Download - A Marketer's Guide to Behavioral Email Guide
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2 | Introduction 1 Levine, Jonathan. “You Can’t Kill Email.” TechCrunch. N.p., 28 Jan. 2016. Web. 24 Oct. 2016.2 “Email Continues to Deliver Strong ROI and Value for Marketers.” EMarketer. N.p., 12 Sept. 2016.
Let’s get to the point. Email is neither dead nor dying. In fact, according to Techcrunch, it’s just
getting started:
Email is still an integral part of the way we communicate today… it remains the infrastructure foundation for collaboration that all new communications tools eventually tie back to. Email is not dead or dying; in fact, it’s still very much alive.1
So alive, in fact, that email lives within the top 5 revenue-driving channels for most businesses.
According to eMarketer’s 2016 survey, email has an average ROI of 122%, which is 4X higher
than alternative marketing channels.2
“
“
I N T R O D U C T I O N
3 | Introduction
So yeah, email’s a big deal. It represents a major piece of the business growth pie.
The problem? There’s a few. We’ll get to them.
The consequence of those problems? It’s imminent: increased unsubscribes and the subsequent ruin of a top
revenue channel.
But, there’s hope – hope that arrives in the form of simply better emails for your best traffic.
This guide has been designed to ensure that, as Marketers, you not only understand the crucial role email
contributes to your business growth but also unlock the full potential of email with a behavioral, people-based
approach to your marketing strategy. By the end of this guide, not only will your faith in email be fully restored
but you’ll finish with a new and improved vision for your email marketing strategy that has the potential to put
your business growth in overdrive.
Part 1: Email is important. End of story. Before you heed the chatter of a forthcoming email-pocolypse, stop and consider the way email is
really used today.
Part 2: Email today. You’re destroying it. The Batch and Blast approach might be a reliable source of revenue for you today or tomorrow, but
what’s it doing for you a year from now? Hint: the truth is painful.
Part 3: Email. The Behavioral, People-Based Approach. It’s the doorbell to one’s digital universe. Treat it that way.
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5 | Part 1: Email is important. End of story.
In spite of the ever-evolving technology available to us today, email has remained a relevant piece
of our digital lives.
Let’s walk through the evidence in favor of email’s continued existence:
The significance of email
The business impact of email
The email, itself
PA R T 1 :E M A I L I S I M P O R TA N T. E N D O F S T O R Y.
6 | Part 1: Email is important > The significance of email
In today’s universe, an email address represents more than a means for communication. Just
think about everything you use your email address for:
The list is endless.
An email address is your digital ID. It’s essentially the digital equivalent of a social security number.
It’s what breathes digital existence into a physical human being. Without an email address, you can’t
have Amazon Prime deliver the groceries you need for dinner tonight; you can’t pay that bill online at
the last minute; you can’t download games on your phone or binge on the latest season of Game of
Thrones.
PA R T 1 : E M A I L I S I M P O R TA N T The significance of email
7 | Part 1: Email is important > The significance of email3 Lafrance, Adrienne. “The Triumph of Email - Why Does One of the World’s Most Reviled
Technologies Keep Winning?” The Atlantic. N.p., 5 Jan. 2016. Web. 24 Oct. 2016.4 Email Continues to Deliver Strong ROI and Value for Marketers.” EMarketer. N.p., 12 Sept. 2016.
That said, there exists some truth within those whispers of an email-pocolypse. While email as a
channel is not dying anytime soon, email as a means for personal communication is withering.
Today, around 80% of emails in an individual’s inbox are not from a person - the majority of
emails are Uber receipts, marketing newsletters, news updates, etc.3 Inboxes have transformed
into organization tools for life as opposed to a vehicles for person-to-person conversation.
Just look at the various filtration services email provides today: Gmail Tabs, auto-sorting out
spam messages, priority inbox, content filters, email lists. All of these have been created for the
purpose of extending email’s efficiency outside the personal communication channel.
In other words, email is actually more important than ever.
Why? Because today, people are using their inbox to organize their lives: shopping - there’s a tab
for that, subscriptions - there’s a tab for that, news - there’s a tab for that.
The truth is our use of email is only increasing, because the way we use it is evolving to help us better manage the everyday to-do lists in our work and personal lives.4
““
8 | Part 1: Email is important > The significance of email 5 Burstein, Daniel. “Marketing Research Chart: How Do Customers Want to Communicate?”
MarketingSherpa. N.p., 3 Feb. 2015. Web. 14 Oct. 2016.
When SuzieQ is ready to look for her new winter wardrobe, she simply clicks over to the
shopping tab and scans the subject lines until she finds one that piques her fancy. When she
sees an email from her sister in the priority inbox, on the other hand, she knows it’s important and
requires more time and attention - otherwise her sister would’ve texted her.
Most importantly, however, is the simple fact that people want your emails. According to a study
by MarketingSherpa, when asked, “ In which of the following ways, if any, would you prefer
companies to communicate with you?,” a whopping 72% of customers said they prefer email.5
By providing you with their email addresses, your website visitors are welcoming you into their
digital homes. It’s up to your business to create an engaging dialogue that transforms email into
a productive relationship with your customers.
9 | Part 1: Email is important > The business impact of email
It really begins and ends with the simple fact that an email address represents the crux of People-
Based Marketing. With the collection of a single email address, businesses establish a connection
to the human behind the mouse, the swipe, the tap. That connection becomes the skeleton key to
unlocking untapped revenue doors for your business. (*Pro Tip* For more information on People-
Based Marketing, check out the C-Suite Series: The Manual to People-Based Marketing.)
People-Based Marketing is the approach to marketing whereby a business identifies and targets
single individuals as they engage across every device, every browser, and every channel both on
and off the website. The real power of People-Based Marketing stems from the fact that it gives
businesses the ability to own their audiences.
Here’s a stat for you: Of the traffic that lands on a website, only about 5% of that traffic is identified.
PA R T 1 : E M A I L I S I M P O R TA N T The business impact of email
What does that mean? It means that 95% of the traffic that marketers pay to acquire
remains anonymous to their businesses.
And what does that mean? Once they abandon, marketers pay for them again (and
again, and again, and again) in order to bring them back.
10 | Part 1: Email is important > The business impact of email
In other words, while you might be paying to drive traffic to your website, those dollars don’t
unlock unlimited access to that traffic. So, considering that more than 75% of that new traffic will
abandon without completing a conversion, you’re wasting a lot of money.
Enter People-Based Marketing.
Because People-Based Marketing hinges on identifying your previously anonymous traffic, you’ll
leverage Behavioral Marketing to capture the email addresses of those visitors with the highest
propensity to convert at the precise moment that they are most willing to provide their email
address. Now, when greater than 75% of that traffic abandons, you won’t have to pay to drive
them back. You can simply email them in a behavioral, people-based way (we’ll get there).
While the industry average identification rate is 5%, the
identification rate for the BounceX Behavioral Marketing
CloudTM is a whopping 38%.FACT:
11 | Part 1: Email is important > The email, itself
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PA R T 1 : E M A I L I S I M P O R TA N T The email, itself
Once upon a morning, SuzieQ woke to a home screen flooded with
email notifications:
• A few from work – swiped away, would deal with them at work.
• A couple from home – swiped away, would deal with them later.
• An email from her favorite store – subject line: 50% off.
Interesting… but no time now. Swiped.
Later that evening, SuzieQ remembered that morning’s notifications,
specifically the 50% off from her favorite store, WebsiteShoe.com She
quickly journeyed to the Promotions tab of her Gmail inbox. Scanning
the subject lines before her, SuzieQ couldn’t find what she was looking
for. So, she embarked on her search via Gmail filters – typing the details
she could recall – store name, subject line details, time, and date. And
there it was – the email she’d been searching for -- accidentally archived
in her morning swipe. Finally, SuzieQ opened the email and learned
that the promotion was available only until midnight – leaving her with a
single hour to shop. So she clicked through the email, unlocked her 50%
off, and made her purchase. The end.
12 | Part 1: Email is important > The email, itself
The point of SuzieQ’s story is not merely to convey that email is important because it led SuzieQ to
conversion. The point is to highlight the various high-intent actions an individual might take when
engaging with your emails. Let’s lay them out:
Each of these actions required SuzieQ to consciously make the decision to further engage (or not to) with
her favorite store. And with each decision in that process, SuzieQ became slightly more invested in the
email and its contents.
Social Promos Work
Sister
Brother
PauLeeD
Wedding duties!
Party this weekend
Date tonight?
FROM: SUBJECT:
Social Promos Work
WebsiteShoe...
WebsiteShoe.com, 50% o�
50% O�
FROM: SUBJECT:
Social Promos Work
WebsiteShoe.com, 50% o�
FROM: WebsiteShoe.com SUBJECT: 50% O�
WebsiteShoe.com
50% O�
WebsiteShoe.com
WebsiteShoe.com
50% O�
The Inbox Scan2 The Notification Acknowledgement1 The Filter Selection3
The Email Open5The Search4 The Email Click6
Social Promos Work
Groceries.com
Shoes.com
Jackets.com
25% O�
Buy 1 Get 1
Free Shipping
FROM: SUBJECT:
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NoteSister’s Wedding Tuesday
Websiteshoe.comGet 50% o� your purchase
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13 | Part 1: Email is important > The email, itself
1. It isn’t going anywhere. In fact, it’s the foundation of the digital universe.
2. It gives you the ability to own your audience, so stop re-paying for it.
3. It is a channel unlike any other – the closest you can come to a physical connection to your digital audience.
Unlike ad real-estate, an inbox represents a medium that truly belongs to the individuals in question.
SuzieQ received the promotional email from her favorite store because she opted to receive it at the
specific address of her inbox. That is to say, email is far more valuable than any ad (or even any other
channel), because it’s owned by the individuals your business is reaching and they’ve given their explicit
consent to be marketed to.
And the emails, themselves? They’re fully owned and operated by your business. You have full control
over who receives which email at what point in time – a major contributor to the 4X ROI of email over
other marketing channels. You already own the audience, you own the medium, you just have to do the
work.
Think of obtaining an email address as the equivalent of an invitation by your customers to enter their
digital homes. Now, think of sending an email as taking them up on that invite and ringing the digital
doorbell of those same visitors. Those most interested in what you’re offering and therefore most likely
to complete a conversion will open their doors to you – they’ll open your emails. And those who click
through your emails – well that’s about as close as you can get to a handshake in the digital realm.
14 |
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Considering email’s status as the top performing marketing channel when it comes to ROI, you’d
expect businesses to take full advantage of its capabilities. They’re not. Most businesses are barely
moving the needle when it comes to their email marketing strategies. In fact, many are driving their
email channels into the ground. This section will walk you through how businesses rely on email
and the consequences of those strategies.
Today, email marketing is used primarily for retention – as a means of re-engaging former
customers. In order to re-engage those customers, Marketers rely heavily on the “Batch and Blast”
approach. They send everyone on their email lists what is basically the same email. It’s easy to
do and it’s easy to do often. On the surface, this blanket approach to email marketing has been
working - email is a top revenue channel, after all.
Here’s the reality of the situation: The “batch and blast approach” is increasing your unsubscribe
rates. It’s driving your list attrition. It’s killing your business growth.
PA R T 2 :E M A I L T O D AY. Y O U ’ R E D E S T R O Y I N G I T.
Part 2: Email today. You’re destroying it.
16 | 6 Ryan Phelan, VP of Marketing Insights at Adestra. BounceX Webinar: “Clicks & Opens Don’t Matter:
Analyzing Email Behavior and Finding the Right Metrics for Success” Part 2: Email today. You’re destroying it.
The lack of sophistication drives higher reliance on discount to drive performance. Over time, you end up eroding your margin, because you have to drive a higher or more creative promotional structure to get the person to engage.6
““
Vice President of Marketing Insights at Adestra, Ryan Phelan, describes one of the major
consequences of today’s email marketing approach, as it applies to eCommerce:
That is to say, in the world of eCommerce, because you’re sending the same emails to everyone
on your email list, regardless of their expressed interest or past behaviors, you’re forced to create
something more compelling that will pique their interest. Most often, this solution takes the form of
a one-size fits all discount, aka The Destroyer of Business Growth.
This lack of sophistication doesn’t begin and end with eCommerce. It permeates almost all verticals
and industries.
Think about it this way. By blasting marketing emails to everyone on your list, not only do you have
to make the email more appealing to those not interested by including a can’t-be-beat incentive,
but you have to simultaneously ensure that your audience is opening your emails in the first place.
How do you do that? You send a lot of emails. You send a lot of emails with the hope that at some
point during that week, one of the emails will be relevant to someone.
17 | Part 2: Email today. You’re destroying it.
So let’s recap how you’re currently wasting money:
You’re sending the same email to the same people.
You’re sending the same email to the same people.
You’re sending the same email to the same people all the time.
You’re using email in a throttle-like fashion.
Need a few more sales? Let’s throttle our email sends and send out another one. More emails will
drive more traffic which will, in turn, drive more sales.
Right?
It’s not quite that simple.
The consequence of continually throttling those email sends -- it’s called List Fatigue: the people on
your email list feel as though they’re getting spammed with emails that aren’t relevant to them.
So, what do they do?
Best case: They unsubscribe.
Worst case: Your emails get marked as spam.
18 |
For some, a few unsubscribes are worth the revenue driven by more emails. But it’s not merely a few
unsubscribes here and there. Let’s take a look at how a few unsubscribes translates to your email list
over time, using an average email acquisition rate of 1% and Silverpop’s average unsubscribe rate for
email across all industries - roughly 0.13%.
After sending 365 emails (time being an arbitrary metric here), your email list will drop by 21%. In
other words, the bedrock of your business (your customer-base) diminishes by 1/5th the size - leaving
you with no direct way to reach out to those individuals again.
Part 2: Email today. You’re destroying it.
19 |
If we take this one step further and attribute a value per subscriber, let’s say $0.75 per subscriber, the overall
value of your email list diminishes by approximately $160,000.
Part 2: Email today. You’re destroying it.
All this to say, a few unsubscribes here and there can do some serious damage, destroying email as a top
revenue channel for your business.
20 |
How long until your business crumbles with it?
Your only recourse is to acquire new customers through paid media.
So, those problems I referred to in the introduction? These are it.
Businesses are sabotaging their email lists. They’re slowly but surely eradicating email as a major revenue
driver, ravaging the highest ROI channel currently at their fingertips.
How do you outpace this decline? It’s pretty simple. Get a smarter email marketing strategy - aka the
Behavioral People-Based Approach to email.
Part 2: Email today. You’re destroying it.
21 | Introduction
1
2
22 |
Thus far we’ve learned not only that email is important, driving 4X the ROI of other marketing channels, but
also that businesses are currently destroying email as a revenue channel.
So, the question we should all be asking ourselves is as follows: How do we revitalize email as a driving
channel for business growth and expand our email marketing strategy, so it realizes its full potential?
The answer lives in the key steps below:
1. Unlock People-Based Marketing - Grow your email list
2. Send Behavioral Emails - Make ‘em talk
3. It’s not just about Behavioral Email, though - It’s about the people
PA R T 3 :E M A I L . T H E B E H AV I O R A L , P E O P L E- B A S E D A P P R O A C H .
Part 3: Email. The Behavioral, People-Based Approach
23 |
Think back to Part 1, where we discussed all the reasons why email continues to be hugely
important. One of the primary reasons is People-Based Marketing: the approach to marketing
whereby a business identifies and targets single individuals as they engage across every device,
every browser, and every channel both on and off the website.
Capturing a single email address can accomplish a lot for your business:
Most importantly, however, by continually growing your email list and your customer base, you’ll
be able to outpace that menacing unsubscribe rate and grow your business. It all boils down to
creating a strategy segmented toward targeting the right individuals at the right moment with
the right message. We’ll break that down a bit.
• It establishes a direct connection between your business and the individual in question.
• It allows you to reach that individual regardless of where or how they’re browsing.
• It empowers you to own your audience (which you’ve likely paid for) and to continue to
reach that audience at no additional cost to you.
Part 3: Email. The Behavioral, People-Based Approach > 1. Unlock People-Based Marketing - Grow your email list
PA R T 3 : E M A I L . T H E B E H AV I O R A L , P E O P L E- B A S E D A P P R O A C H1. Unlock People-Based Marketing - Grow your email list
24 |
Finding the right individuals
Growing your email list is not merely about capturing as many
email addresses as possible. It’s about achieving the highest
returns on your email program by capturing the right email
addresses -- the email addresses from those prospects most
valuable to your business, or your Digital Goldmine.
Let’s walk through how to identify your Digital Goldmine by
focusing on the various views of the conversions funnel:
• The Myopic View
• The Very Low to Low Intent View
• The Medium to Very High Intent View
We’ll start with your Myopic Funnel -- the crude view of your
website’s conversion funnel -- assuming your average website
has 10 million monthly unique visits. Currently, you’re treating
the majority of those visitors, if not all of them, exactly the
same when they arrive on your site (similar to the “batch and
blast” email strategy), regardless of how deep into the funnel
they journey, regardless of what kind of visitor they are, and
regardless of what their conversion potential might be.
Part 3: Email. The Behavioral, People-Based Approach > 1. Unlock People-Based Marketing - Grow your email list
25 | Part 3: Email. The Behavioral, People-Based Approach > 1. Unlock People-Based Marketing - Grow your email list
Knowing that a Digital Goldmine exists on your website, let’s take another look at the conversion
funnel for that same average website, this time keeping in mind that we’re living in the new era of
visibility. With actionable data available to us and our conversion goals in mind, let’s split our traffic up
based on the actions they took while on-site.
We’ll begin at the top of the funnel:
The Very Low to Low Intent TrafficThose visitors who typically spend less than 2 minutes on your
website—both the hard bounces and those users who are simply not
interested in what you’re offering.
• What you’re doing right now: Wasting money. You’re wasting
money on the visitors who have already told you that they are
not interested in what you’re offering.
• How you’re wasting money: You’re paying to retarget them
after they abandon; you might be paying for optimized landing
pages, paid ad spend or SEO.
• What you should be doing: Let them go. LET THEM GO. Focus
your attention and money toward the traffic that is actually
interested in your product(s)—the traffic that actually has
conversion potential.
26 | Part 3: Email. The Behavioral, People-Based Approach > 1. Unlock People-Based Marketing - Grow your email list
The Medium to Very High Intent TrafficThose visitors who are clearly interested in your product but are
simply not ready to complete a conversion.
• What you’re doing now: Not enough. You’re letting these
visitors abandon your website with no effort spent toward
convincing them to continue their journey toward conversion
and no way of continuing a conversation with them once they
leave.
• What you should be doing: You know that old saying, “You gotta
spend money to make money”? Well, it’s true. Even more true:
You gotta spend money in the right places and on the right
people to make money. In other words, focus your attention and
money toward that medium-high intent traffic on your website—
your Digital Goldmine.
The Digital Goldmine represents the engaged cohort of
your website traffic that is clearly interested in what your
website is offering based on the actions they choose to
take on your website. These behavioral cohorts and their
displayed intent will differ across every vertical, industry,
and even website based on the key performance indicators
the business is looking to achieve.
THE DIGITAL GOLDMINE
(a definition)
27 |
Finding the Right Moment & the Right Message
These final two pieces of the email list growth equation really work hand in hand, as creating the right
message is dependent upon the moment targeted.
Today, as you browse and shop the internet, you’ll come across various email capture tactics: the persistent
footer, the discount exchange, the entrance gate - there’s all sorts. For many marketers, particularly in
eCommerce, the automatic solution is to simply offer a discount or incentive to every “new” visitor as soon
as they arrive onsite. This way, the business captures the email address and the individual is incentivized to
convert.
There are a few problems with this method:
1. New visitors are in discovery mode. They’re not yet acquainted with your brand
and your entrance overlay has disrupted their discovery experience. They’re not
ready to give you their email address, even in exchange for a discount, because they
haven’t yet determined if they like what you’re offering.
2. You’re giving away free money. You’re handing out discounts to individuals who
may submit their email address or even convert without them. More importantly,
you’re kicking off your new relationship with a discount-first mindset.
Part 3: Email. The Behavioral, People-Based Approach > 1. Unlock People-Based Marketing - Grow your email list
28 |
The solution to these problems lies in the segmentation of experiences within the Digital Goldmine you’ve
now identified. Since you’ve unlocked the ability to track visitor engagement and intent at various stages
of the conversion funnel, you don’t have to simply ask for an email address on entrance or on exit. You can
target the precise moment that a visitor will be most likely submit their email address while simultaneously
encouraging that individual to take the next most profitable action for your business. And that, my friends,
is Behavioral Marketing. (*Pro Tip* For more information on Behavioral Marketing, check out the C-Suite
Series: The Blueprint to Behavioral Marketing.)
Think about why an individual submits their email address for marketing emails in the first place. For many,
it’s incentives; for some, it’s interesting content; for others, it’s product curiosity. Ultimately, every individual
is looking for value - regardless of what form that value takes.
Start by identifying any points of conversion friction, or any moment an individual hesitates while browsing
your website. Then address those friction points with relevant messaging that resonates with the specific
visitor targeted. These experiences will differ across every vertical, industry and website. If you’re targeting
correctly, you already know the visitors are interested in what you’re offering. It’s up to you to use the email
capture experience to nurture that interest.
Let’s take a look at a few examples across different verticals with behavioral email list growth in play.
Part 3: Email. The Behavioral, People-Based Approach > 1. Unlock People-Based Marketing - Grow your email list
29 | Part 3: Email. The Behavioral, People-Based Approach > 1. Unlock People-Based Marketing - Grow your email list
Behavioral List Growth for eCommerce
SuzieQ, a new prospect shopping on WebsiteBoot.com, has built up her conversion momentum. She
navigated to her category of interest, leather boots, and made it to a specific product page. She’s even
toggled through the product images. She’s now ready to make the next step. However, when she clicks to
select her shoe size, it turns out her size is out of stock.
Let’s take a look at her experience.
In this case, WebsiteShoe.com uses the friction point to capture SuzieQ’s email address with messaging that
rings relevant to her. She’s taken the time to find a pair of boots she’s interested in, so WebsiteBoot.com
capitalizes on that interest by offering to let her know when her size becomes available. Keep in mind, no
additional incentive is required to nurture her interest -- just the simple capture of an email address at the
precise moment that is most valuable to her.
SuzieQ is interested1 SuzieQ is ready to buy2 SuzieQ is disappointed3 SuzieQ is on the email list4RETAILSTORE
WebsiteShoe.com
Winter Boot
2 4 6 8SIZE:
BUY NOW
WebsiteShoe.com
Winter Boot
2 4 6 8SIZE:
BUY NOW
OUT OF STOCK
WebsiteShoe.com
We'll notify you as soonas size 7 is back in stock
NOTIFY ME
30 | Part 3: Email. The Behavioral, People-Based Approach > 1. Unlock People-Based Marketing - Grow your email list
Behavioral List Growth for Publishers
SuzieQ recently began reading articles on Articles.com, but she has yet to sign up for a paid subscription.
Today’s she’s on her 8th article from the Arts & Culture section over the course of multiple days. Articles.com
wants to ensure she continues to return by adding her to their email list.
Let’s take a look at her experience.
Articles.com makes email a value-add for SuzieQ by building on her interest in the Arts & Culture articles.
Now, instead of navigating to Articles.com every day, she’ll have a list of headlines delivered directly to her
inbox. In this case, Articles.com captures SuzieQ’s email address with relevant messaging, acknowledging
her interest in their content, while simultaneously growing her loyalty in their brand in hopes of ultimately
making her a subscriber.
SuzieQ is reading1 SuzieQ is leaving2 SuzieQ is interested3 SuzieQ is on the email list4RETAILSTORE
ARTS&CULTURE
Artsandculture.com
The End.
Artsandculture.com
BUY NOW
Get yourArts&Cultures headlinesdelivered to your inbox.
SEND 'EM TO ME
Artsandculture.com
BUY NOW
Look out for your
Arts&Culturesheadlines every morning.
CONTINUE READING
31 | Part 3: Email. The Behavioral, People-Based Approach > 1. Unlock People-Based Marketing - Grow your email list
Behavioral List Growth for B2B
SuzieQ visited Software.com in hopes of understanding whether their product was the right fit for her
company. She watched the full demo video on the homepage in order to gauge her interest.
Let’s take a look at her experience.
Realizing their software is a long-term investment and requires time and consideration to purchase,
Software.com wanted to ensure they add SuzieQ to their email list before she abandons to research their
competitors. Clearly SuzieQ is interested, since she watched the full 4 minute video. Software.com takes the
opportunity to nurture that interest via an email capture once she reaches the end of the video - opening up
a new channel for communication as they begin the nurturing process of a longer sales cycle.
SuzieQ is interested1 SuzieQ is watching demo2 SuzieQ is intrigued3 SuzieQ is on the email list4RETAILSTORE
ARTS&CULTURE
Software.com
SOFTWARE.COM
Software.com
Interested in learninghow Software.com will
help your business?
YES NO
Software.com
We'll send you our blueprint.
SEND IT OVER
32 |
Each of the previous scenarios, regardless of industry or vertical, capitalize on SuzieQ’s digital body-
language to capture her email address. With the behavioral approach to email list growth, businesses
establish connections to each individual that hinge on the individual’s propensity to become a customer.
By pinpointing the moments of conversion friction, businesses alleviate resistance and encourage visitors
further into the conversion journey - even if that means continuing the conversation off-site. It’s People-
Based Marketing. (*Pro Tip* For more information on People-Based Marketing, check out the C-Suite Series:
The Manual to People-Based Marketing.)
Most importantly, with the behavioral approach, businesses will not only grow their email lists in order to
outpace unsubscribe rates but they’ll increase the ROI of their email programs by targeting prospects with
the highest propensity to convert - lowering list attrition in the process.
Part 3: Email. The Behavioral, People-Based Approach > 1. Unlock People-Based Marketing - Grow your email list
33 |
In Part 2, we discussed the consequences of the Batch and Blast approach to email. Some of you might
think you’re in the clear, though. You’ve installed triggered or real-time emails, after all. But I’m here to tell
you that it’s not enough.
Why? A few reasons:
1. You simply don’t have the reach. As discussed in Part 1, today the industry average for identification is
roughly 5%. With the Behavioral People-Based Approach to email list growth, however, you’ll lift that
identification rate to 38%.
2. You’re still primarily relying on the Batch and Blast approach. If it wasn’t clear in Part 2, it’s time for a
change.
3. Don’t confuse triggered transactional emails and triggered marketing emails. Triggered transactional
emails include order and shipping confirmation, subscription confirmation, forgot password. Triggered
marketing emails include, but shouldn’t be limited to, your welcome series and cart abandonment
emails.
Now that you’ve unlocked the key to growing your email list and expanding your reach, it’s up to your
business to make that list a healthy, sustainable, and ROI-driving one by sending better, behavioral emails.
Part 3: Email. The Behavioral, People-Based Approach > 2. Send behavior-based emails - Make ‘em talk
PA R T 3 : E M A I L . T H E B E H AV I O R A L , P E O P L E- B A S E D A P P R O A C H2. Send behavior-based emails - Make ‘em talk
34 | Part 3: Email. The Behavioral, People-Based Approach > 2. Send behavior-based emails - Make ‘em talk
Today, your triggered email programs are limited to very specific actions, most often email sign-up confirmation
and cart abandonment. With your increased identification and email capture rates, however, this limited
approach is unacceptable -- especially considering the power of an email address.
The Power of an Email Address
Think of the story your Social Security Number tells. It follows you throughout your life - banks, taxes, driver’s
licenses, credit cards, residences. If someone were to spend time reading and analyzing all that information -
they’d likely be able to piece together a decent understanding of your life.
An email address can paint an equally impactful picture of the relationship between individual consumers and
your business.
How’s that? It’s actually pretty simple. Once you’ve captured a single email address, you’ve tapped into the
ability to associate the actions an individual takes when engaging with your business to that single identifier.
Over time, you’ll build entire behavioral profiles dedicated to specific consumers and grounded in their specific
email addresses. Each profile becomes a representation of how an individual interacts with your business, their
digital body-language -- the actions they took on your website and their method of engagement with your emails
and ads (opens, clicks, click-throughs, conversions).
In other words, you’ll have a treasure trove of behavioral triggers at your fingertips.
What can you do with your newly discovered treasure? Why send Behavioral Emails, of course.
35 | Part 3: Email. The Behavioral, People-Based Approach > 2. Send behavior-based emails - Make ‘em talk
The Power of Behavioral Email
Think about the in store experience. The best sales associates are those that don’t simply ask to help you -
they’re the ones who guide you through the purchase process, nurturing your interest along the way.
Let’s take a look at SuzieQ’s brick and mortar shopping experience.
In this scenario, the sales associate reacts to SuzieQ’s body-language -- he saw her browsing at tops and
encouraged her to try it on and ultimately purchase. The sales associate essentially becomes a living and
breathing piece of the brick and mortar store, bringing life to and creating relationships within its walls and
driving purchases as a result.
STORE
Try it on! Buy it!STORE
SuzieQ is Shopping1 SuzieQ is Browsing2 SuzieQ is Interested3
Sales Associate Arrives4 Sales Associate Helps5 SuzieQ Purchased6
36 |
Email has the ability to play a similar role to that of the sales associate. As an off-site extension of your
business, email should communicate on your business’ behalf, continuing the conversations that began on
your website.
With this in mind, email shouldn’t be limited to your retention strategy. Considering prospects typically
require up to 9 sessions to make a first conversion, email becomes your means of convincing those
individuals to return. It should be a dialogue between your business and the single individual and based on
the behavioral profile in question.
The conversations don’t begin and end with a sign-up confirmation or cart abandonment email. In fact, 75%
of visitors who arrive at a product page will abandon without adding items to cart, without downloading
content, or without registering for a demo. These are visitors who have exhibited clear conversion intent;
currently, however, these high-value visitors are lost along with their conversion momentum once they
abandon your website.
With the behavioral approach to email, you’ll continue building that conversion momentum even after
these visitors abandon. Based on the behavioral profiles People-Based Marketing has unlocked for your
business, you’ll be able do more than send your valuable traffic a couple of triggered emails here and there.
You’ll build a relationship with them.
Let’s take a look at a few examples across various industries.
Part 3: Email. The Behavioral, People-Based Approach > 2. Send behavior-based emails - Make ‘em talk
37 |
Behavioral Email for B2B/Lead Generation
Part 3: Email. The Behavioral, People-Based Approach > 2. Send behavior-based emails - Make ‘em talk
After she abandoned, Software.com sent
SuzieQ an email that was relevant to her.
Because she downloaded the initial Facebook
Advertising Guide, Software.com capitalized
on that interest by sending an email that
showcased more in-depth and industry-
focused guides on that same subject.
To download the Facebook Advertising Guide
and all future content, SuzieQ is directed
to return to Software.com to complete the
transaction and receive the content. With
behavioral email, Software.com can continue
to nurture their relationship with SuzieQ and
keep her returning to their website until she’s
ready to invest in what they’re offering.
W Since You're Interested in Facebook Advertising
Get Successful WithFacebook Advertising
e-Commerce
b2b
Travel
SuzieQ's Email From Software.com
SuzieQ visited Software.com to learn more about their product offerings. Before leaving, she
downloaded a guide on Facebook Advertising, suggesting an interest in Software.com’s advertising tool.
38 | Part 3: Email. The Behavioral, People-Based Approach > 2. Send behavior-based emails - Make ‘em talk
Behavioral Email for Publishers
Following her abandonment, she received an
email from Articles.com reminding her that her
subscription was pending and what she’d miss
out on by not suscribing.
Based on SuzieQ’s behavioral profile,
Articles.com can identify the types of content
she’s most interested in. By including her
favorite categories in the email, Articles.com
takes the idea of subscription abandonment
one step further—approaching SuzieQ as an
individual with unique interests, as opposed to
part of a group of subscription abandoners.
Contrary to the “Batch and Blast” approach and even the simple triggered emails we see today, Behavioral Email
allows you to target your Digital Goldmine with emails that are tailored to the experiences they began on your
website. It’s no longer simply about sending real-time emails. Like our strategy for growing your email list, it’s
about sending the right email, at the right moment, to the right person; it’s about creating real relevancy for your
valuable traffic.
W Your Subscription Is Pending...
Articles.com
UNLOCK EXCLUSIVE ARTICLES FORYOUR FAVORITE CATEGORIES:
MARKETING NEWSWORLD NEWS
LIFESTYLES & CULTURE
COMPLETE MY SUBSCRIPTION
SuzieQ's Email From Articles.com
SuzieQ decided that it’s time to invest in a subscription with her favorite publisher, Articles.com.
However, once she began the subscription flow, she hesitated because of the price, and abandoned
the website.
39 | Part 3: Email. The Behavioral, People-Based Approach > 2. Send behavior-based emails - Make ‘em talk
THE BUSINESS-REWARDING IMPACT OF BEHAVIORAL EMAIL:So, the impending destruction of email we discussed earlier -- it’s no longer of major concern. With a behavioral
approach to your email marketing strategy, you’ll accomplish 2 major feats:
#1: A more engaged subscriber list since you’re growing your list with the prospects from your Digital Goldmine
#2: A more engaging email strategy since you’re sending relevant emails to your most valuable traffic
Let’s take another look at your email list over time with a Behavioral Email strategy in play and therefore
assuming higher email engagement and lower unsubscribe rates (0.091%).
40 | Part 3: Email. The Behavioral, People-Based Approach > 2. Send behavior-based emails - Make ‘em talk
Now, after 365 behavioral email sends to the traffic with the highest propensity to complete a conversion,
you’ll see a 50% increase in the overall size of your email list. Not only are you growing your email list with
your most valuable traffic, but you’re sending behavior-based emails that resonate to those people who
are most interested in what you’re offering - unsubscribe rates and list fatigue will no longer be points of
concern.
Most importantly, since you’re targeting your most valuable traffic with valuable email experiences, the value
of an email address for your business will increase. Assuming that value increases by 15%, now at $0.86 per
subscriber, the value of your overall email list will skyrocket by 50% (in this case, $433,661).
41 |
A Behavioral Email strategy will have revenue - driving impact on your business. No questions
asked. But the conversations with your valuable traffic shouldn’t begin and end with email. It
should begin and end with the people in question - regardless of which device, which channel,
which browser they might be browsing on. Think People-Based Marketing.
People-Based Marketing is a function of Behavioral Marketing that hinges on the notion of
“connections” between your business and the individual consumers engaging with it. Today,
our marketing strategies and teams each focus on the specific channels an individual may
be browsing in a particular moment - Facebook, email, Google. But it’s not about that single
moment or two an individual spends on Facebook or in her inbox. It’s about the full experience
she receives across all those moments, and how those moments build consistency and relevancy
between that individual consumer and their relationship with your business.
In the multi-device and multi-channel world we’re living in today, it’s too big a risk to look at your
marketing campaigns in a single dimension. You have to look at them through the lens of the
least common denominator - the person, the individual engaging with your business across all
channels, devices and browsers. An email address allows you to do just that. The identifier
functions as a GPS, allowing you to target a single consumer across all channels, even after
they’ve abandoned your site.
Part 3: Email. The Behavioral, People-Based Approach > 3. It’s not just about Behavioral Email - It’s about the people
PA R T 3 : E M A I L . T H E B E H AV I O R A L , P E O P L E- B A S E D A P P R O A C H3. It’s not just about Behavioral Email - It’s about the people
42 | Part 3: Email. The Behavioral, People-Based Approach > 3. It’s not just about Behavioral Email - It’s about the people
Let’s take a look at SuzieQ’s multi-channel shopping experience with the People-Based approach in play:
With People-Based Marketing, you’ll create ongoing conversations with each individual across every
device, every browser and every channel both on and off your website. Your marketing approach
becomes seamless, every channel working together toward guiding consumers through the customer
journey, ultimately enhancing your conversion goals. (*Pro Tip* For more information on People-Based
Marketing, check out the C-Suite Series: The Manual to People-Based Marketing.)
And just to bring it all full circle - what powers People-Based Marketing? The almighty email address.
1. The business identified SuzieQ when she submitted her email on-site.
2. After SuzieQ abandoned the website, it emailed her to let her know she’d left items in her cart.
3. The business tracked that SuzieQ did not open the email.
4. It identified SuzieQ on Facebook and showed her an ad with the items she’d left behind and a stronger discount.
5. It tracked that SuzieQ clicked through the ad but still did not complete the conversion.
6. It sent another email to SuzieQ, reiterating the discount and adding urgency with an expiration date.
7. It tracked that SuzieQ clicked through the email, it let her know that her items were waiting for her when she returned to the website, and replenished her cart with the items she’d left behind, echoing the promotion that drove her to the next level in the conversion funnel.
Opened Email Gmail
BehavioralMarketing.com
Ad
43 | BounceX Behavioral Marketing Cloud™
B O U N C E X ’ S B E H AV I O R A L M A R K E T I N G C L O U D ™
Top 5 Marketing Channel: BounceX is a new, top 5 marketing channel. We exist right up there with
Facebook and Google as a core infrastructure to marketing execution by amplifying the marketing
investments you’ve already made and ultimately enhancing your business’ bottom line.
Behavioral Marketing Cloud™: BounceX has solved the most prominent digital pain points across
all industries and designed a behavioral software, the Behavioral Marketing Cloud™, dedicated to
addressing each of those pain points both on and off your website.
White Glove Service: Our world-class design studio, cutting-edge developer team, and expert
conversion scientists combine talents from many practices to move the needle for your business.
Our campaigns never stop learning, and you never have to lift a finger.
People-Based Marketing: With the BounceX ID engine, we work to identify and profile your
anonymous visitors regardless of where they might be browsing or which device they might be
browsing on.
• The industry average for a People-Based identification rate is roughly 5%.
• The BounceX average for a People-Based identification rate is 38%.
WHY BOUNCEX?
44 |
Behavioral Email: Identifies previously anonymous website traffic, unlocking People-Based
Marketing channels and triggering high-impact emails, customized to an individual’s behavior.
BounceX Behavioral Marketing Cloud™
Behavioral ID Engine: Identifies and profiles anonymous website visitors to unlock previously
impossible targeting opportunities both on and off your website.
Behavioral CMS: Increases the revenue per session for your current traffic by adapting your
website to real-time digital body language displayed by your traffic.
Behavioral Audiences: Revolutionizes your acquisition and retargeting strategy by extending the
information gleaned via the Behavioral ID Engine (both on-site and email behavioral data) across
the Internet.
Behavioral Ads: Enhances the ad experience to drive greater on-site engagement for publishers
and maximum performance for advertisers by determining the best and highest-yielding moment
to engage each visitor with a relevant ad.
BOUNCEX BEHAVIORAL MARKETING CLOUD™
Click here to apply for a behavioral audit today.
45 | About This Guide
WRITTEN BY:
Ryan Urban CEO, BounceX CONTRIBUTORS: Mili Mehta
Lead Writer, BounceX
Steve Dong Product Manager, BounceX
Maricor Resente VP of Marketing, BounceX
Julia Spano Senior Director of Marketing Partnerships, BounceX
Bentzi Rubin Conversion Sciences Manager, BounceX DESIGNED BY:
Rishi Arora Senior Graphic Designer, BounceX Bill Harkins Senior Graphic Designer, BounceX
Erica Mahoney Senior Graphic Designer, BounceX
Contact BounceX: Enterprise Sales: [email protected]
Careers: [email protected]
Press Inquiries: [email protected]
By Phone: (212) 292—3162
About BounceX: BounceX’s Behavioral Marketing Cloud™ de-anonymizes website visitors, enabling
organizations to unlock people-based marketing experiences. For the first time, online
businesses are able to target previously unidentifiable opportunities both on and off
their website. BounceX software is trusted by global enterprises such as Lufthansa,
Sears, Uniqlo, Hearst Properties and Comcast.
Learn more at www.bouncex.com
A B O U T T H I S G U I D EA Marketer’s Guide to Behavioral Email
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