executing an e-mail campaign terry miller, cio sam houston area council boy scouts of america
TRANSCRIPT
Executing an E-Mail Campaign
Terry Miller, CIO
Sam Houston Area Council
Boy Scouts of America
Agenda
• Glossary of Terms
• Why Use E-Mail Campaigns?
• Content-Writing Rules
• Customization
• Business Process Integration
Glossary of Terms
landing page – Destination page of links in the e-mail
click-through rate (CTR) – Percentage of e-mail recipients who “click” a link in the e-mail
conversion rate – Percentage of e-mail recipients who perform the target action or behavior
impressions per thousand (CPM) – Online advertisers purchase banner advertising in CPM for ads placed on Web sites.
Why Use E-Mail?
E-mail is
• 60 to 65 percent more cost-effective
than direct mail (Yankee Group).
• Easier to customize for target
audiences.
• Easier to track effectiveness over
other methods.
Why Use E-Mail? E-Mail vs. Other Online Media
Media Assumption Cost per Conversion
Web Banners1% click-through and 1% conversion (0.01% net conversion) at $10 CPM
$100
Direct Mail1% response rate at $0.40 cost per piece
$40
10% click-through and 10% conversion (1% net conversion) at a cost of $0.20 per message
$20
Source: IMT Strategies
Why Use E-Mail?
Approximately 82 million American adults use the Internet on a given day.
% reporting having done the same activity “yesterday”
Date of survey
Use the Internet 60 Feb-Mar ’05
Send E-Mail 52 Feb-Mar ’05
Get News 30 Feb-Mar ’05
Use Search Engine 30 May-Jun ’04
Surf the Internet for Fun 21 Nov ’04
Do Research for Work 19 Feb-Mar ’05
Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project
Average Daily Internet Activities
Is E-Mail Appropriate for Your Message?
• Who is your target audience?
• Do they have e-mail access? (What
percentage?)
• What action or behavior do
you want to inspire?
• What is your budget?
Budget
TargetAccess
Action
What Are the Demographics of Your Target Audience?
• Special interest groups?
• Household consumers?
• Executives?
• Women?
• High school students?
• Children under 13?
Budget
TargetAccess
Action
Content-Writing Rules
• Keep it short and sweet.
• Personalize your message.
• Use HTML.
• Write “spam free” content.
• Graphics must have purpose and must
relate to content.
Source: www.marketingpower.com and Terry Miller
Keep It Short and Sweet
• Develop an appropriate subject line.
• Use active instead of passive voice.
• Use short and meaningful sentences.
• Limit text to an average of 100 words,
two sentences per paragraph.
• Avoid clichés and idiomatic speech.
• Avoid “graphic dependent” content.
Source: www.ewriteonline.com and Terry Miller
Personalize Your Message
• Use the recipient’s first and last
names in the body.
• Use language and graphics
appropriate to the audience.
• Solicit actions appropriate for the
audience.
Source: www.spurdigital.com and Terry Miller
“Spam Free” Content Amazing stuff
As seen on national TV!
Attempts to disguise mundane words used in porn
Attempts to disguise porn words
Attempts to disguise the word “viagra”
Be your own boss
Character set indicates a foreign language
Claims compliance with spam regulations
Claims to honor removal requests
Claims you registered with a partner
Claims you wanted this ad
Click to be removed
Compete for your business
Source: http://spamassassin.apache.org/tests.html
Sample E-Mails
Sample E-Mails
Sample E-Mails
Sample E-Mails
Customization
• Several e-mail marketing tools offer
customization:−www.constantcontact.com−www.exacttarget.com−www.cooleremail.com−www.pubpoint.com
Integrate With Business Processes
• Adhere to Can Spam Act (unsolicited e-mails).
• Align with other campaigns and channels (TV, radio, newspaper, magazine, affiliate advertising, online advertising, etc.).
• Measure ROI (cost per lead, per click-through, per conversion).
• Business follow-through processes connected to action.
• Study effectiveness, modify, and re-execute.
Summary
• E-mail campaigns are cost-effective and easy to measure.
• Adhere to best practices for content writing.
• Use tools that offer capabilities to manage campaigns.
• Integrate campaigns with business processes.
• Send feedback to [email protected].
More Information
• White papers:−www.marketingpower.com−www.ewriteonline.com−www.spurdigital.com
More Information
• Articles:−Database Hygiene:
• http://www.towerdata.com/company/news/ database_hygiene-agency.com.pdf
−How to Avoid Common E-Mail Delivery Problems:• http://chiefmarketer.com/crm_loop/custom/
delivery-problems-112305/
More Information
• Courses:−U of H – Marketing Certificate
Shirley Sheridan, phone 713-743-1190, fax 713-743-1203, or e-mail [email protected]
−Spur Digital Web Marketing 101 Course – www.spurdigital.com
More Information
• Tools: −www.pubpoint.com−www.constantcontact.com−www.exacttarget.com−www.cooleremail.com
More Information
• Consultants: −www.spurdigital.com
More Information
• Organizations: −Houston Interactive Marketing
Association.Contact Will Rhodes – [email protected].
−American Marketing AssociationHouston Chapter http://houston.marketingpower.com