8 keys to email marketing

8 Keys to Email Marketing

Elyse TagerRegional Development Director

Constant Contact

.

About Me

Elyse TagerRegional Development Director

Silicon Valley/San Francisco

etager@constantcontact.com

Twitter: @elysetagerFacebook: Constant Contact/Elyse Tager

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/elysetager

Seminar Calendarhttp://www.constantcontact.com/local/sfbayarea/index.jsp

Want to Really Build your Business?

Email marketing has been around for awhile, and is important for your business.

But email marketing combined with social media will give you greater reach, more engagement and do the best job of increasing number of customers and sales

Agenda• Build Your List with Permission• Set Objectives• Format & Frequency• Get Your Emails Opened• Create Compelling Content• Track Your Results• Segment Your List• Email + Social = Success

Today You Will Learn

• Best practices for creating email communications that are effective, compelling, responsive and will drive your business forward.

Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact, Inc.

Constant Contact

Event Marketing

Social Campaigns

Email Marketing

Online Survey

• Engagement Marketing tools

• Online Marketing solutions for over 500K SMBs, Non-Profits, Associations

• Unrivaled KnowHow, education, and free coaching with a personal touch • Award-winning customer support.

Engagement Marketing tools

Email Marketing Is…– Delivering

professional email communications

– To an interested audience

– Containing information they find valuable

8Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact, Inc.

$

• Time… Money… Energy… Effort

• Takes 7 touches, on average, for a sale to occur

– Some buy right away– Others research and try– Some show interest but don’t trust you

Acquiring Customers

Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact, Inc.9

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact, Inc.

Keep Customers Coming Back• The value of a customer

– You’ve already paid for them

• It’s 6-7 times more expensive to gain a customer than to retain a customer 1

– They spend more

• Repeat customers spend 67 percent more 2

– They are your referral engine

• After 10 purchases, a customer has already referred up to 7 people 2

10

Sources:1. Flowtown, 20122. Bain and Company

Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact, Inc.

Basics of Email Marketing Setting expectations

How many emails sent When are emails sent What type of information

Delivering on promises Matching expectations Providing relevant content

Abiding by CAN SPAM Act

Gaining permission Do they know me? Do they care?

Utilizing professional services

11

1Key #

Build Your List

With Permission

Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact, Inc.

Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact, Inc.

Build Your List Where You Connect

13

Customer & Prospect Database

1

2 3

4

Incoming or Outgoing Calls

Eventsand Meetings

Place of BusinessGuest Book

Guests

5

Online Presence

57% of consumers will fill out a card to receive email alerts when asked to by a clerk at a local small business.Source: Transact Media Group

Email Signature

K Smitheen

Types of Permission

Types of permission Explicit: Opt in from your website or storefront

■ “Join our mailing list”■ Single vs. Double Opt-in

Implicit: Requests for information / registration forms, existing customer relationship

Note: Always make sure to ask for permission when collecting information

2Key #

Set Your Objectives

Content Has to Meet Your Objectives

• “I want to…”

– Promote• Motivate purchases

• Increase event attendance

– Inform• Inform potential customers

• Differentiate my business

– Relate• Increase loyalty

• Encourage more referrals

16

3Key #

Choose the Appropriate

Format & Frequency

Determine Appropriate Format• Newsletters

– Frequency: Regular i.e. monthly / weekly– Lots of educational content (typically non-promotional)– Use bullets, summarize information, be concise

• Promotions / Invitations / Surveys Frequency: Depends on your business and sales

cycle Focus on promotion / limited content Use content to invite click-through or other action

• Announcements– Frequency: Event-driven– Press releases, holiday greetings, thank you cards…– Use content to build deeper relationships

18

Frequency & Delivery Time• How often to send

– Create a master schedule – be consistent!– Include frequency in online sign-up “Monthly Newsletter”– Keep content concise and relevant to planned frequency– Invest time to repurpose content on social channels

• When to send– When is your audience most likely to read it?

• Day of week (Tuesday & Wednesday)• Time of day (10am to 3pm)

– Test for timing• Divide your list into equal parts• Send at different times and compare results

– Re-stimulate social conversations: repost, retweet

19

Get the maximumImpact with

Minimum intrusion.

4Key #

Get Your Emails Opened

Matt Long

Lynn.Mann@AOL.com

Joe Hahn

Nancy Feldman

Getting Email Opened• The “From” line – Do I know you?

Use a name your audience recognizes

• Include your organization name or brand

• Refer to your business in the same way your audience does

• Be consistent

21

60% of consumers say the "from" line most often determines whether they open an email or delete it. Source: DoubleClick

Matt Long

Lynn.Mann@AOL.com

Joe Hahn

Nancy Feldman

Create a Great Subject Line• The “Subject” line – do I care?

– Keep it short and simple

– 30-40 characters including spaces (5-8 words)

• Incorporate the immediate benefit of opening the email

– Capitalize and punctuate carefully

– Avoid copying the techniquesinherent in spam emails

22

30% of consumers say the “subject" line most often determines whether they open an email or delete it.Source: DoubleClick

Emails with shorter subject lines significantly outperformed emails with longer subject lines. - MailerMailer

Email messages that mention Facebook in the Subject Line will have a 32% higher open rate than those that don’t.-Worldata, 2012

Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact, Inc.

Avoiding “Spam-speak”The words: free, guarantee, spam, credit card etc.

ALL CAPITAL LETTERS

Excessive punctuation !!!, ???

Excessive use of “click here”

$$, and other symbols

No “From:” address

Misleading subject lines

23

SPAM

Example: Typical spam “From” and “Subject” lines

5Key #

Create Compelling Content

Coming Up With ValuableEmail and Social Content

– Share your expertise

– Use facts & testimonials

– Give guidance & directions

– Offer discounts & coupons

– Exclusivity & VIP status

– Hold contests & giveaways*

– Acknowledge your audience

25

* Check applicable regulations before deciding to hold a contest or giveaway

Calling Your Audience to Action• Calls to Action include…

– Links to click on

– Information to print out

– Phone numbers to call

– Instructions for reading the email

– Instructions for saving the email

• Describe the immediate benefits…

– What’s in it for your audience?

– Why should they do it now?

26

6Key #

Track Your Results

28

Analyze “Open” RatesUse open tracking to spot trends• Open rates trending down

– Fewer subscribers are enabling images

– Fewer subscribers are clicking links

• Steady open rates

– Assume email is being received

– Check your ESP’s average delivery rate

Reporting Page

Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact, Inc.

29

Capitalize on Click-ThroughsUse click tracking to determine:• Audience interests

– Clicks tell you what topics were interesting

– Save clickers in an interest list for targeted follow up

• Goal achievement

– Use links to drive traffic toward conversion

– Compare clicks to conversions and improve

Reporting Page

30

Measure Increases in Overall Reach

Social Stats shows “Shares” and “Likes” for Shared Email Campaigns

7Key #

Segment Your List

Collecting Information and Permission

32

Include your logo and brand identity

Describe your email content and how often you’ll be sending

Ask about your customers’ interests to stay relevant

Ask for additionalcontact informationwhen necessary

C o n s i d e r a s k i n g f o r y o u r a u d i e n c e ’ s p r e f e r r e d s o c i a l n e t w o r k .

8Key #

Email + Social = Success

Copyright © 2011 Constant Contact, Inc.

34

Email + Social = Success

Make a Join My Mailing List available on all social media platforms.

Make social media buttons a consistent part of all emails.

Move The Needle

Build/consolidate your email list

Set up 1, 2 or 3 templates and leave them alone

Map out an email communication calendar for the next 3 months, (or more!)

Nothing happens unless you hit “send”

Move the Needle

Extend the Reach of Your Email

• Make your content shareable

– Encourage readers to Like and Share your Email across their social networks

– Use a sharebar to gain insights into your contacts’ preferred channels in order to repurpose and broadcast your content

– Use a sharebar to collect contacts wherever your email is shared

36

Move The Needle

• Build your list with permission – quality is more important than quantity

• Set objectives for your business• Create compelling and valuable content• Track your results and read your reports• Email + Social = Success, you can’t have one

without the other

Key Takeaways

 www.onlinemarketinginstitute.org 

Thank You