TOP 5 EMAIL MARKETING PERFORMAMCE IMPROVEMENT TRENDS FOR 2013
A Hiscox Google+ Hangout
Karen Talavera, Synchronicity MarketingApril 3, 2013
• Nationally-recognized email marketing expert, educator, writer, speaker and consultant
• The DMA’s email marketing training instructor since 1999
• Member Email Experience Council, Only Influencers
• Top 100 Women in Ecommerce 2012 by WE magazine
• President and Founder, Synchronicity Marketing
– Founded 2003
– Email Marketing Strategy, Training & Consulting
– Based in south Florida serving clients worldwide
About Karen Talavera
Grow Your List with an “Ask”1
Leverage online opportunities to ask site visitors for their email address at intentionally-placed, natural points in the browsing, shopping or buying process
Why?
Many sites lacking a clear place to sign up for email, or visitors can’t find it
Active more effective than passive approach
Natural points to ask for email address and permission to use for marketing exist in many conversion processes – don’t waste them
Consider trading value – give something in exchange for a subscribe
How?
Light boxes – only 22% of online marketers using them today Interruptive yet controlled appearance Tip: Display only to new visitors, allow easy exit Can yield 100-300% list growth over more passive
measures Lead “magnets”
Widgets, snippets or other areas of a site offering something in exchange for email list sign-up
During Purchase – online or off Ask for the email address to send both
transactional and marketing messagesSource: Experian 2012 email acquisition and engagement tactics white paper
Example – Light Box
Leslie Shreve, a time-management and productivity consultant, offers a free special report in exchange for email sign-up on the website for her business, Productive Day
After new visitors are on the site for a few seconds, this lightbox appears
Example – Lead Magnets
Think “Series” vs. Single Message
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Why?
Not everyone on your list sees every individual message you send Some hit junk folders Many delete on contact – never open
Frequency breeds familiarity, trust and reliability
Multiple messages over a short period of time improve message and brand recall
A series creates and manages expectations for more email, and how much
Series vs. single creates continuity
How?
Welcome series Free content, training module, etc.
Pre-, During- and Post-Offer series Tell them it’s coming, tell the it’s here, and tell
them again Abandonment series
Target those who abandon a transaction or conversion process on your site with a “second chance” offer and reminder series vs. a single email
Reactivation series Reach out to inactive subscribers
Leslie Shreve offers a free 7-Power Steps to Peak Productivity e-course to new email subscribers.
The course content is delivered through a series of daily email messages, one a day for seven days in a row.
Example: New Subscriber Series
At the end of a series consider a recap or summary link to seven
email tips consolidated into one document
Manage expectations about what’s coming next. This PS is about her newsletter and other email
Wrap-Up and Transition
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Monthly newsletter maintains and continues relationship
Broadcast Complements Triggered
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Example: Exclusive Offer Series
For new product introductions, special promotions, sales and events don’t rely on a single email message to effectively do the job of getting the word out
Craft a series and track response from each message
Coach tells you it’s coming, tells you it’s here, and reminds you when it’s almost over, giving subscribers multiple chances to respond
Example: Coach Series
Sent one day after the pre-sale announcement, this email announces the sale has officially begun
Notice special offer period is from January 18-27 (about ten days). Plenty of time for multiple emails
Example: Coach Series
Fourth in the series, this reminder is sent half-way through the sale period
Notice the creative variety in the series thus far – each message features different products from the same collection but does not repeat imagery
Example: Coach Series
The final message in the series is sent on a Friday, two days before the offer deadline on Sunday
Notice the creative from message #2 re-used here (why go back to the drawing board if you don’t absolutely have to?)
Segment, Target & Trigger3
Leverage opportunities to send life-cycle or sales-cycle specific messages at exactly the right time
Why?
One size does NOT fit all Some messages should be broadcast to
your entire list, but most should not Triggered email messages can generate
10 times the revenue and 20+ times the profit of broadcast campaigns
Sensing and responding to key actions shows you’re paying attention and results in a more engaged list and more loyal customers
Source: Jupiter Research Survey
How?
Determine “key actions” that deserve triggered email New subscriber joins email list First purchase Life event (birthday, anniversary of being a
customer) Deadline date Inactive subscriber after “x” months Abandoned online purchase/conversion
Create custom email messages that are sent when someone trips a trigger Create once, automate ongoing deployment Smaller but more relevant audiences
Triggered Email: The Welcome
The Center for Joyful Business, a small business coaching company, offers a 5-Step Business Attraction Success Kit to new email list members
This welcome message also provides useful information about the newsletter and blog
Use your welcome message to: Thank new subscribers Familiarize them with your
world Manage expectations Deliver promised incentives Make first promotional
(thank you or email-subscriber-exclusive) offer
Triggered Email: Birthday
Birthday emails like this one from my Allstate Insurance agent have been proven to generate: 300% higher open rates 100% higher click-through 250% higher revenue than
standard promotional mailings
They get attention because they’re personal, and stand out because they create variety in the message stream
Can be used promotionally to make a birthday-specific offer
Source: Experian Birthday and Anniversary Email White Paper 2011
Triggered Email: Cart Abandonment
If you have an online store, consider sending browse or cart abandonment follow-up emails to known customers who shopped but didn’t buy, like Pottery Barn Teen does here
Online cart abandonment rate is typically 60%!
However, abandoned cart emails can convert at15% - 20%
You can offer an incentive to come back and buy (i.e. free shipping) but it’s often unnecessary
Source: Listrak 2012 Study
Triggered Email: Bounceback Offer Recognize and
reward repeat customers like Office Depot does with a “bounce back” offer thanking them for their purchase and inviting them to “bounce back in” to purchase again
Triggered Email: Up-sell
Use past behavior to target, segment and drive future behavior
Carmel Limo recognizes a recent booking on arrival to New York and messages client with reminder and invitation to book return trip
Design for Universal Accessibility
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Why?
Gone are the days of email being received and viewed on a desktop or laptop computer
50% of all commercial email now opened on a mobile device
Proliferation of devices with different screen sizes, email rendering rules, etc. cam wreak havoc with your design
70% of consumers routinely delete emails that don’t render well on a mobile device
Source: Litmus, 2013 BlueHornet Consumer Email Study
How?
Simplify! Format, design, copy, call to action Single vs. multi-column formats tend to
render better on mobile Test how your email looks across multiple
devices Design headlines, chose fonts, and
position images for maximum readability on small screens
Dark text on white or light-colored background
Responsive design
Example – Mobile-friendly or not?
Yes• Easy-to-read font• White background• Single column
design will expand/contract on different size screens
• Strategic use of color
• Balanced blend of copy and images
No• Stylized fonts• Colored backgrounds• Multi-column format
may not scale proportionately on different size screens
• Small buttons and text links difficult for fat fingers
Measure Long-Term Engagement
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Focus on subscriber engagement with your email program over the long-term vs. campaign-to-campaign response
Why?
Most email campaign performance measures like open and click rate only measure the performance of a single campaign
However, email list subscriber relationships exist over time; subscribers don’t see a single campaign but a series of communication
A campaign click rate or an average campaign click rate does not say how subscribers are interacting as a whole.
Unless you measure total engagement over time with your email, you’re not measuring the true, full value of your email marketing
How?
Measure open, click and conversion rate by campaign but also measure cumulative open, click and conversion rate for multiple campaigns over time.
Graph a frequency distribution of actions your email list members take. How many have only ever opened an email
once? How many open and click every message? How many have only purchased/converted
once? How many are repeat purchasers?
Design campaigns to target segments needing more engagement, or reward high engagers
Example – List Reach Analysis
Want More?
Synchronicity Marketing offers email marketing coaching, consulting, training and live workshops Our private Coaching Programs are ideal for individuals or
small groups within a company needing email marketing strategy, creative and analytical support during program start-up, expansion or transition. Click here to learn more
Single-day, half-day or multi-day email marketing education, training and creative workshops are available for groups from 2 to 200. For more information contact us or submit your request here
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