Everything You’ve Ever Wanted To Know About
Email Marketing
(in 180 minutes)
July 9, 2011
Your Hosts
Carley Knobloch
Your Hosts
Joyce Shulman
Your Hosts
Our Time Together Today
• Getting to know YOU • What’s the best Email Service Provider (ESP)? • Sign up process
• How to grow your email list (Part I) • BREAK • How to grow your email list (Part II)
• Anatomy of an email • BREAK • Ninja stuff
Flickr Photo: a2gemma
The Best Email Service Provider (ESP)
It Depends!
Baseline Features
• Manage your list of subscribers (allow multiple lists, and segmentation
• Create campaigns using a WYSIWYG interface • Send email campaigns now or schedule for later • Track campaign performance (Opens, Clickthroughs,
Bounces) • Double and single opt-in
• CAN-SPAM compliant • Deliverability guarantees
Emma (myemma.com)
• Who they’re great for: Companies with small lists, or who send infrequently
• What they’re great at: Beautiful, custom template, easy interface, surveys and forms included
• PROS: Discounts for NPs, lots of personal attention, list segmenting, autoresponders.
• CONS: Not cost-effective for big lists, set-up fee required • Price: Set-up design $99; $30/month for 1000 (10% off for
yearly pre-pay)
Constant Contact (constantcontact.com)
• Who they’re great for: Everyone • What they’re great at: Event management, surveys, custom
services
• PROS: Discounts for NPs, social media integration, good CS, tons of tutorials, local seminars, compare by industry, anti-SPAM checker, API integration, pre-fab templates are tested for multiple formats, autoresponders.
• CONS: Costs extra to host more than 5 images, one opt-in for entire account, email archiving (costs extra)
• Price: 60-day free trial; $15/month for up to 500 subscribers, save with pre-pay
Vertical Response (verticalresponse.com)
• Who they’re great for: Everyone AND less frequent senders • What they’re great at: Detailed reporting, different methods
for email creation (for every level of geek)
• PROS: Create print postcards for direct mail, segmentation, surveys, API integration, partnering companies, great CS, lots of image storage, archiving.
• CONS: Interface less attractive and intuitive than others • Price: $10/month for 500 subscribers OR pay-as-you-go (1.5
cents/email or less, in bulk)
AWeber (aweber.com)
• Who they’re great for: Affiliate marketers, using email to drive sales
• What they’re great at: Sophisticated tracking for email performance and ROI
• PROS: Sophisticated list segmenting, create blog posts from emails (archives), affiliate link tracking, great CS
• CONS: Tougher to customize templates, no image hosting, clunky autoresponders
• Price: $19/month for 500 subscribers; first month for $1; NP, student and pre-pay discounts
MailChimp (mailchimp.com)
• Who they’re great for: Everyone AND less frequent senders • What they’re great at: Easy (and comprehensive) list
management/import, design freedom
• PROS: API integration, Google analytics plug-ins • CONS: Vague tracking data, no affiliate marketing, no live CS
• Price: FREE for 12,000 emails/month; pay-as-you-go pricing (starts at 3 cents/email).
Email Sign Up Process
• Single vs. Double Opt-In • Designing Opt-In Process
Single Opt-In
Sign-up Box Confirmation Page Welcome Email
Double Opt-In
Sign-up Box “Check Your
Inbox” Page
Confirm Email
Confirmation Page Welcome Email
Single vs. Double
• Both are legal under CAN-SPAM act • Some ESPs only allow double (Aweber) • Anytime you give your email address to a
store, considered SOI
Single Opt-In
CONS: • Tougher to prove in court if accused of SPAMMING
• People may not remember that they signed up • People may sign up others that don’t want to receive your
email, or don’t know what it is (SPAM!!)
PROS:
• Quickly build your list (conversion rate is higher, could be up to 50%)
Double Opt-In
CONS: • Slower list building
• Confirmation messages can get lost
PROS:
• Reduces SPAM Complaints • Builds a “quality” list (indicates dedicated, responsive
subscribers) • Builds a “cleaner” list (no typos, no fake addresses)
• Sometimes commands higher ad rates
Designing Sign Up Process
Sign-up Box “Check Your
Inbox” Page
Confirmation Email
Confirmation Page Welcome Email
Sign-up Box
• What is this? • Why should I sign up?
• Mention it’s FREE (if it is) • Mention frequency
• Further incentive
• Clear call to action • Data fields (how much to ask for?)
• Thanks for signing up • When will I get next communication?
• Other calls to action (ie. Social Media, Tell A Friend)
Confirmation page
• You’re subscribed! Thanks again • When will I get next communication?
• Add us to your “whitelist” • Links to incentive items
• Unsubscribe Instructions
• Other calls to action (ie. Social Media, Tell A Friend)
Welcome Email
Sign-up Box “Check Your
Inbox” Page
Confirmation Email
Double Opt-In
Confirmation Page Welcome Email
• SHORT and CLEAR • Instructions • Reasoning • You won’t be subscribed if you don’t!
“Check Your Inbox” page
• Instructions • You won’t be subscribed if you don’t! • If you’ve received by mistake… • Contact information
Confirm Email
How to grow your email list
Part I
List 5 companies off the top of your head
In Groups
• Timekeeper • Notetaker • Searcher(s) • Form filler-outer
Assign Roles
• Go to the websites of your 5 companies.
• Find the email subscription form and sign up.
• Record time to find, then complete form –
Opt In!
• Capture process. User-friendly? Easy? Hard?
In Groups
Flickr: jaxhouse
How to grow your email list
Part II
Download Google Doc (PDF)
Anatomy of an email
Flickr: patrlynch
Flickr: jaxhouse
Ninja Stuff
Flickr: financialaidpodcast
Ninja Stuff • Freebies • Drip campaigns • Autoresponders • Segmentation • A|B testing • Squeeze pages • Share With Your Network (SWYN)