tba lunch & learn email marketing presentation
DESCRIPTION
Presentation given at Trinity Business Association Lunch & Learn on 2/25/11TRANSCRIPT
Email Marketing
Retain Customers & Grow Your Business
Why Email Marketing? Because it works!
– Email marketing generated about $42 ROI for every dollar spent
Email marketing considered the second-most effective tool for generating conversions, behind SEO and ahead of social media
Allows targeting
Is data driven
Why Email Marketing? Drives sales
It’s personal
Builds relationships, loyalty and trust
Supports sales and other channels of marketing
No postage costs!!!!!!
Where Do You Start? What do you want your email marketing to do?
How will you measure success?
What do your customers want or need from you?
What can you offer
Devise a rough schedule
Write it down
What Do I Use?
Why Use An Email Service Provider? High deliverability
– ESPs are white listed
Advanced statistics and reporting
List Management– Automatically handle subscribers and unsubscribers
Easily create and send HTML messages
Create segmented lists and personalization
Automatic CAN SPAM Compliance
Why Use An Email Service Provider? Build and disguise your subscriber list
Linked to social media
Email surveys and polls
Mobile messaging
Support and training
Relatively inexpensive
Email Strategy & Best Practices Define your purpose
Know your audience
Target your mailing
Manage your mailing list
Determine frequency
Email Strategy & Best Practices Use your brand
Write a good subject line
Think like your audience
Make an offer
Keep it short
Test...test...test
Define Your Purpose Sell product/service Newsletter Introduce new product/service Deliver information Event marketing Simply say thank you or happy birthday Build your brand
know why you are emailing
Know Your Audience Define who is most likely to respond to your email
Segment instead of mailing everyone
Build a more effective mailing list
Database – Mailing ListsMost important part of your mailing
Do you have email addresses of customers and prospects?
Opt-in lists are your most successful
How to build an opt-in mailing list – Have sign-up sheets everywhere
– Include sign-up on every email
• Most ESPs give you code that you can put on Outlook or other email program
– Build through social media
• Put the sign-up box on Facebook, Twitter, Blog, etc.
Database – Mailing ListsMost important part of your mailing
How to build an opt-in mailing list – Put a sign-up box on your web site
• Most ESPs give you code to use
– Build at events, seminars, tradeshow...anywhere you are
– Add to every email you send out
How NOT to build an opt-in mailing list – Buy email lists
– Take names from emails you get
– Use lists from associations or groups
– Use lists you have no association with
– The penalty: ESPs will suspend or put a hold on your account
Database – Mailing ListsMost important part of your mailing
Create an opt-in form– Find out what your customer/prospect wants– Ask questions to find out what they want– Let the person put themselves in the right segment– Keep it short and sweet– Confirm subscription with “thank you”
Segment your database...– Let’s you tailor your email to each target
Email Subject Lines
45.2% open an email because of the subject line!
Tips For Writing Email Subject Lines Keep to 40 characters or less
Avoid the Spam filters. Keep away from these words:– Sale
– Free
– 50% Off
– Click Here
– Call Now
– Act Now
– Order Now
– Guaranteed
– Subscribe
– Opportunity
Tips For Writing Email Subject Lines No excessive use of punctuation or caps – especially !
Know your audience. Think like them. Answer the question “What’s in it for me”
Headlines with numbers work well– “Only 4 seats left for next week’s seminar” – “A 10-point plan for marketing success” – “3 ways to relax this weekend”
Tips For Writing Email Subject Lines Use sense of urgency: "Final Chance To Grab Your
Exclusive Spot"
Make your subject line social media friendly– You want it to show up on Facebook and Twitter
Test!
Don’t Forget The “From” Line
Build a relationship
Consistency is the key
Use Your Brand
Your brand alone can get people to open up your email
Use brand in both email header, subject line and in design
Why You Should Test Great way to learn what works
Things to test...– Days of the week you mail– Times you mail– Offers– Subject lines– Designs– Email lists
Why You Should Test Use A/B split method
– Divide your list in half– Send each list one of the tests– Measure results
Your Email Design ESPs have templates you can use to customize to your
brand
Carry through your creative look and be sure it is consistent with all other marketing campaigns
Make sure your main key elements are at the top
Email width should be no more than 600-650 pixels. ESPs automatically size mailings for this
Your Email Design Keep content brief. Use teaser blurbs
Make an offer. Offers can be…– Discount– Invitation– More information/white paper– Contest– Free trial
Remember the key to email marketing success….
Send relevant, timely, targeted and valuable emails to subscribers who have asked to receive them