one uninterested person
StEp 4: Start thE from a list—but if that person were
rElatIonShIp rIght
to click “Report Spam” because they
As soon the right processes are in
place for managing customer and

4. couldn’t unsubscribe easily, it could approaches can be expanded and
affect the ability to reach thousands unsuccessful ones abandoned.
of legitimately interested people.
Relevant emails pay off over time.
privacy – Customers and prospects Imagine someone gets an offer that’s
have increasingly strong concerns relevant but not interesting. They may
about their privacy across all delete that particular email—but they
communications channels, and part will be unlikely to unsubscribe from
of building trust is protecting privacy. the list, and will remain open to future
Privacy policies should be clearly offers. The incremental time taken
communicated and a central database to refine and improve email content
that tracks marketing and operational relevancy will be rewarded with an
interactions with each customer should increase in response.
be diligently maintained.
Four out of 10 subscribers “mark as
StEp 5: crEatE coMpEllIng, spam” when they receive irrelevant
rElEvant contEnt content. It’s critical to improve
interactive marketing tactics to ensure
Email marketing is not about doing
message and offer relevancy, and
“batch and blast” or “load, list and
increase marketing ROI. Messages need
send,” and hoping the email lands
to align with the preferences and needs
successfully. Today’s buyers and
of customers or prospects.
consumers are educated and demand
concise, relevant information that
will empower them to make the best To deliver relevant content, both
choices. Overt sales approaches are personal relevance and external
not effective. Content needs to be relevance should be considered.
compelling, relevant and delivered personal relevance takes into account
at the right time. Emails must be demographics, psychographics,
personalized to garner and hold the communication styles, buying
attention of target audiences. To behaviors, life stages, and interests or
ensure delivery and improve results, hobbies. External relevance considers
email campaigns need to be tested, seasonality, upcoming events, news and
monitored and measured so successful limited-time offers.
There are also different forms of
relevance to consider within each email,
“If you have unsubscribed or simply stopped reading emails from one or more businesses including sender, subject line, message
in the last year, what were the primary reasons?”
and offer:
Emails weren’t relevant > Focus on becoming a relevant
58%
to me
(known) sender
Received too many emails
44% > Use compelling subject lines to get the
from the sender(s)
recipient to read the email
Simply receive too many emails
from all sources to pay attention 31%
> Don’t try to sell in the subject line
Doesn’t apply to me 20% > Provide clarity in the message
> Keep it simple and answer the
My situation changed (baby
13% questions “What am I asking the
became a toddler, moved, etc.)
All Respondents recipient to do?” and “Why should
Using social networks, text they do it?”
3%
messages, etc. instead of email
> Provide a relevant offer or simple call
0% 20% 40% 60% 80%
to action above the “fold” of the email

5. > Create dynamic, personalized triggered by events or over time.
landing pages based on the profile As the complexity of dialog-based
of the individual who clicks the link communications increases, it might
in the email be necessary to employ easy-to-use
software tools to drive personalized,
Once content is relevant and compelling, relevant, timely communications. Key
ensure it can be read by previewing requirements for these tools include
emails in a variety of inboxes to make the ability to execute triggered or
sure it renders correctly. See how the event-based email marketing, deliver
email will look in different email readers personalized content and automatically
(including mobile environments) in schedule rules-driven communications
multiple regions of the globe. Be sure to meet campaign objectives.
that images display. If recipients don’t
understand the message, they are more Another challenge of any customer
likely to call it spam. dialog is deciding which campaign a
customer should receive. Customer
Frequency of communications is also preferences, channel constraints,
a relevancy concern. Tune across line-of-business priorities and overall
campaigns to avoid overlap, and keep corporate rules can have a huge
in mind the anti-spam regulations and impact on the timing and distribution
practices when testing for frequency of of marketing campaigns. Ensuring
communications. Let the recipient know campaigns build on an individual’s
what frequency to expect. For example, profile and past dialogs will allow
how often can a new subscriber expect optimization of communications based
to receive emails? on learned preferences.
Don’t bombard people with content
StEp 7: SpaM-proof all MESSagES
just because they opted in generally.
Over-communicating can result in Check content for spam. Will the
lower response rates and higher wording or content trigger spam filters?
complaints that eventually equate For example is the word “free” used?
to poor deliverability. Identify any content issues that may
affect reputation. Check that links are
working and confirm that the
StEp 6: havE a cuStoMEr dIalog
links themselves are not on any
The days of sending a birthday card blacklists. Determine if there are any
every year and calling it a customer spelling or HTML errors. Perform
relationship building campaign are seedlist tests before sending out the
over. Customers and prospects now campaign to ensure there are no
expect companies to engage them issues preventing the email from being
in conversations, ask their opinions, delivered to inboxes.
and present content that takes these
conversations into account. Marketing This is more than good process. It’s the
strategies should build on these law, and ensures CAN-SPAM compliance
interactions and mature over time. and avoids civil lawsuits and fines.
In addition, by actively monitoring
All of the information marketers are deliverability and automating bounce
collecting—including demographics, and data updates, email delivery rates
psychographics, online and offline will be higher and sender reputations
interactions, transactions and and delivery successes with major
responses—deepens customer profiles ISPs will improve.
and should be used to drive sustained
interactions in future campaigns,

6. StEp 8: rESpond In rEal-tIME StEp 9: lEvEragE SocIal SharIng
wIth thE rIght contEnt
Everyone is buzzing about today’s
Aim to respond to prospects and widely available social marketing tools.
customers with the right information at Don’t let all the Web 2.0 and social
the right time. The resulting dialog will media buzz be a distraction. First,
also help more accurately determine define how social tools can support
the best time to engage in a buying commercial goals and enhance—not
discussion. Use automated dialogs replace—existing marketing channels
and ongoing nurturing campaigns to such as email. Many of us follow
continue to engage customers, and to companies or brands on Twitter,
monitor and immediately respond to Facebook or other social networks, but
customer response cadences, lifecycles as a marketer, it is important to define
or buying cycles. In an email “batch and goals and success criteria to leverage
blast” scenario, it would be impossible social media effectively.
to influence the desired behavior in real
time. By contrast, the right software As one of the fastest growing opt-in
tools can quickly and easily engage the tactics for marketers, social sharing is
customer and take advantage of every the new viral marketing. The biggest
conversion opportunity. barrier to integrating social sharing and
email is a lack of integrated thinking by
Create triggered alerts for customers email marketers to take interactions
or prospects by using their preferences outside the email box.
to support event dates that allow them
to tell you when something special is There are three simple steps to
happening. Use automated emails and leveraging social sharing. First, create
dynamic content to tailor the triggered an email. Next, create a microsite with
messaging to the customer. This may be social site sharing from the content
as simple as an event date-based email library. Finally, direct the email recipient
(such as a birthday email), or it may be to the social site of their choice, and
based on their behavior (such as a new when the recipient shares the offer
customer welcome message, prospect and related content with their social
email with requested information, or network, use the application to gain
event follow-up email). At every stage, knowledge about any click-thrus,
communication needs may change, so visits or referrals. Including social
continue to test content and frequency. sharing in email marketing strategies
will give recipients the ability to share
Online, automated two-way offers—not just follow or become a
communications allow marketers fan—and will provide tremendous
to build trust and collect customer insight into who has been referred and
information that can drive data and who has taken advantage of the shared
customer communication strategies. offer. This information is transparent
Don’t try to get prospects to disclose and can exponentially increase reach
everything at once. Simple forms are the and response.
best way to collect information and build
profiles over multiple engagements. StEp 10: buIld a SolId
Ask questions to help improve targeting, InfraStructurE to EnSurE
including demographics, interests, and EMaIl dElIvErabIlIty
email frequency preferences. Prioritize
No discussion of email is complete
need to know over nice to know and
without delving into deliverability.
build stronger engagements over time.
Although customer data, content
relevancy, dialogs and social sharing

7. strategies may be in place, if the in place to provide the solid foundation
message never reaches the inbox, no to build a good sender reputation. That
actions will ever be taken. Deliverability infrastructure includes authentication
happens (or not) across many layers standards, certification methods, IP and
and, even in B2B environments, email Domain-based reputation management,
deliverability is the second most ISP throttling, white list management,
important challenge for marketers, black list monitoring, feedback loops
according to Marketing Sherpa. and bounce management. By leveraging
email deliverability services within
According to Return Path’s recent the same infrastructure, the benefits
study The Global Email Deliverability include lower total cost of ownership,
Benchmark Report, 2H2009: “North seamless data integration, monitoring
American inbox percentages remain flat and reporting—all from a single source.
with 20% of email bulked or missing.
The second half of 2009 showed an gaInIng thE advantagE
inbox placement rate of just 80.1%
Based on years of experience with some
for permission-based commercial
of the leading B2C and B2B companies
email in the United States and Canada.
in the world, Aprimo® has helped
This represents a slight increase as
companies address all the challenges
compared to the first half of 2009.”
of email marketing. To understand how
Aprimo can impact each stage of the
email marketing process, consider this
case study:
Global Delivery Rates, DH 2009
100% Folksam, a Swedish financial services
86.9% North America provider, leveraged advanced
90% 85.5%
customer analysis including studies
80.1% Europe
80% of customer demographics, buying
Aisa Pacific
70% habits, and the impact of different
life events on buyer behavior. Using
60%
this information, Folksam sped up
50% campaign development time, acted
40% more quickly on new opportunities and
more accurately targeted the pertinent
30%
customer needs identified from the
20% 16.3% data analysis. The Aprimo suite enabled
11.0% 10.7%
10%
the significant change in marketing
3.5% 3.6% 2.5%
activities that Folksam sought and
0%
Inbox Junk/Bulk Missing
helped to automate the management of
intricate, multi-channel conversations
with the customer, via the appropriate
channel, at the right time. Because
the Aprimo solution is integrated with
Deliverability starts with an Folksam’s data warehouse and customer
infrastructure and set of services that management software, the company is
provide a foundation for good email able to maintain a real-time, 360-degree
to get through the inbox hurdle. Email view of how individual customers are
deliverability infrastructure needs to be targeted, together with their responses.

8. about aprIMo
Aprimo’s integrated marketing software
enables B2C and B2B marketers to
successfully navigate the changing role
of marketing by taking control of budget
and spend, eliminating internal silos with
streamlined workflows and executing
innovative multi-channel campaigns to
drive measureable ROI. Only through the
use of Aprimo’s modular and on demand
software, Aprimo Marketing Studio B2C
and Aprimo Marketing Studio B2B, can
marketers truly integrate marketing
organizations, manage, deliver and
track the right message targeted
to the right audience over the right
channel and translate Marketing efforts
into measurable business impact and
revenue. Hundreds of thousands of
Marketers trust Aprimo to revolutionize
their marketing including Bank of
America, Honda, King Pharmaceutical,
Pearson Education Ltd, Time Warner
Cable-NY and Wal-Mart. For more
information, visit www.aprimo.com.
© Aprimo, Incorporated 317.803.4300 main
317.803.4251 fax
900 East 96th Street, Suite 400
Indianapolis, IN 46240 aprimo.com