Email Marketing Review

Monday, August, 2009Midwest Ski Area’s

Introducing:

Samantha RufoPresident, nxtConcepts, Ltd.& the myGuideSites.com

• 12 years ski industry experience• Traditional marketing foundation with continuallearning of new tools and methods• Interactive Marketing focus for 10 years

Quick poll

Why do you send Emails?

Top Priorities

It’s all about-response

-return-results

Agenda1. Don’t Be Fooled

-Common Misconceptions2. Not as Easy as It Looks3. Keep It Smart, Stupid4. Size Matters (Length too)5. X rated content6. Touchpoints7. Shameless Self-Promotion8. Case Studies9. Emerging Tactics10. Putting it All Together

Don’t Be Fooled-Misconceptions

1. Never Use the Word “Free”

2. Don’t Send Emails on Weekends

Misconceptions

3. Industry average open and click-through rates are XX percent and XX percent.

Not As EasyAs It Looks

Please open

Target and focus on their particular likes and interests

Don’t Leave Me This Way

Consumer Spam Definitions

Legitimate marketers beware

Spam levels hit 90.4%of all email traffic scanned in June by MessageLabs Intelligence.

That's the highest level since 2007

The top ISPs ranked in order of difficulty for marketers' emails to reach users' inboxes

Spam Effects

Subject LinesThe 80/20 Rule of Email Subjects◦ 8 of 10 people will skim/read your email subject line◦ Less than 2 in 10 will read the rest / take action

Make sure your subject line copy resonates with your recipients,makes them open the email and take the desired action.

9 Worst Subjects

9 Worst Performing Email Subjects

1. Join Us for a FREE Webinar on April 2 2009!2. Shop Early and Save!3. Register to Win Your FREE iPod!!4. Security Spending5. Post-Trade Show Webinar: Expert Insights Into the Key Trends andObservations from the Trade Show Floor Last Week6. European Lakefront Elegance7. (Company) Announces Partnership to Work with (Other Company)8. Product Launch: New “Widget” Available9. Full Press Release Title “(Company) Announces New Widgets”

10 Best Subjects

10 Best Performing Email Subjects 10 Best Performing Email Subjects

1. MyCompany Sales & Marketing Monthly Newsletter2. MyCompany Newsletter - January 2009: Teaser Subject/Topic3. [Webinar]: N Tips to Improve Email Responses4. MyCompany Webinar: Case Studies - Join Us Feb 155. Webinar Topic - Webinar Slides Available6. This Week’s Phone Call / Meeting (personalized from sales rep)7. John - 8 Customer Service Tips that Work8. Exciting Update from MyCompany - IBM Approved Supplier9. Reminder: Storage Survey - Your Input10. Invitation - Breakfast on Specific Topic

* Source: Pinpointe analysis of several million customer emails

Keep it Smart, Stupid

Above the Fold

What’s Right:-Well branded/relevant-Fits most screens-Upfront call to action-Visually engaging-Multiple links-Beneficial signature-Engaging subject line

What’s Wrong:-Impersonal-No other touchpoints

The Body-Structure

What’s Right:-Well branded/relevant-Call to action-Visually engaging-Multiple links-Screen size ok

What’s Wrong:-Impersonal-Signature needs more info-Subject line

The Signature

What’s Right:-Well branded/relevant-Good use of touchpoints-Fits most screens-Call to action-Visually engaging-Beneficial signature-Subject line gets to the point

What’s Wrong:-Slightly impersonal-Could use more links

Using Links

Do multiple links improve results?• Compared 20 newsletter campaigns (*Mark Brownlow)• Analyzed ‘teaser’ / intro text with 1, 2 links• 2 Example newsletter intro paragraphs:

Results (Average across 20 campaigns):• Average CTR for campaigns with 1 link: 6.8%• Average CTR for campaigns with 2 links: 8.57%• Improvement: Extra link = +25%

Source: Mark Brownlow www.email-marketing-reports.com

Test. Test. Test.

Size Matters-Length too (40-50)

What’s Right:-Multiple links-Signature-Engaging subject line

What’s Wrong:-Too long/much info-Impersonal-No other touchpoints-Creative doesn’t lookcohesive

X-Rated Content

This doesn’t work:<img src="../images/pretty-image.gif“>

X-Rated Content

This works:<img src="http://www.imageserver.com/pretty-image.gif">

X-Rated Content

Touchpoints

What’s Right:-Well branded/relevant-Screen size ok-Visually engaging-Multiple links-Personal with uniqueemail only contest-Includes links to socialmedia, text program,blog, video gallery, andsnow report

Integrate

What’s Right:-Multiple links-Signature-Engaging subject line-Personalized andpersonal-Matches the brand

What’s Wrong:-Too long/much info-No other touchpoints

Shameless Self-Promotion-List Building

•The best performer for capturing e-mail addresses: website registration

•B-to-C marketers find non-incentivized subscriptions most effective

•Mobile phones are the up-and-comer when it comes to capturing, or allowing customers to subscribe to e-mails. This method is expected to increase more than 500%

•Enabling subscribers to share e-mail content with their social networks is expected to increase more than 348% in 2009

ExactTarget's 2009 Email Growth List Study

List Growth Tactics

Case Studies

What’s Right:-A/B Testing-Matches the brand-Multiple links-Signature-Engaging subject line-Personalized-Call to action

What’s Wrong:-A bit long-No other touchpoints

What’s Right:-Multiple links-Signature-Engaging subject line-Fits a screen-Creative matches theBrand.

What’s Wrong:-Impersonal-No other touchpoints

Your Turn-How can these be improved?

Emerging Tactics

Emerging Tactics

Papa John’s triggered email containing a “Free Pizza”offer for Facebook fans.

Emerging Tactics

US Airways beverage napkin

Other mobile capture concepts recently implemented or in development include:--Mobile capture instructions on in-store displays promoting immediate and/or future coupons--Print ads in magazines with mobile capture promoting more information delivered by email--Real estate signs with mobile capture promoting more information delivered through the visitor’s choice of email, text, or voice

Emerging Tactics

Coupon sites

Putting it all together

•Provide Valuable Benefits•Deliver on whatever promises you make in the sign-up process

• Maximize your content, images, and links•Collect as much information on subscribers as you can that will enable you to deliver segmented and personalize messages, without driving too many away from the sign-up process.

• Test, test, test. Try different offers, formats, types of subject lines, distribution days/times and other variables.

Where to go from here

Resources

Email Guides & Videos http://www.mailchimp.com/resources

Content Checker for spam http://www.lyris.com/resources/email-marketing

Email Standards Project http://www.email-standards.org

Email Tutorials & Guides http://www.constantcontact.com/learning-center/index.jsp

nxtConcepts www.nxtConcepts.com

Samantha Rufosam@nxtConcepts.com

Download the presentation onlinehttp://www.myMarketingGuide.com

Questions? Call 888-215-0820

Thank you!