agenda why do email marketing for continuing education? big picture: how does it work? how to...
TRANSCRIPT
Agenda
Why Do Email Marketing for Continuing Education? Big Picture: How Does It Work? How to Build Your Database How to Execute Your Email Campaigns For Big Results
Why Do Email Marketing for Continuing Education?
Cost-effective way to:
Keep in touch with current students (Satisfaction, Retention, Re-Enrolling, Referral)
Keep in touch with past students (Re-Enrolling, Referral)
Keep in touch with prospective students (Sale Closing)
Why Do Email Marketing for Continuing Education?
Email Marketing Enrollment Advantages:
Cost per prospective student: 50% the cost of most ONLINE marketing. 30% the cost of TRADITIONAL marketing
Prospective student inquiries convert into enrollments 30% HIGHER
Why Do Email Marketing for Continuing Education?
Direct Marketing Association Study*:
Email Marketing Return on Investment is $57.25 per $1 spent.
*“The Power of Direct Marketing” Study, Released by Direct Marketing Association November 2006
New Students Are Virtually Limitless With Email
Why Do Email Marketing for Continuing Education?
Dramatically Boost Enrollments For Less.
*“The Power of Direct Marketing” Study, Released by Direct Marketing Association November 2006
Big Picture: How Does It Work?
Build A Database
Admissions
Current & Past Students
Web Forms
Internet Marketing
Lead Generation Firms
Sequenced Email Campaigns
With Calls To Action
Start Dates
Deadlines
License Renewal Deadlines
Lead Date (5, 10, 30, 60, 90 days after opt-in)
Monthly Newsletter
With Calls To Action
General Updates
Financial Aid/Grants
Student Stories
Lead Form
Apply Online
1-800-Call Tracking
Relevant Information
Landing Page Landing Page
Big Picture: How Does It Work?
Lead & Enrollment Follow-Up
Email Phone
Definitive Cost Per Enrollment = Low Cost Per Enrollment
And/Or
How to Build Your Marketing Database
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Database Newly Enrolled Students
How to Build Your Marketing Database
Admissions
Current & Past StudentsLead Generation Firms
Web FormsINTERNET MARKETING
Traditional Newsletters
How to Build Your Marketing Database
Admissions
Current & Past StudentsLead Generation Firms
Web FormsINTERNET MARKETING
Traditional Newsletters
Central Email Databasee.g. Perfect Pass
How to Build Your Marketing Database
Admissions
All Interested StudentsIn-Bound Calls & Emails
Career/College Fairs
Open House Forms
Reply-To Mail
Referrals
Traditional Marketing Inquiries
Central Email Database
How to Build Your Marketing Database
Current & Past Students
Current Students & AlumniCurrent Students (Retention, Satisfaction, Re-Enroll)
Past Students (Re-Enroll, License Renewals, Career Advancement)
Central Email Database
How to Build Your Marketing Database
Traditional Newsletters
All Mail SubscribersInsert Asking for Email Address & Interests
Email Subscribe Through Free Mail or Go to Website Form
Central Email Database
How to Build Your Marketing Database
Web Forms & Calls To Action
Utilize Existing Web-TrafficPlease Calls to Action Prominently on Top of Web Site
Drive People To Web Forms
Get New Student Inquiries
Central Email Database
How to Build Your Marketing Database
Lead Generation Firms
Get Targeted & Qualified StudentsSpecify geo-targets, desired information & interest
More refined targets = higher cost per lead
More information = higher cost per lead
Central Email Database
How to Build Your Marketing Database
Internet Marketing
Get Targeted & Qualified VisitorsInternet Video
Search Engine Optimization / Online PR
Pay Per Click Marketing
Video Marketing
Central Email DatabaseWebsite & Lead Forms
How to Build Your Marketing Database
Search Engine Visitor = Students in “Hunt” Mode For Your Courses & Degrees
Organic Results
Pay-Per-Click Results
Internet Marketing
Internet Marketing: Convert Visitors to Leads & Students
Fathom SEO developed landing page performs 206% better than the industry average. – From Forrester Research and Practical E-Commerce Reports*
*The average e-commerce conversion rate - that is the ratio of orders to overall landing page visits - is 2.9%.” - Forrester Research, August 2007The average conversion rate for generating leads, rather than sales, from a landing page is 5% to 6%” – Practical Ecommerce, July 2007
How to Build Your Marketing Database
How to Build Your Marketing Database
Build A Central Email Database From All Sources WITH Internet Marketing Leading The Way.
Central Email Database
How to Execute Your Email Campaigns For Big Results
How to Execute Your Email Campaigns For Big Results
Bad Layout
Better Layout
Best Layout
Which Email Campaign Did Better?
A B
How to Execute Your Email Campaigns For Big Results
Which Email Campaign Did Better?
A B
Email B Got 209% MORE Leads, sending to 20% LESS email addresses.
How to Execute Your Email Campaigns For Big Results
Case Study: Auburn University
How to Execute Your Email Campaigns For Big Results
Email Past Students Send Before License Renewal Deadline 45% Click-Through Rate Numerous Phone Calls Numerous Inquiries Students Enroll Online
Message Rendering Tests
How to Execute Your Email Campaigns For Big Results
Click-Though Rate Protection
How to Execute Your Email Campaigns For Big Results
All Email Message Designs Must Have
To Get The Most Return, Use Message Design Best Practices
Capital F layout
Top of ad must contain text – not just graphics
Image blocking accounted for in design
No text in images – 95% of the time.
Message designed for top 3 inches
Calls to action on top, middle, bottom
Calls to action should favor left side of ad
W3C Coding
Rendering tests across all ISP’s
Less text = more leads
Great headlines with call to action (Most people just read the headlines)
Hyperlinks sprinkled in ad copy with relevant landing pages.
CTR link protection
How to Execute Your Email Campaigns For Big Results
Repeat Same Message, Multiple Times & Multiply Your Return.
Television, Print & Radio:
Email Marketing:
Repeat Same Message, Multiple Times & YOU ARE A SPAMMER!
How to Execute Your Email Campaigns For Big Results
What Happens When Your Subscribers Think You Are A Spammer?
Email Marketing Is A Dialogue – Not an Ad.
They stop opening your emails.
They don’t click on links to go to your landing page.
They don’t fill out lead forms.
You lose enrollments.
They mark your next email as spam.
Your inbox delivery goes from this:
To this:
Have new graphics in almost email messages to the same people.(From a best practices stand point, after 6 months it is OK to reuse an image)
Have a thought out plan for messages to so you are not sending two back to back emails with the same basic message.
If you need to send to similar emails back to back (e.g. Tuition Lock or New Year’s Resolution), make sure the headlines, images, ad layout and ad copy are all very different.
Have as relevant as possible a landing page to what someone is clicking on.
Have calls to action such as “Contact Us Today” & “Learn More” in top 3 inches of the email.
Dynamically insert the person’s name into the email campaign.
Do
Don’tRepeat the same benefits of the school over and over from one message to the next.
Reuse the same images or message layout over and over again.
Have headlines that read like a print ad or TV commercial – that is offensive through email.
Over use branding tag lines, imagery & messages. Work them into the message subtly.
How to Execute Your Email Campaigns For Big Results
How does content-based spam filtering work?
1. Anti-spam software looks at your ad copy for words and other stuff spammers use.(colors, code, images, etc.)
2. You get a certain amount of points for every spam-looking violation.
3. Get enough points and your message gets spam blocked.
How to Execute Your Email Campaigns For Big Results
How do you avoid content-based spam filters?
To get into the inbox, have your copy comply with the above.
Use the word “free,” instead use complimentary
Use excessive punctuation (???, !!!, etc.)
Use expression marks
Use the words “click here”
Have words in “ALL CAPS”
Have messages that are near 100% images
Send emails with attachments
Change professional copy unless really necessary…why?
They should test all copy for latest changes in spam filtering.
Words come up and drop off of spam “watch” lists daily.
The only way to know spam words/phrases is by testing.
Don’t
Content-Based Spam Filtering
Implementing the simple ideas above = better results.
Financial aid/grant focused email (70%+ of copy) give 2X the response rate.Should be done 4X per year.
Having many hyper-links in ad copy boosts click-through rate and lead totals.
Degree options email with links to each “field” or many “specific degrees” do above average.
Working video into the email gives 30% more leads than average.
Online emails focused on “busy people” and “online higher education” do well.
Tuition lock emails do about 20% better than average.
New Year’s emails do about 50% above average.
Emails that let people know what a day is like at the university do well.
Give added value in emails (10 to 30% of content) could be fun an educational. (Great for Academy and Culinary schools)
Income statistics improve results.
How to Execute Your Email Campaigns For Big Results
Follow Email Marketing Best Practices And Get More Students!
1) Create concept based on analysis of past performance & recent messages sent.
2) Design message based on analysis of past statistics.
3) Write copy for email template.
4) Program copy into email template & select landing pages.
5) Run message rendering tests across all major ISP’s & platforms.
6) Run delivery tests across major ISP’s and platforms.
7) Submit creative for approval.
8) Make MINIMAL changes.
9) Send final test for review.
10) Send out the campaign.
How to Execute Your Email Campaigns For Big Results
1. Dramatically Boost Enrollments For Less With Email Marketing.
2. Email Marketing Gives A Definitive & Low Cost Per Enrollment.
3. Build A Central Email Database From All Sources WITH Internet Marketing Leading The Way.
4. Follow Email Marketing Best Practices & Get More Students.
Summary Slide
