the definitive guide to engaging email marketing

Your Speakers

#DG2EEM

Jon MillerVP Marketing and

Co-Founder@jonmiller

DJ WaldowDigital Marketing

Evangelist@djwaldow

#RevEngine #DG2EEM @jonmiller @djwaldow

Today’s Topics

• What is “Engaging Email”?• Trust: Building and

Maintaining a Quality List• Relevance: Segmentation and

Targeting• Relevance: Tips for Writing

Emails That Get Opened and Clicked

• Conversations, Not Campaigns• Trends in Email Technology:

Moving Beyond ESP


Quick Housekeeping

• Chat box is available if you have any questions

• We will be recording the webinar for future viewing

• All attendees will receive a copy of the slides/recording

• Twitter hashtag: #DG2EEM


WHAT IS ENGAGING EMAIL?


Most emailed article of the day!


In the past …


Email Marketing is NOT Dead! #DG2EEM


Email Marketing is NOT Dead! #DG2EEM

… but it sure is changing

#RevEngine #DG2EEM @jonmiller @djwaldowSource: Adbusters, 2011


Email needs to be

More Engaging!


Engaging email is trustworthy, relevant, and conversational #DG2EEM


TRUST: BUILDING AND MAINTAINING A QUALITY LIST


the secret to email marketing


TRUST


If you haven’t earned your subscribers’ trust, they won’t open or click your email #DG2EEM


• Timing• Frequency• Types of Content• Branding• From name and subject lines

TRUST comes from setting and maintaining expectations


Pros Cons

Implicit Opt-In

• Low effort• No place for a subscriber to

drop the ball• Quickly leads to a big list

• Consumer has not asked to receive email communications

• Lowest trust and engagement• May be illegal

Explicit Opt-In • Consumer explicitly requests communications

• No dropped balls

• Time delay between subscribing and first message

• Risk of spambots

Explicit Opt-In With Welcome

• Provides opportunity to engage and set expectations

• If email bounces, you know to filter out that address

• Less effort from subscriber may equal less engagement

Double Opt-In • High engagement – they really want your email

• Filters out spambots

• Subscriber may miss confirmation email = lost subscribers

• They want your email, asking again might annoy them


Maintain Your List


ALWAYS RELEVANT: SEGMENTATION AND TARGETING


More Targeted Sends are More Engaging

100 1000 10000 1000000

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

R² = 0.236284482367016

Email Delivered

Enga

gem

ent S

core

Source: Marketo research


Key to Relevance is Behavioural TargetingTactics to Increase Email Engagement


Example: Topic of Interest Triggers

• Attends event• Downloads content• Click email• Fills out form• Score is changed


Standard Nurture Triggered Interests Lift

Open % 21.7% Open % 34.0% 57%

Click to Open % 23.4% Click to Open % 37.1% 59%

Click % 5.1% Click % 12.6% 147%


EmailWebsiteSocialCampaignsTransactions


The Bottom Line: Market Like Amazon


Behavioural targeting can increase engagement by 50% or more #DG2EEM


ALWAYS RELEVANT: EMAILS THAT GET OPENED & CLICKED


another secret to email marketing


Send timely, targeted, valuable HUMAN email


NOT HUMAN

X X X


HUMAN


Send timely, targeted, valuable HUMAN email #DG2EEM


Want your emails to get opened and acted upon?OF COURSE!

Make sure it does one (or more) of these four things:1. Solve his problem2. Save her money3. Make her smarter4. Entertain him

Educate, Don’t Sell


It’s okay to use free and ALL CAPS in a subject line. Test what works best for YOUR audience! #DG2EEM


What’s the optimal length for an email

subject line?


One Oil Change, Three Oil Changes with Inspections, or a Four-Wheel Alignment (Up to 78% Off) | 10 or 20 Gym Passes (Up to 69% Off) | Salon Package with Cut, Style, and Two-Color Highlights; Shellac Manicure; or Acrylic Nails (Up to 51% Off)

An actual Groupon subject line


An actual Groupon subject line

Wine


There is no “optimal” length for an email subject line. YOUR audience determines that! #DG2EEM


CONVERSATIONS, NOT CAMPAIGNS


When it comes to email marketing, nobody wants to get blasted #DG2EEM


Hi, are you ready to buy?Hi, now are you ready to buy?Hi, how about now?Hi, you must be ready to buy?Hi again, are you ready to buy?What about now?Seriously, not ready yet?Hi, are you ready to buy?


What is an engaging conversation?• Listens and adapts• Communications

flow one to the next


Welcome! Here’s what to expectCheck out this articleHere’s a cool videoSee our latest offeringShare this with friendsHere’s what others like!Download our new bookHappy birthdayHi, are you ready to buy?More cool contentJoin us at our eventYou like X, check out YFun ways to learn moreTake this surveyYou haven’t bought yet, here’s a 10% discount


GRADUATING FROM ESP TO MARKETING AUTOMATION


Traditional ESPs are Built for Batch Email

Rely on batch lists and technical databases and complex queries

Designed to send mass emails to an entire list at once


From Dumb List to Smart Database


From Dumb List to Smart Database

I can do this myself! No trips to see IT – yay!


What about Conversations?


When it comes to email automation, flow charts don’t flow: they’re confusing, error-prone, and inflexible #DG2EEM


The power of automation


MarketingAutomation


10 Tweetable Takeaways

1. Email Marketing is NOT dead – but it sure is changing

2. Engaging email is trustworthy, relevant, and conversational

3. If you haven’t earned your subscribers’ trust, they won’t open or click your email; set and consistently maintain expectations

4. The smaller your email send, the more engaging it will be

5. Behavioural targeting can increase engagement by 50% or more

6. Send timely, targeted, valuable HUMAN email

7. It’s okay to use free and ALL CAP in a subject line. There is no optimal length. Test what works best for YOUR audience!

8. When it comes to email marketing, nobody wants to get blasted

9. Flow charts don’t flow for email: they’re confusing, error-prone, and inflexible

10. It’s time to graduate from traditional Email Service Providers to Marketing Automation

@jonmiller@djwaldow

#DG2EEM

the definitive guide to engaging email marketing

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