Week 5 - Email Marketing

A/B Testing Advantages

- better understanding of each segment - determine the best subject line - improved content - increased conversion rates - more sales

CASL Constraints

- can only send marketing emails to a user who has explicitly consented -a pre-checked box is not an express opt-in -'implied opt-in' and pre-existing business relationships are considered valid consent for 24 months -social media interaction is not implied opt-in -conditional opt-in is not valid

Factors affecting email deliverability

- custom authentication - single opt-in - domain - subject lines - images - URL shorteners

Considerations for using images in emails

- emails with images are not a replica of a print mailer or brochure - not all ESPs will display your email images. Content in email still needs to be relevant and make sense for users who can't see the images - over using images may land you in spam

Email Copy essentials

- grab attention - build anticipation - call the reader to action - target the right recipient - include social media links and an unsubscribe option

A/B Testing best practices

- only test one variable at a time - split your groups equally and randomly - test early and test often for the best results - test as large a sample as you can for more accurate results - trust the data collected, not your gut instinct

Email design layout

- organize for quick reading - make room - align your content - define your sections - above the fold CTA - 600 pixels width

Benefits of using authenticated address domains and sub-domains rather than free domain email addresses

- prevent ISP filters from blocking your emails - instantly recognizable to your recipients - build your sending reputation

Benefits of double opt-in

- protects against incorrect sign-ups - reduces spambots - builds your sending reputation

Types of subject lines

- self-interest - curiosity - offer - urgency - humanity - news - social proof - story

Best practices for using images in emails

- use your brand assets - product photos -size your images - use pixel tracking images - use the less than 25% rule - include alt and title text - don't trap your messages

Value of email design

- user experience - consistent experience - conveys your message in style - direct imagery and graphics - placement of CTAs - drives conversions

CASL

-Canadian Anti-Spam Legislation of 2014 -requires marketers to obtain permission from a user before they send marketing material via email or SMS

CAN-SPAM

-Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing act of 2003 -established certain mandatory opt-out practices and requires email senders to clearly identify themselves

GDPR

-European Union's General Data Protection Regulation -is now fully enforceable and requires strict user data and permission pratices

Types of Email Recipients (and where they are in the Buyer's Journey)

-New customer - awareness stage -existing customer - consideration/conversion stage -Evangelist - advocate for product/service

A/B Testing

-a method of comparing two versions of an email against each other to determine which one performs better. - can have multiple variations, but focus on testing ONE element. So everything about the emails would be the exact same, except the element being tested

Main challenges when delivering marketing emails

-bounces -spam complaints -spam traps -sending volumes -engagement

GDPR Constraints

-marketers can only send marketing emails to users who have explicitly requested the content -all personal user data must be protected at minimum standards and not shared outside the business -users may request all data that is stored about them at any time -users may request that any and all data about them is deleted

Types of recipient engagement

-opens -clicks -saves -replies -forwards -moves

Three ways to personalize emails

-recommendation for the customer -address them by name -display products based on customer's viewing history

Key principles for building an effective email marketing strategy

-segmentation -personalization -timing -engagement -analytics

Ways to keep your audience engaged

-welcome new subscribers with welcome email -set expectations for email frequency -allow them to set email preferences -simplify your emails -create targeted segments -test your audience - they will evolve over time, so you must not get complacent

You can increase open rates with...

-well-targeted subscriber lists -familiar sender name -effective subject lines with personalization

Guidelines for using Calls to Action

1. Make it easily visible 2. Use a command verb 3. Give a sense of urgency 4. Make it obvious 5. Set expectations 6. Bring the reader somewhere

Marketing Automation process

1. web form submission - the action that triggers the automation flow 2. Information tagging - assigning a tag to the user helps identify them and it can be used in segmentation 3. Delay or wait period - a period of time the user waits before proceeding to the next step 4. Send email - send the specified email to all users who enter this step

Types of CTAs

Apply now Download now Book now Sign up Lean more Buy now

Sending volumes

Email sending patterns. ISPs want to see an established sending history and sending pattern in order to help determine inbox placement

Engagement (campaign delivery challenges)

Some ISPs look at recipient engagement to determine inbox versus junk folder delivery. The more engaged a recipient is, the greater the chance of the email landing in their inbox

Rendering Testing

Tools such as Litmus allow you to send your email to a test address, and preview it in various email clients and devices, so that you can observe where you may need to make change.

Limitations of an ESP

Total cost can be expensive No control over rate limits and sending volumes Restricted reporting and UI (user Interface)

Load Testing

When a user opens your email, all the images in the email will be downloaded. If your email contains multiple images, or the images are very large, then the email may be slow to load for the user, particularly on mobile devices or if a person has slow internet

Advantages of an ESP

Whitelisting of Email broadcasts ESP provisioning, domain, and IP setup Deliverability reporting Enterprise Mail Transport Agent (MTA) configuration Bounce and complaint handling

Email Marketing

a commercial channel used to deliver advertisements, offers, education, and other marketing content directly to an interested user's email inbox

hard bounce

a permanent delivery failure that occurs when the message has been permanently rejected

soft bounce

a temporary delivery failure

Implied opt-in

an individual provides his or her email address during some form of business communication but not necessarily for the purpose of signing up to an email marketing list

Types of Email

announcement product update newsletter event invitation social media updates internal updates

Types of segmentation

demographics job role, industry, or company type purchase history web traffic interest groups clicks and opens change in behaviour

Segmentation

grouping together similar users and providing relevant information to each category of user, as opposed to sending the same email to everyone

Timing

making sure your email arrives at the time that best suits the user

conditional opt-in

one that implies that the user must opt in to an email list if they want to access a page or website

Email Service Provider (ESP)

operates and maintains the software and hardware for delivering bulk email. They provide a platform for managing and segmenting your contact lists, building email templates, and sending and tracking your campaigns on a large scale

Engagement

optimizing your email campaigns to keep your subscribers interested

Overall ROI

overall return on investment for the email campaign

bounce rate

percentage of emails sent that couldn't be delivered

share/forwarding rate

percentage of recipients who clicked "share this" button to post to social media

conversion rate

percentage of recipients who clicked a link and completed desired action

click-through rate

percentage of recipients who clicked on one or more links

Types of automated email

welcome email onboarding confirmation email form response/thank you abandoned cart

Spam complaints

when the email recipient clicks the 'spam' or 'junk' button in their email client

Components of an Effective Email

1. Audience 2. Subject line 3. Copy 4. Design 5. CTA 6. Imagery

Email Campaign Creation - steps from start to finish

1. Identify the need for an email 2. Define campaign requirements 3. Write email copy 4. Add email copy to an email template 5. set up email tracking 6. test your email 7. check your email checklist 8. send your email 9. analyze your results

CAN-SPAM Contraints

1. The marketer has to identify themselves with a physical address 2. Opt-out processes must be simple and must be permanently honored within 10 business days 3. marketer cannot send to any user who has opted out 4. subject line must accurately reflect the content of an email

Optimizing email for mobiles

1. keep the flow of mobile all the way to the landing page 2. make images lightweight for mobile devices 3. code specifically for phone, tablet, and desktop 4. use reports to specifically identify behaviour on mobile devices

Guidelines for creating good email copy

1. simple and strong 2. scannable 3. less 'we' and more 'you' 4. benefits vs features 5. align with the subject line 6. know your target market 7. singular goal 8. sense of urgency

Optimizing click rates

1. simple, explicit CTAs 2. Multiple links for the same action 3. offering deals for a limited time 4. testing different colours

Testing metrics to pay attention to before launch

1. subject line 2. from-name 3. pre-header 4. calls to action 5. social media icons and links 6. unsubscribe link and address 7. HTML vs text email 8. personalization 9. footer

Subject Lines

1. subject lines are the first thing the recipient sees, and will determine if they'll open the email 2. the urgency and tone of the subject line can draw the recipient in by prompting them to open the email to find out more 3. subject lines should be engaging and relevant to the recipient

Seed testing

Compose a list of co-workers, friends, or family that will help you to test your email before launch. Include at least five recipients and try to find people that use difference email clients and have different mobile devices

Features provided by ESPs

Contact Database Personalization Tracking Behaviour Email and Landing Page Creation Segmentation Automation Unsubscribe Management

Using the Buyer's Journey to align your emails to the right audience (new customer, existing customer, evangelist)

New Customer - Awareness/Interest stage. Send a welcome email, promotional email, or abandoned cart emails. Existing Customer - Consideration/conversion stage. Send regular newsletters, event invitations, and holiday/seasonal emails Evangelist - Retention stage. Send product/content updates, downloadable content, sharable content.

Spam traps

real email address that don't bounce, and are monitored by ISPs and blacklists. Often ISPs will take over abandoned email addresses and turn them into spam traps

Marketing Automation

refers to a set of software tools that automate marketing actions related to email, social media, landing pages, and other web activities

Analytics

reviewing past email marketing campaigns to see how they performed and use these insights to improve your future campaigns

Benefits of marketing automation

saving time improved marketing results positive impact on marketing teams data synchronization personalized experience streamlining your marketing tasks

Personalization

tailoring your message for each user by, for example, including their name and providing recommendations that are just for them, based on behaviours you have recorded them taking

Why is inbound email marketing valuable?

targets specific buyers easier to personalize low-cost high-return channel generates high ROI cheap in terms of CPL and CPA Fast, effective, and measurable data/results

List growth

the growth of your subscriber list