Exclusive Research: How Content Dictates Email Timing€¦ · -40 -35 -30 -25 -20 -15 -10 -5 0 0 5...

Exclusive Research: How Content Dictates Email Timing

Bob JohnsonVice President & Principal AnalystIDG Connect

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Session Topics

2

The Impact of Content Types on

Email Timing

Content Type and Format Pass-Along

Frequency

Viewpoints Comparison

B to B Marketers and Buyers

Driving Up Email Impact Through

Smart Mail

Active email and the Future of Lead

Engagement

Requested Wait Period Between Nurturing Activities

3

When you download, preview or use those content types you consider relevant, what is the appropriate time period a vendor

should wait before sending additional, relevant content for your use in the decision making process?

15

14

14

14

14

14

14

13

13

12

12

12

12

11

11

11

11

11

11

10

9

9

9

Buying Guide

Advertisement

Presentation

Market Trends/Overviews

Product/Service Review

Independent Review/Opinion

Case Study

Evaluation Version

Market/Trend White Paper

Vendor Collateral

Article

Technical White Paper

Technical Knowledgebase Article

e-Trade Show Content

Blog/Forum Link

Planning Worksheet

ROI Calculator

Tutorial/ how to

Survey Results

In-depth Product/Service Information

Research Report

Seminar Material

RSS Feed ContentSource: IDG Connect, 2009

N=150

Wait Period (in days)

Content Pass-Along

4


Email Timing


Frequency




Smart Mail

Active email and the Future of Lead Engagement

Percentage Pass Along Number of People Shared With

Content Type Action Impact in Pass Along and Number of People

Source: IDG Connect, 2009

N=150

5

4%

5%

5%

6%

6%

6%

6%

7%

7%

7%

8%

8%

8%

10%

10%

10%

10%

12%

12%

13%

13%

15%

16%

3

2

3

5

17

3

2

3

36

5

3

14

3

7

14

2

12

4

4

5

3

10

17

-45 -40 -35 -30 -25 -20 -15 -10 -5 0

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40

RSS Feed Content

Wiki Information

Market/Trend White Papers

Planning Worksheet

Vendor Collateral

Market Trends/Overviews

ROI Calculator

Technical White Paper

Blog/Forum Link

Seminar Material

Survey Results

Buying Guide

e-Trade show content

Research Report

Case Study

Presentation

Technical Knowledgebase Article

Tutorial/ how to

Article

Evaluation Version

Independent Review/Opinion

Product/Service Review

In-depth Product/Service Information

Advertisement

3%2

Answering for only those you consider relevant, what percentage of the time do you pass along each

content type you have used in the past? On average how many people do you give it to?

Format Action Impact in Pass Along and Number of People

What percentage of the time do you pass along content in each of the following formats? On average how many

people do you give it to?

6


N=150

17%

13%

13%

12%

10%

2

1

2

2

3

-40 -35 -30 -25 -20 -15 -10 -5 0

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40

Document

Video (view online )

Tool (calculator, widget )

Webcast (with moderator )

Audio Clip (l isten online )

Podcast (downloadable )

Percentage Pass Along

34%

Number of People Shared With

5

The Action Impact of Relevant Content Increase Pass Along Frequency

7


N=150

If the content types and formats meet your needs in terms of relevance how does that

increase the pass-along frequency? With how many additional people?

43%

30%

Content Format ( White papers etc. )

Content Format ( Audio Clip etc. )

Increased Likelihood

Email Marketing: Marketer Perception vs. Buyer Reality

8


Email Timing


Frequency




Smart Mail


Biggest Weaknesses in Product/Service Emails Marketer vs. Prospective Buyers B-to-B Viewpoint

9

Source: IDG Connect and MarketingSherpa, 2010

Question: What do you perceive are the biggest

weaknesses in emails about product and service offerings?

Biggest Weaknesses

No Linkage to Relevant Content, 18%

Unclear Topics and Content, 25%

Poor Timing, 30%

Info not Specific to Focus and Role, 43%

Offers Not Compelling, 51%

Content Not Relevant, 63%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

Marketer

No Linkage to Relevant Content, 18%

Unclear Topics and Content, 25%

Poor Timing, 30%

Info not Specific to Focus and Role, 43%

Offers Not Compelling, 51%

Content Not Relevant, 63%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

Marketer

Open Rate Drivers For Offering Emails Marketer vs. Prospective Buyers B-to-B Viewpoint

10


Question: What increases the likelihood that an email that promotes

a vendors products and services will be opened and read?

Open Rate Drivers

Time of Day

Received, 17%

Compelling Offer, 41%

Previous Interest, 43%

Subject Line, 71%

Known Sender, 73%

Current Need, 73%

0% 15% 30% 45% 60% 75%

Marketer

Time of Day

Received, 11%

Previous Interest, 49%

Subject Line, 50%

Compelling Offer, 55%

Current Need, 69%

Known Sender, 77%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80%

Prospective Buyer

Favored Methods to Learn About Offerings Marketer vs. Prospective Buyers

B-to-B Viewpoint

11

Question: How much weight do you believe buyers give to learning about products

and services via email, direct mail, search and social communities?

Favored Method

Search44%

Email20%

Social Networks

18%

Direct Mail11%

Other7%

Marketer

Search37%

Email32%

Direct Mail19%

Social Networks

12%

Prospective Buyer


Message Attribute Impact on Open Rates Marketer vs. Prospective Buyers B-to-B Viewpoint

12

Question: What percentage does each of the following email message

attributes increase the likelihood of a recipient opening it?

Percentage Impact

Time Received, 9%

Links that the Email

Offers, 13%

Subject Line Offer, 17%

Previous Emails Were

Interesting, 18%

Subject Line

Topic, 25%

Who the Sender Is

45%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%

Prospective Buyer

Links that the Email

Offers, 10%

Time Received, 12%

Subject Line Offer, 22%

Previous Emails Were

Interesting, 26%

Subject Line

Topic, 36%

Who the Sender Is

38%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40%

Marketer


Interest Motivators for Ongoing Product/Service EmailsMarketer vs. Prospective Buyers

B-to-B Viewpoint

13

Question: What motivates prospective buyers to agree to

receive additional emails on products or services?

Impact of Interest Motivators

Marketer, 31%

Funny or

Entertaining, 42%

Provides the Perspective

of Peers, 45%

Offers an Unbiased

Viewpoint, 46%

Well Written Email Copy

46%

Own the Product

Service, 75%

Fresh Insight and Ideas

84%

Helps Them in Their

Job, 85%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80%

Marketer

Provides the Perspective

of My Peers, 27%

Offers an Unbiased

Viewpoint, 39%

Own the

Product/Service, 40%

Funny or

Entertaining, 41%

Well Written Email Copy

48%

An Area I Want to Learn

About, 62%

Fresh Insight and

Ideas, 66%

Helps Me in My

Job, 68%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%

Prospective Buyer


Learning Area

Biggest Mistakes Marketer’s Make in Sending Product/Service EmailsMarketer vs. Prospective Buyers B-to-B Viewpoint

14

Question: What is the biggest mistake email marketer's make when sending email to prospects?

Biggest Mistakes

Sending Emails

on Irrelevant

Topics

32%

Promote Rather

Than Educate

25%

Lack of a

Compelling Offer

13%

Sending Email

too Often

10%

Others

8%

Marketer

Sending Email Too

Often26%

Sending Emails on

Irrelevant Topics21%

Lack of a

Compelling Offer16%

Lack of Incentive

12%

Promote Rather

than Educate6%

Unable to Click

Through to Additional

Information6%

No Link to Social

Conversations2%

Prospective Buyer


Offer Types Impact on Likelihood to Pursue LinksMarketer vs. Prospective Buyers B-to-B Viewpoint

15

Question: Do each of the following offer types increase the likelihood a prospective

buyer will click on a link to additional information and insight?

Impact of Offer Types

46%

42%

58%

72%

73%

74%

77%

79%

86%

92%

54%

58%

42%

28%

27%

26%

23%

21%

14%

8%

0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

Marketer

Yes No

35%

45%

48%

50%

63%

64%

65%

70%

73%

84%

65%

55%

52%

50%

37%

36%

35%

30%

27%

16%

0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

Prospective Buyer

Yes No


Percentage Increase in Likelihood Marketer vs. Prospective Buyers B-to-B Viewpoint

16

Question: By What Percentage does each of the following offer types increase the

likelihood of link to additional information and insight being clicked on?

Percentage Impact

Live Social Media

Conversation, 8%

Promotional Content, 9%

Blogs that Provide

Topical Coverage, 11%

News and Articles, 15%

Online Tutorials and

Demonstrations, 17%

Interactive Peer

Comparison Tool, 20%

Peer Best Practices, 20%

Competitive Comparisons

and Buying Guides, 21%

Free Research

Reports, 26%

Educational

Content, 27%

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25%

Marketer

Live Social Media

Conversation, 15%

Blogs that Provide

Topical Coverage, 19%

Interactive Peer

Comparison Tool, 24%

News and Articles, 24%

Peer Best Practices, 24%

Educational

Content, 25%

Free Research

Reports, 25%

Competitive Comparisons

and Buying Guides, 25%

Online Tutorials and

Demonstrations, 25%

Promotional

Content, 26%

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25%

Prospective Buyer


Preferred Sources of Product/Service EmailsMarketer vs. Prospective Buyers B-to-B Viewpoint

17

Question: What sources do you believe buyers are most likely to open an email from?

Preferred email Sources

Vendor Sales, 10%

Media Company

17%

Vendor Marketing

22%

Independent

Consultant, 30%

Vendor Product/Service

Support, 35%

Press Editor or

Writer, 45%

Vendor Expert, 46%

Research Analyst, 61%

Industry Peer, 77%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80%

Marketer

Reseller

20%

Press Editor or

Writer, 25%

Vendor Marketing

27%

Media Company, 28%

Vendor Sales, 30%

Independent

Consultant, 43%

Research Analyst, 47%

Vendor Product/Service

Support, 47%

Vendor Expert, 52%

Industry Peer, 53%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

Prospective Buyer


Success with Email Engagement Comes Down to

Relevance

18

Relevant Links and Actions

Relevant Email Content

Relevant Subjects

Relevant Senders

Biggest Weaknesses in Email Subject LinesMarketer vs. Prospective Buyers B-to-B Viewpoint

19

Question: What is the biggest weakness you see in the subject line of

vendor emails related to product and service offerings?

Biggest Subject Line Weaknesses

Not Relevant43%

Poor Value Proposition

30%

Unclear21%

Marketer

Not Relevant to Me49%

Poor Value Proposition

22%

Unclear19%

No Offer10%

Prospective Buyer


Key Opportunities to Make Emails More UsefulMarketer vs. Prospective Buyers B-to-B Viewpoint

20

Question: For emails sent to prospective buyers on product and service

offerings which of the following would make them more useful?

Utility Value Factors

Use More Graphics15%

Hot Links to Twitter, Linked In and Other Social Networks, 16%

Ability to Put Email in Personal 'Review Later' Folder, 21%

Offer Links to Active Social Conversations on the Topic, 23%

Make the Email More Interactive27%

Customize Email Appearance so Content is Organized the Way Buyers Like It, 29%

Break Email Content Out into Smaller Sections and Pieces, 33%

Better Organization, 34%

Highlight Keywords and Points, 36%

Map Delivery Timing to Where Buyer is in the Purchase Decision Process, 44%

Ability to Navigate from Within the Email to More Detailed Content, 58%

Provide Links to Relevant Content, 63%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

Marketer

Offer Links to Active Social Conversations on the Topic, 16%

Hot Links to Twitter, Linked In and Other Social Networks, 18%

Map Delivery Timing to Where I am in the Purchase Decision Process, 21%

Break Email Content Out into Smaller Sections and Pieces, 21%

Customize Email Appearance so Content is Organized the Way I Like It, 23%

Ability to Put Email in My Own "Review Later" Folder, 25%

Use More Graphics, 28%

Make the Email More Interactive, 29%

Better Organization, 43%

Highlight Keywords and Points, 47%

Ability to Navigate from Within the Email to More Detailed Content, 51%

Provide Links to Relevant Content, 55%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

Prospective Buyer


A Look AheadStriving to Build Greater Relevance/Engagement

21


Email Timing


Frequency




Smart Mail


Building Relevance Requires Email Innovation

• Smart email: Email that acts as a liaison (assistant rather than a conduit (pipe)

• Smart Email is tailored to the persona of the recipient

– Persona: The personal profile of wants, needs, roles, focus and past history of an individual

– Group Persona: Interest and tendencies a person shares with others who have similar profile characteristics

– Now, let’s take a look into what email can become for your organization to make it more semantic

• Semantic: Offering “content in context” of what a person is interested in to better bring the content to them rather than having to hunt and search, based on personal persona, group persona and past history

22

A Look AheadEmail as a Smart Content Pathway

23

Custom Senders and

Subjects

Ability to Drill Down Within

Emails

Use of Personas to

Highlight Relevant Content

Linkage to Relevant &

Related Content

Highlighting Available

Social Conversations

Online Event Access and Influence

Email Expectations That Drive Open RatesUse of “My Interest” Profiles to Screen ContentMarketer vs. Prospective Buyers B-to-B Viewpoint

24

How much would the likelihood of a prospective buyer opening an email increase if they

could set up a "my interest" profile so the email only included areas they cared about

and organized the email content according to their priorities?

Marketer, 29%

Prospective

Buyer, 39%

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40%

Percentage of Respondents


Email Expectations That Drive Open RatesKeyword Drill-Down to Relevant ContentMarketer vs. Prospective Buyers B-to-B Viewpoint

25

How much would the likelihood of a prospective buyer opening a product or service

email increase if it enabled them to click on keywords within the email to drill down

into other relevant content that they could then preview or use?

Marketer, 20%

Prospective

Buyer, 31%

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30%



Email Expectations That Drive Open RatesOffering “Live” or “Updated” Social LinksMarketer vs. Prospective Buyers B-to-B Viewpoint

26

If a prospective buyer received emails on products and services that

presented "live" blog or forum conversations of peers who are discussing the

featured topic how much would it increase the open rate?

Marketers, 15%

Prospective

Buyers, 22%

0% 5% 10% 15% 20%



Credits/Thank You

Bob Johnson, Vice President & Principal Analyst

IDG Connect

Call or email me at: 508-766-5655

[email protected]

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