Download - How to Grow Your Subscriber Database
Baltimore, Maryland
Blue Sky FactoryDriving Email Marketing Performance
How to Grow Your Subscriber Database
Thursday, May 28 20093:00 PM
Agenda
• The Importance of List Growth
• The Opt-In Process
• Subscriber Preferences
• Viral Emails and Social Media
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The Importance of List Growth
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The Importance of List Growth• Highest ROI
– Email has the highest ROI (return on investment) for all online media • For every dollar spent on email marketing, marketers can expect an estimated $45.06 ROI. – DMA,
2008
• Increase in Sales– Increase in subscribers can mean an increase in sales
• Consumers who subscribed to email newsletters generated 34.25% more product sales. -MarketingSherpa
• Email presently generates 21.6% of total revenue from [marketing] campaigns. – DMA, 2008
• Customers Prefer Email– Email is widely used and preferred by your customers
• Over 90% of internet users between age 18 and 72 and 74% of internet users age 64 and older send and receive email, making it the most popular online activity for all age groups. - Pew Internet and American Life Project, 2009
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Email is Different
• Direct
• Highly personal
• Email users are picky
• Anything can be considered SPAM
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The Opt-In Process
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Getting them to your Website
• Organic Search• Paid Search• Online Advertising• Cross Promotion with other media• Direct Mail and Collateral• Blogging• Tweeting
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Getting the Opt-In
• Permission-Based Email– A list of true opt-in subscribers will garner the best results
• No pre-checked boxes or tricks
• Consider using incentives
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Email Offerings
• Tell them what they will receive
• Include newsletter titles and a brief description of what you offer
• Show the frequency at which they are sent
• Include other email offerings – Specials, Press Releases, etc.
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Email Offerings (cont’d)
• Show preview of an email• Give them access to see
previous emails also• Example: Charlotte-
Mecklenburg Schools
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Signing up on your Website
• Make the sign-up easy• Provide sign-up on every page and/or prominent on
homepage• Example: Active
Junky
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Signing up on your Website (cont’d)
• Include a dedicated Thank You page• Example: Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
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Signing Up Offline
• Capture opt-ins offline as well – Trade Shows– Seminars– Networking Events
• Make it clear that they will receive email• If you receive email addresses from hosts, use an
engagement campaign• Follow up quickly• Personalize a welcome email
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Welcome Email
• Send a Welcome Email as soon as possible• Confirm the benefits of your mailings
– 78% of welcome emails explained the benefits of signing up. - Email Experience Council
• Confirm frequency/type of email• Use Branding• Provide whitelisting information
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Welcome Email (cont’d)• Link to your website and/or email archive • Opportunity to unsubscribe and update preferences • Example: Active Junky
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Subscriber Preferences
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Contact Updates
• Subscribers can edit or add to their contact information
• Allow them to add data that you did not acquire during their initial sign-up – Name– Demographic Information– Geographic Information– Areas of Interest
• Use data for personalization
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Cross Promotion
• Allow users to update email communications that they receive from you
• Current subscriptions should be checked by default
• Example: BSF
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Format
• Multi-part emails: HTML & Text– Allow subscribers that read email on a PDA to receive a
plain text only version • 64% of key decision makers are viewing your carefully crafted
email on their Blackberry's and other mobile devices, according to new data. – Marketing Sherpa
• Always include a View In Browser link
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Frequency• Do not over email!
• Frequency should be determined on a list-by-list basis
• Allow subscribers to choose the amount of email they receive from you – 37.4% say they receive more email than they expected when they
signed up. - Return Path
• Compile data from daily emails into a weekly email, or weeklies into a monthly
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Test Frequency
• Test frequency to find the right formula for your subscribers – Do they want your email daily, weekly, or monthly? – Do they prefer a certain day or a certain time of month? – Find the right balance or you will lose your audience
• Track results in opens, clicks, opt-outs
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Viral Emails and Social Media
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Viral Marketing
• Most successful viral campaigns are unique, interactive or humorous
• Make your content “forwardable”
• Include a Forward to a Friend link
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Social Media Sharing
• Subscribers are increasingly savvy in social media usage• Give the option to share the email with networks• Include a Subscribe link to entice new subscribers• Example: BSF
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Thank You!
Melanie SimsBlue Sky Factory, Inc
Please visit us online: http://www.blueskyfactory.com
Our blog: http://blog.blueskyfactory.com/
Q&A