email preference centers
DESCRIPTION
Several trends and emerging channels are converging to make the preference center an important cornerstone of your marketing communications program:- As consumers continue to adopt social channels (think Facebook and Twitter) and SMS messaging, they want to be able to choose which types of messages they receive and in which channels. - Further, many consumers want options to reduce email frequency without unsubscribing and to update their email addresses easily. An estimated 30 percent of email addresses change annually. - Most importantly, the need to deliver the right message at the right time has never been more critical than today and has its foundation in the demographics, preferences and interests of your subscribers. If you have delayed the decision to deploy or upgrade your preference center, this Webinar presentation shows you why you can't afford to wait any longer. During the presentation, Silverpop strategist Stephen Guerra and evangelist Loren McDonald outline key approaches, examples and best practices for creating world-class preference centers.TRANSCRIPT
How to Develop World-Class
Preference Centers
Speakers and Agenda
• Stephen Guerra
– Manager-Strategy Consulting
– Silverpop
• Loren McDonald
– VP, Industry Relations
– Silverpop
• Why now?
• 3 Types of preference
centers
• Best practices and
examples
• Q & A
• Wrap-Up and Survey
Twitter Hashtag:
#SPOPWebinar
Why Now?
Why Preference Centers?
• Demographics & interests
• Up to date/changesData Capture
• “My Email”
• Better retention
Subscriber Empowerment
• Preferred frequency, lists
• Basis of personalization, segmentation
Increased Relevance
Why Now?
More Channels
Relevance / ISP
algorithms
Customer Expectations
&
Control
Centralized
Corporate
Control
Need to Reduce
Churn
No Data, No Relevance
Logical Personalization?:
• Gender• Marital status• Age ranges on signup• Wedding anniversary• Significant other’s birth date
Birth Date – A Simple Example
Deploy Post-Purchase Emails?
Type of Post-Purchase Email Percentage Deploy
Service satisfaction 50%
Product Review Request 43%
Recommendation (since you bought this, you might…) 29%
Do not deploy post purchase emails 26%
Bounceback 21%
Cross sell/Upsell 19%
Happy Birthday Promotion 17%
Reorder/Replenishment 17%
Purchase Anniversary Promotion 12%
Product Review Posted Notification 2%
No Capture – No Use
2009 Birthday Campaign Indexed Results…
The Three Types of
Preference Centers
3 Types of Preference CentersOpt-in
Opt-out
Update PreferenceCenter
Step 1
- Quick opt-in
address
- Sometimes
includes name
Step 2
- Subscriber
adds info or
not
Step 3
- Subscriber opted in
- Even if no additional infoOpt-in
Change:
- Preferences
- Email address
- Frequency
- Topics
- Publications
Opt-out / Unsubscribe
Promote subscription
change rather than full unsubscribe
CAN-SPAM compliance:
no password/login required
Best Practices
Elements to Consider
Demographics
Interests / Preferences
List / Publication
Channels
Frequency
Capture Key Personalization Data
Clean and Simple Opt-In
- Simple- Obvious
- Logical value to consumer
Single Column Layout
- Eye-tracking studies suggest single columns
are easier to read
- First/Last name, Birth date are
exceptions
Or, Maybe Not
Data Standardization
Verify Email Address
Standardization key to Data Usability
- Drop downs ensure consistent
responses
- But may be hard to use on some
mobile devices
Mobile # for
SMS
Mailing
address for
direct mail
Other Channel Options
Consistent Branding
27
Pre-check Core Email Streams
Question Expansions for Details
Strong Value Offer for Information
Brag if you can
Show Samples of Emails
Avoid Using “SUBMIT”
Convey the value, benefit
Confirm Subscription
Subscribe
Notify
Message
Promote Update in Welcome Email
Capture Additional Data via Surveys
Footers
Design of administrative footers is critical to enabling
preference / subscription updates.
Footers – Make it Obvious
Include links to all 3 main options:- Update preferences
- Change email address- Unsubscribe
Don’t Use Euphemisms
Where’s the “Unsubscribe” link?
Don’t Require Magnifying Glasses
- Use an appropriate font size- Easy to read font color
- Don’t bury key links such as “Unsubscribe” in text
Clearly Differentiate Links
Use simple, plain language –don’t use jargon
Make sure links
are not just
images
Alt tags don’t
appear in all email
clients.
Unsubscribe Preference Centers
So What are the Alternatives?
Alternatives
Frequency
Format
ChangeEmail
Profile/Preferences
Channel
OtherEmails
Typical retention
is 20-30%
Where are the Branding & Alternatives?
Good, but not perfect
Missing:
- Frequency Option
- RSS or catalog option
- Contact info.
Change Email Address
Email Frequency
What You’ll Miss…
Multiple Lists
Why Are You Unsubscribing?
Resources
• Resource Center
– White papers
– Webinars
– Blogs
– Case studies
– Newsletters
– http://www.silverpop.com/marketing-resources/index.html
• Many presentations on SlideShare
– www.slideshare.net/Silverpop
Q & A and Contact Information
• Stephen Guerra, Silverpop
– Manager-Strategy Consulting
– Twitter:
• @stephenguerra
• Loren McDonald, Silverpop
– VP, Industry Relations
– Twitter:
• @LorenMcDonald
@Silverpop
www.silverpop.com
On Twitter: @Silverpop
www.slideshare.net/silverpop
www.silverpop.com
Today’s Webinar Hashtag: #SPOPWebinar