creating a winning email marketing plan

Creating a Winning Email Marketing Plang g gPersonify Education, July 29, 2010Stephanie Platteter

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Agenda

1. The State of Email Marketing2 It’ Ti f E il M k ti R lit2. It’s Time for an Email Marketing Reality

Check3 Fi St P f D l i E il3. Five-Step Process for Developing an Email

Marketing Plan

Confidential and Proprietary Copyright 2010, DemandEngine, Inc.

The State of Email Marketing

• Many have predicted email’s demiseemail s demise …– yet it’s a desired channel

of communicationof communication• Email ‘connects’ social

networksnetworks• Email is at the heart of

CRMCRM


Many Have Predicted Email’s Demise

• Scams, as well as prescription and pornography peddlersand pornography peddlers abused the channel

• CAN SPAM established national• CAN-SPAM established national fundamental guidelines for the use of promotional emailuse of promotional email marketing

• Many higher education• Many higher education marketers don’t follow them though


though

Yet, It’s a Desired Channel of CommunicationCommunication

• Prospective students prefer itA il bilit f i fi• Availability of wi-fi

• Laptops, mobile devices, and tb knetbooks


Connects Social Networks

• Email is used to contact ‘friends’ and ‘followers’friends and followers

• Email is used to notify the network of status updatesnetwork of status updates

• Email is the original social networknetwork


Basis of Communication within CRM

• Your CRM technology allows you to more effectively andyou to more effectively and efficiently manage relationships over a student’srelationships over a student s lifecycle

• Email is at the center ofEmail is at the center of communication capabilities and campaigns


Email marketing is not easy. It’s not a channel to constantly contact, target, or blast your y g y

prospects. To ensure your message gets to the inbox, your “reputation” matters.

Agenda



Marketing Plan


It’s Time for an Email Reality Check

• High school students and adult-learners prefer itlearners prefer it

• Marketers don’t always use the channel that wellchannel that well


Reality Check: Email is Preferred by Adult LearnersPreferred by Adult Learners

Confidential and Proprietary Copyright 2010, DemandEngine, Inc.11

The Online Participation Profile of AdultsAdults

Daily Weekly NeverU il 89% 6% 1%

Please indicate your current level of participation inthe following online activities.

Use email 89% 6% 1%Use search engines to find information 75% 16% 2%Send text messages 46% 16% 16%Read status updates 26% 20% 18%Maintain a social networking profile 25% 21% 23%Maintain a social networking profile 25% 21% 23%Read profiles within social networking sites 18% 21% 23%Watch online video 14% 30% 8%Post status updates 12% 18% 33%Read online ratings/reviews 12% 28% 9%Read blogs 11% 15% 26%Tag Web pages or other digital content 7% 12% 37%Use RSS feeds 6% 6% 56%Listen to podcasts 4% 8% 40%C bl 4% 6% 46%Comment on blogs 4% 6% 46%Publish your own Web pages 3% 4% 62%Post online ratings/reviews 3% 6% 35%Publish or maintain your own blog 3% 4% 69%Upload video/audio you created 2% 4% 52%


Upload video/audio you created 2% 4% 52%

Source: DemandEngine Adult‐Learner Communication Preferences Studyn = 3712, ages 22‐50

Reality Check: Email is Preferred by High School StudentsHigh School Students


Reality Check: Email is Preferred by High School Studentsg


The Online Participation Profile of High School Studentsg


Reality Check: Email Supports the Decision Processthe Decision Process


Some of Us Struggle with Email

• Consider this message from a gcontinuing education providerT o ersions of each• Two versions of each message sent simultaneously

• Three times in 5 days


Struggling with Email

• Consider this messageg

• Personalize your message

• We gave our first name in order to receive this



• Consider this message series:– Original inquiry – Sept 2009

A luncheon invitation Oct– A luncheon invitation – Oct 2009

– General course availability –J 2010January 2010

– Cell Phone Savvy promotion – June 2010


Why This Matters-Deliverability!

• You are not delivering what you think you are …y

• Recent continuing education email research invitation to 50,000 students, o er 11 000 ere ndeli erable!over 11,000 were undeliverable!

• Forrester projects that over the next five years, $144 million dollars will be y , $collectively spent and wasted on emails that never reach inboxes.ISP b t il t ti• ISPs care about your email reputation … because it impacts them


Agenda



Marketing Plan


DemandEngine’s Five-Step Process –Creating an Email Marketing PlanCreating an Email Marketing Plan

1 Assess current practices1. Assess current practices2. Establish key performance

indicatorsindicators3. Understand the decision

cyclecycle4. Architect for value5 O ti i ti i5. Optimize timing


Step 1. Assess Current Practices

• How is your email marketing program performing really?program performing … really?

• Build a burning platform for change by assessing what youchange by assessing what you are doing today

• Provides the direction to make o des t e d ect o to a ebusiness decisions


Assessment Categories

Trust Value


Measurement Design

Trust

Establishing a foundation for the relationshipIdentifying opportunities y g ppto improve deliverabilityProtecting your sender g yreputationMeasuring CAN SPAM gcompliance


Value

Enhancing the relationshipDeepening the students’ p ginterest and/or commitment to you


Measurement

Gauging successUsing metrics to drive future interactions


Design

Delivering easy-to-consume contentCommunicating value gvisuallyIncreasing recipient g pengagement


Step 2. Establish Key Performance Indicators

• Open rates and clickthroughsare niceare nice …– but what are you really doing with

this information?• Develop goals, objectives, and

metrics• Link key email measures to

driving key funnel metrics• Are you measuring email

conversions?


Step 3. Map the Decision Cycle

• Understand how prospective t d t k d i istudents make decisions

• Bridge the higher education k timarketing gap

• Align marketing efforts to decision cycledecision cycle


Higher Education is a Considered PurchasePurchase


Bridging the Gap


Aligning Marketing Efforts with Students’ Decision CycleStudents Decision Cycle


Step 4. Architect for Value

Stage Possible Messaging OffersInterest/Consideration • Value-add content related • Information to aide in the

to industry, academic area, or life stage of prospect• Benefits to students• Student/alumni profiles

decision• Experience your institution

Student/alumni profilesAnxiety • Advice for navigating this

stage in the process• Provide reassurance (i.e., financial aid award letter, student testimonial video))

Commitment/Enroll • Reaffirms their decisionto commit• Build excitement about

ll d h f

• Motivate the next step (if applicable)• Begin the process of

i (i ienrollment and the future outcome

retention (i.e., getting involved once enrolled, meeting with academic advisor, subscribing to a


advisor, subscribing to a current student newsletter)

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Step 5: Optimize Timing

• Interests and needs sway email recipient behavior, not time ofrecipient behavior, not time of day or day of week that the message was sent.

• Delivering messages when the recipient is in the decision process is crucial. Forrester Research

• Messages driven by behavioral d t t tdata generate greater response, higher conversions and more revenue Forrester Research


revenue. Forrester Research

What This Means

• Email … a powerful and preferred channel ofpreferred channel of communication

• Email success starts with• Email success starts with strategy first, design and sending a distant secondsending a distant second

• Email delivers results when you think about goals: students notthink about goals: students, not yours
