2. Email Direct Marketing
Techniques
Guaranteed to Increase Your Success
Reggie Brady Tuesday, October 4, 2011
reggie@reggiebrady.com
(203) 838-8138
© Regina Brady 2011 all rights reserved

3. Agenda
• Email Benchmarks and How Do You Rate?
• 4 big trends
– Mobile
– Social
– Relevance and email triggers
– Reactivation
• 8 building blocks for success

4. Overall Benchmarks Q2-11
Conversions based on clicks – 3.16% (up from Q1-11)
Epsilon – Q2-11 Email Trends and Benchmarks – 8-31-11
a study of 7.1 billion emails sent by Epsilon across multiple industries for around 150 clients

5. Overall Benchmarks
Epsilon – Q2-11 Email Trends and Benchmarks – 8-31-11
a study of 7.1 billion emails sent by Epsilon across multiple industries for around 150 clients

6. Benchmarking
Mean Class Performance for
Maturity Class
Email
• 21% average year-over-year
improvement in revenue
Best-in-Class • 11% average year-over-year
Top 20%
improvement in click-through
rates
• 2% average year-over-year
Industry Average improvement in revenue
Middle 50% • 2% average year-over-year
improvement in click-through
rates
• 2% average year-over-year
Laggard decline in revenue
Bottom 30% • 1% average year-over-year
decline in click-through rates
How do you rate?
Aberdeen Research – Email Marketing: Customers Take It Personally – 12-10

7. Differentiate Process
from Business Metrics
Email Marketer Executives
• Our open rate is now • How much revenue email
22%. generate?
• Unique click-through • How has email improved
rates have increased customer retention?
since our redesign. • Has email reduced our
• Delivery at Yahoo is up costs of communicating
since we stopped using with customers?
one large image. • What impact is email
• Spam complaints are having on conversions
down 15%. from other channels?
Silverpop – Email Marketing Metrics That Matter – 7-09

8. Differentiate Process
from Business Metrics
Process Business
• Opens • Revenue/Orders
• Bounces • Downloads/Demos
• Delivered • Qualified Leads
• Clicks • Retention
• Cross channel activity


9. Your mission:
beat the competition
I’ll share some ideas
to keep you ahead of
the pack


10. Big trend #1
Email design must take mobile
into account

11. Mobile devices and email
• Last October fewer than 9% of
emails were read on a mobile
device
• Today between 16% and 20%
are read on a mobile device
• You need to re-think design for
the ―small screen‖ or be left
behind


12. Advice for email re-design
• KISS - stick with your offer, create
something actionable
• Don’t waste valuable real estate on a tiny
screen with clutter
• Proper coding will enable your message
to be seen on iPhone, Droid, Blackberry.
• Avoid slow download times
• Use short subject lines


13. Advice for email re-design
• Width must be compressed
– Less than 500 pixels
• Columns – no more than 2
– Put the most important information to the left
• The top 2 – 3 inches is valuable
– Put ―click to view‖ and ―click to view mobile‖ at top
– Headers should be short – no more than 120 pixels in height
– Move ―forward to a friend,‖ social icons and ―add to address book‖ below
top of the message
• Use text links, in combination with image links
– The fat finger issue

14. Mobile Rendering – a handy tool
If a rendering check is not provided by your ESP, Litmus.com offers this capability
starting at $49 per month for 29 different environments.

15. 2 columns
• Easier to read on screen
• Allows for easy organization of content
• If many of your subscribers read emails
on mobile, you may want one column
… at least near the top.

16. 2 columns
• Easier to read on screen
• Allows for easy organization of content
• If many of your subscribers read emails
on mobile, you may want one column
… at least near the top.
• If this email was displayed on a mobile
device, readers would see the upper left
text, but may not see the picture of the
waffle breakfast sandwich.

17. Big trend #2
Maximizing social for sign-ups
and within email
Co-op 2012

18. Social can be a big gorilla
• Plan to integrate your email and
social strategies
• Today most marketers have yet to
get a return on investment with social
… but it’s coming
– BtoB – 11% see a direct ROI
– BtoC – 15% see a direct ROI
Source: White Horse, ―B2B Marketing Goes Social,‖ 5-18-10

19. Exploit your social presence
to grow your list
• Promote your email program
Kentucky Fried Chicken created a
separate area on Facebook with an
email sign-up widget
3% of all sign-ups now come from
Facebook
These sign-ups have 70% higher
opens and CTRs
• Post or tweet offers or content from
your email programs
• Promote social via email and email
via social
Email Sherpa – 2/15/11

20. Exploit your social presence
to grow your list
Moosejaw
Mountaineering

21. Consider a social sign-up option
Allow people to sign up with their social credentials
A recent study found 90% opted for regular email sign-up and 10% used
Facebook Connect
Social Network ID that Social Users
Worldwide Use to Sign in to Websites
Source: Janrain company blog 4-14-11

22. Consider a social sign-up option
Profile Data Available on Social Networks
The data you collect
is amazing!
Source: Gigya, “Multiple Identities” 7-7-10

23. Consider a social sign-up option
Activities that US Social Network Users Are More
Likely to Do After They Follow a Company or
Products on Facebook or Twitter
Major implications for
e-commerce!
Source: ROI Research Inc., “S-Net:The Impact of Social Media” 6-7-11

24. Registration and email sign-up
Facebook Connect

25. Embrace social in your emails
Some marketers
consolidate social
media icons with
forward to a friend

26. Embrace social in your emails
• Create special emails to encourage
social participation
• Subject line: Now You Can Follow
Us on Facebook and Twitter!

27. Embrace social in your emails
An excellent job at explaining
why people should follow
them on Twitter.
– Share photos of you in your
favorite looks by The Limited

28. Big trend #3
Triggered Messaging for relevance
— you’ve got to do it!
Co-op 2012

29. Relevance
The days of ―batch and blast‖ or
―spray and pray‖ are over
Relevant emails that make each
customer feel special will provide
more leverage and sales
Triggered messages are a great
way to personally touch your
audience


30. Trigger #1: browsed, but didn’t buy
Trigger sent if customer views
at least 3 products but does
not buy.
Incentive to purchase
Address possible customer
service issues
30% open rate and 6% CTR
along with increase in live chat
usage
S&S Worldwide – Must Have Triggered Campaigns for Every Business – 1-10

31. Trigger #2: birthday messages
Subject Line: Happy Birthday
– Get 10% Off Your Next
Flight
Results:
– 50% open rates
– Revenue per email 360%
higher than average fare
sale
Alaska Airlines 2-3-10

32. Trigger #3: cross-sell in order confirmation
Additional selling in message
Subject Line: Order Confirmation
#092857855452
Like top navigation & ―You May Also
Consider‖ with dynamic population of
items that complement purchase
Observes 80/20 rule with most of the
message referring to transaction

33. Trigger #4: order review request
Purchases featured
Sent 3 weeks after purchase
Nice way to drive site
involvement

34. Trigger #5: abandoned cart
My favorite – you can recoup
up to 15% of lost sales
Most marketers see up to 50%
of carts abandoned
Consider:
• sending a series
• including a product picture
• no discount in first email

35. Trigger #5: abandoned cart
You could sweeten the offer, like
the email here
• I like sending a series and
NOT including a discount in
the first email
Opens Clicks Conversion % Revenue per email
No offer 15% 12% 1.8% $3.20
Offer 17% 13% 2.9% $3.29
Experian CheetahMail- The Remarketing Report – 2/10

36. Trigger #5: abandoned cart
Including a picture of the
product left in the cart is a
consideration.
Opens Clicks Conversion %
Product shown 63.8% 28.8% 2.9%
No product but link to cart 53.5% 24.9% 1.4%
Log in to see your cart 45.1% 17.1% 1.3%
Experian CheetahMail- The Remarketing Report – 2/10

37. Abandoned cart emails work!
Experian CheetahMail- The Remarketing Report – 2/10

38. One company’s experience with triggered
messages
Annual email volume Annual email sales
*Carolyn Nye- S&S – eROI Virtual Trade Show 11/11/10

39. Big trend #4
Reactivation
Co-op 2012

40. Create a win back plan
Up to 50% of most lists are inactive and have not
opened or clicked in months.
Win them back – before it’s too late!


41. Reactivation
• An important reason to care!
– ISPs are starting to measure non-openers
– It affects your reputation
– A large volume of inactive e-mail recipients is considered junk by
ISPs.
– Long-term inactive email addresses can turn into spam traps.
• Remember, your most active subscribers generate all your traffic
and revenue
– Inactive do NOT help you reach business goals and you are
paying to send to them.
• Your metrics are distorted if you have a significant number of
inactives.


42. Reactivation
And, it is costing you money!
The financial costs of inattention


43. Reactivation
Cisco Win Back Campaign
Huge database – but, only 25% were active
- Some hadn’t been active in 3 to 6 years
- Some didn’t have clear opt-in flag
- Decided to test 14.5% of inactives
Segments and offers to capture updated info:
- VPs and above - $25 Starbucks gift card
- Directors & Managers – white paper
- Directors & Managers – no offer
Results:
- VPs – Opens 17.1%, CTR 7.6%, Conversions 6.1%
- White paper – Opens 12.1%, CTR 2.0%, Conversions
1.4%
- No offer – Opens 18.3%, CTR 6.5%, Conversions
3.9%
Email Sherpa – 1-11-11

44. Reactivation
Bed Bath & Beyond Win
Back Campaign
Decreased frequency for
inactives from 7x per month,
to 5x per month and
eventually to 1x per month

45. Reactivation
Bed Bath & Beyond Win
Back Campaign
Finally, they send a re-
permission email specifying a
date when they would stop
sending emails without
subscriber permission.

46. When all else fails
Remove dead addresses – your metrics will also improve

47. Re-engagement of past purchasers
Subject Line: We Miss You –
Come Back for 30% Off Your
Next Flight
Entice non-flying members to
book. Tested offer vs non-
offer.
Results compared to usual
promotions:
- Opens 55% higher
- CTR 75% higher
- Revenue per email 564%
higher
Alaska Airlines – 2-3-10

48. 8 Building Blocks for Success

49. 1. Leverage your site to grow your list
• Make email sign-up visible and ―above the fold‖ on your home
page
• Include sign up on most visited pages
• Or, use persistent sign up to promote on every site page
• And give them a reason to sign up
– Offers and promotions
– Tips and best practices
– Product news and updates
– How to information

50. Sign up above the fold
Upper right-hand
corner draws
attention

51. 2. Registration form placement
Which form position generated higher submissions?
A. Form on the left B. Form on the right
Which Test Won – 1/27/10

52. 2. Registration form placement
Which form position generated higher submissions?
Which form position generated higher submissions?
B. Form on the right
Version B generated 24.6%
more form submissions
In western countries we tend
to read from left to right
Which Test Won – 1/27/10

53. 3. Work your subject lines
Top 100 used words
Which form position generated higher submissions?
The larger and darker the words, the more frequently these words were
used, while those that are smaller and lighter were used less frequently.
Source: Mailer Mailer: Email Marketing Benchmarks 7-11

54. Subject line length
Source: MailerMailer: Email Metrics Guide – 7-11

55. 4. Learn more about your list
Preference centers
• Demographics and interests
Data Capture
• Up to date/changes
Subscriber • Personal control
Empowerment • Better retention
• Preferred frequency, lists
Increased
• Basis of personalization,
Relevance
segmentation

56. Simple preference center

57. Complex preference center

58. Preference center email
Subject line: Spring Fever!
Introducing New Women’s
Styles
Promotes preference center

59. 5. Segment and mine your list
1. Self-selected
Which form position generated higher submissions?
2. Demographic
3. Email behavior
4. Transactional
5. Site behavior
6. Lifecycle
7. Modeling

60. Email behavior
American Meadows sends a weekly email.
Now they send an additional email 3 days after
main email.
- Those who click on a product receive an email with a call-to-
action based on the product clicks
- Those who did not click receive an email based on the most
popular product
Results:
• Behavioral segmentation increased revenue by 14%
Bronto website

61. Geographic segmentation
National Hockey league
• 800,000 fan database
• Segment on zip & favorite team
• 60% of fans don’t live in the city of their
favorite team
A Boston Bruins fan living in Boston receives an
email with Bruins imagery and the Bruins first 7
home games
A Bruins fan living in Philadelphia receives Bruins
imagery, but the game schedule only has info on
games in which the Bruins were playing the
Philadelphia Flyers in Philadelphia.
The NHL believes this system increased single
ticket game sales by 31%
eDialog 7-10

62. Geographic & preferences segmentation
King Arthur Flour
Currently has 6 segments with the first 4 gained
from registration & preference center:
• Subscribers near their retail store
• Canadian subscribers
• Those interested in wholesale
• Gluten-free subscribers
• Print newsletter subscribers
• Subscribers to their baking school
General opens and clicks – 30% and 27%
Segment opens and clicks – 35% to 50% and
25% to 35%
Email Sherpa 7-12-11

63. 7. Engage your readers
Involve your readers to build community

64. Engage your readers
Involve your readers to build community
Subject line: Help build the
Best Buy Business District.
It’s a robust site for small
business professionals with
a strong knowledge center
and the opportunity to post
questions and comments.

65. 8. Use Customer Reviews
• Reviews are altering how consumers make
purchase decisions
• Reviews will increase conversions
• Online shoppers are often willing to spend more
for highly rated products
• Plus, page views increase and customers say
they feel more satisfied with their shopping
experience when it includes customer reviews
Forrester Research says that 87% of consumers tend to write reviews
when they have something positive to say.

66. Customer Reviews
• Conversions go up
• SEO traffic goes up
• Returns go down
• Customer satisfaction and brand trust increase
Reviews are a fundamental tool where customer conversations become
powerful content.

67. Customer Reviews
Customer Reviews encourage site
purchases. If you have them on your site
– try including them in some emails.
Subject line: Shop Dell's Top-rated
Products
Consider highlighting reviews in your
subject line.
Dell found if a shopper spent time with site
reviews, conversions doubled. (BazaarVoice)

68. Customer Reviews
A review capability need not be
expensive
AlpacaDirect.com, a small
business, works with
PowerReviews and pays
$80/month.
Results:
– Sales grew by 23% for those
items that had positive reviews
–
CNN.com 9/28/09

69. Email & Social likes
Email helped
increase Facebook
fan growth by 700%
to surpass 1 million
fans.

70. Thank you!
Reggie Brady
Email Marketing Consultant
(203) 838-8138
reggie@reggiebrady.com