10. “Attention is a bit like real estate, in
that they're not making any more of it.
Unlike real estate, though, it keeps
going up in value.”
Seth Godin, Seth Godin’s Blog
10
11. FOUR KEY STEPS TO EFFECTIVE EMARKETING
Segment
Test Develop
Send
11
13. AS YOU BEGIN…
• Think about your overall goals
• Reflect on how email enhances your
multi-channel marketing strategy
• Decide who to target and when
- Age
- Member / Non-member
- Participant/Non-participant
- Interests
• Get permission (or at least understand
what it means to have it)
13
14. ESTABLISH A PLAN
• Start with a calendar
• Think about the types of messages you send
• Include every office that wants to send
messages
• How can messages be combined or
complement each other?
• What data do you need to collect to improve
your coordination?
14
15. DELIVER TARGETED CONTENT
• Click-through rates 2x as high first 30 days*
• Open rates (7%) and click-through rates (80%) increased**
• Provide value
• Connection
• Without relevant content, risk:
- Level of engagement
- Lack of attention
- Decreased response
- Weakened relationship
*MarketingSherpa "Email Marketing Benchmark Guide 2008‖
**MailerMailer 2010 Email Marketing Metrics Report
15
16. UDM ALUMNI NEWSLETTER
School of Architecture
Engineering Grads
Audience Open rate
School of Architecture 23.5%
Engineering Grads 18.9%
Non-Personalized 1st Paragraph 11.9%
16
18. VOICE AND TONE
“Just as you have a
unique set of
fingerprints, you
also have a unique
voice…”
Source: Barbara Scott
TheRovingEditor.blogspot.com
18
21. MARKETING YOUR MISSION 101
• What is • Where/how
given in do we let
exchange people
for participate?
support?
Product Place
Promotion Price
• How do we •What do we
reach out want from
to people? people?
21
22. THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND WITH DESIGN…
• Design for the preview pane —
align content to the left
• Avoid calls-to-action within images
• Avoid large blocks of text —
work toward ―scan-ability‖
• Link to a web-based version of
your email at the top
• Test emails in multiple browsers before
sending, including:
- Internet Explorer
- Firefox
- Safari
22
23. NOT ALL ABOUT THE PICTURES
• Only 19% of your newsletter
gets fully read
• 35% of readers scan only a
small part, often just the first
two words of the headline
• 67% of readers completely
skip introductory text at the
top
• Average amount of time
readers spend after opening:
51 seconds
23
24. DESIGN GUIDELINES
■ Consistent, recognizable send-
from address & subject
■ Look remains consistent from issue
to issue
■ Tell A Friend and Donate links
above the fold
■ Excerpt-style newsletter, with
monthly headline feature
■ Headlines and features change
from month to month
■ Speaks to reader through clear
calls to action
24
25. DESIGN GUIDELINES TEMPLATE
Branding
• Top-priority links &
branding consistent from
In this Issue
month to month Personalization
First Headline
• Headlines & graphics Donate Link
change, but general
Graphic & Lead
dimensions stay the same Story Copy
• Color scheme may Feature #1
change, but structure is Second Headline
Feature #2
consistent
Feature #3
Graphic & Second
Story Copy
25
26. Source: Morgan Stanley http://www.slideshare.net/CMSummit/ms-internet-trends060710final
26
27. DESIGNING FOR MOBILE DEVICES
• 64% of executives read majority of email on mobile
devices
• Include a compelling call to action in the first 15-25
characters of your subject line
• Avoid ―top heavy‖ images in the design
• Use ―alt-tags‖ on images blackberry
• In addition to testing email browsers, test messages
in handheld devices
Source: Marketing Sherpa
27
29. CREATE COMPELLING MESSAGES
Recognizable ―From‖ or
―Sender‖ address
Creative, descriptive & inviting
subject line
Concise, relevant content
Compelling call to action
Supporting landing page(s)
29
30. RECOGNIZABLE “FROM” OR “SENDER” ADDRESS
If readers don’t recognize you, they are likely
to flag your message as spam.
30
31. HOW IMPORTANT IS THAT HEADER?
• 80% of respondents decide
whether to click on the
"Report Spam" or
"Junk" button without
opening the
actual message
• 73% based that decision on
the "From" name
• 69% based the decision on
the subject line
Source: Email Sender and Provider Coalition (ESPC) study
31
32. SUBJECT LINE “DO’S”
• Limit the subject line to 25-35
characters
• Avoid using "$", "!" and ALL CAPS in
the subject line
• Personalize whenever possible
• Colon Power: Use it to place the
most important key word first
• Remember, ―the best subject lines
tell what is inside; the worst subject
lines sell what is inside.‖
32
33. CONCISE, RELEVANT CONTENT DESIGNED TO BE
READ ONLINE
Even though you aren’t
paying printing
costs, you can’t skimp
on careful writing.
Excellent content is
important!
33
34. CREATING A COMPELLING CALL-TO-ACTION
• Your call-to-action should compel
your readers to do something
• Give readers a sense of excitement
and urgency
• Use specific, action-oriented
language
• Say it early and repeat often
34
35. CALLS TO ACTION
• Answer What + Why + Where (or When)
Not Compelling Compelling
Speak up now Speak up now to stop the bloodshed in Syria
Donate now Donate now to feed those starving in Somalia
Register Register to ride in honor of cancer patients
• Instead of images, use table cells with background color
• Include it early, then again
• Track where clicks occur (www.nonprofit.org/donate#intro)
35
36. USE LANDING PAGES TO BOOST RESPONSE
• Keeps email content more concise
and interesting
• Lets recipients learn more before
they must decide to take action
• Easier to track interest of
recipients
• Creates a consistent message
across all marketing vehicles
• Improves search engine
optimization
36
38. TEST TO MAKE IT BEST
• What are your goals?
- More readers
- Engagement
- Donations
• Common metrics
- Web traffic
- Open rates
- Click-throughs
- Conversion
38
39. ELEMENTS TO TEST
• Subject Line
- Length, call to
action, personalization
• Call-to-action
- Placement, number, urgency of
language, font/color
• Graphics
- Position, complexity, style
• Landing pages
- Pre-population of
forms, length, navigation options
39
40. PICKING A WINNER
• Send all email at the same time:
- 10/10 then 80
• Make clear notes about what you're
testing
• Wait at least 48 hours before
declaring a winner- 75% of people will
open an email in the first 28 hours; the
remaining 25% may take several days
• The more you test, the more you'll
learn – be sure to use what you
learn!
40
41. We know what you’re
thinking….
“easier said than done!”
41
42. FIVE THINGS YOU CAN DO TOMORROW
• Audit one of your
emails for the four Ps.
- Is your value proposition
clear?
- How about Place and
Price? (If you
want someone to do
something, you
need these!)
42
43. FIVE THINGS YOU CAN DO TOMORROW
• Plan a single item to
test in your next
email.
- (Hint: The subject line
is easy and
sometimes has
dramatic results!)
43
44. FIVE THINGS YOU CAN DO TOMORROW
• Check your next
(or last) email in a
different browser.
Bonus points for
a mobile device!
44
45. FIVE THINGS YOU CAN DO TOMORROW
• Write (or rewrite)
your welcome
email.
- Does it offer
something or
motivate
a next action?
45
46. FIVE THINGS YOU CAN DO TOMORROW
• Create a new
segment to test in
your next campaign.
- Try a completely
unique message to
people who have
given their email
address but never
taken action.
46
Open rates declined by 12%Fundraising response rates declined by 19%Organizations lose about 18% of their subscriber base each year.NPOs sent an average of 6 emails to each of their subscribers in December alone.M+R 2011 eNonprofit Benchmark Report
For a number of years, we’ve been integrating the topics and timing of some of our online and offline appeals and cultivation message. Not all of them, but a lot of them.We’ve sent emails like this one alerting people to an appeal they’re about to receive in the mail. (24% open rate, 0.06% response rate)We’ve coordinated topics for both appeals to prospects and appeals to donors—so the mailing and email will be on the same topic and will be timed to hit people around the same time and have the same deadlines. We send all donor event invitations via email and mailWe offer donors an email version of our two member publications if they don’t want it by mail.
So- how do you get your supporters, and the general public audience’s, attention?
Relationship-building tool. Don’t want to weaken it.
Mobile messaging/reading is on the rise and mobile email users tend to be young and wealthyAccording to MarketingSherpa.com, "64% of key decision makers are viewing your carefully crafted email on their Blackberrys and other mobile devices ... And, chances are, your email looks downright awful.“
Anatomy of an effective email message
The “From” line should reflect an identifiable organizational figureDon’t use a random name that people are not familiar with (and don’t assume everyone knows your executive director’s name) Recommend using the organization’s nameAvoid numbers/symbols in the “From” line – they may trigger spam filtersUse consistent “From” and “Reply-To” addresses to build your sender reputation
Think about the audienceEstablish ideal tone or editorial “voice” for messagesProvide content that is appropriate for level of engagement, interest, knowledge, etc. Keep content short and to the pointUse headlines and bulleted lists for improved scannabilityEasier to read in a short timeframe; emphasize important pointsUse images to engage readersUse 1 medium sized image that relates to the email’s primary purpose and thumbnail images for additional content. Name people, places, and events just below the image and in the image’s Title tag.Include a screenshot of a video, polls or other functionality that links to related content onlineUse stories to engage readersShare own experiences (or those of supporters) to engage readersUse statistics, testimonials, case studies, and expert opinions to support a pointDemonstrate a clear purpose and a clear call to actionEach (promotional/appeal) email should have one main point, with a clear call to actionGive readers a compelling reason to act now
In most cases, the whole point of sending an email is to inspire action
Can do more on your website – donate, register for an event, watch a video, explore your website. Give them just enough value to inspire them to click
Keeps email content more conciseEmail message can provide highlights/teasers with links to read full article or learn more. Landing page can be updated on-the-fly if readers are clicking (but not taking further action).Lets visitors learn more before they are asked to take actionIf a reader is interested but not sure they are ready to give/volunteer/etc., a landing page gives you more opportunities to build your case for them to take action.Easier to track series of “actions” taken by reader (and when they drop out)Measure open rates vs. clickthroughs vs. conversions to see how many readers progress.Identify “conflict” areas (where participants drop out) and work to refine those over time.Monitor these metrics over time to make sure your clicks and conversions are increasing.Creates a consistent message and “level playing field” for all marketing vehiclesDriving all direct mail, advertising, email, etc. responders to unique (copies of) landing pages helps you identify which vehicles produce the highest returns.Ensure consistency (branding/messaging) across all vehicles which is essential for coordinated online/offline campaigns.
One statistic appalls us -- 57% of marketers are not doingany tests to improve their email campaign or newsletterresults. Even worse, 66.2% of marketers have not testedtheir landing pages or web sites to improve conversions. Whichtestwon.comIf you’re just getting started, start smallDo your readers open the email or not? (Open rates)Do your readers click through or not? (Clickthrough rates)Do your readers actually take action or not? (Conversion rates)Some common elements to testSender linesSubject linesEmail content/bodyEmail results by time/dayLanding page conversionsThe most important factor for success is to KEEP TESTINGIt’s the only way to get smarter over time.Your readers/subscribers will continue to change (as will their needs/expectations)…how else will you adapt?
10% is statistically significant…?? Should be at least 1000 if possible; if needed, repeat testing to smaller groups until you get to 1000