the strategic formula for email conversion success

The Strategic Formula for Email Conversion Success Jon Powell Sr. Manager, Executive Research & Development @jonpowell31

h"p://www.emarketer.com/Ar1cle/Email-‐CTRs-‐Nothing-‐New-‐S1ll-‐Problem/1012490/9

“Email CTRs dropped from 6.0% in 2013 to 4.3% in 2014—the lowest average since at least 2009.”

Marke&ngSherpa conducted a na&onal survey among 2,057 adults (aged 18 and over) on a@tudes

towards Email Marke&ng.

4

91% of adults polled like receiving promo.onal emails. 72% of adults polled prefer for companies to communicate with them via email over postal mail,

television ads, print media, text messages, social media, in-‐person, phone call, online ads/videos or mobile apps.

Marke&ngSherpa conducted a na&onal survey between Jan 21st and 23rd, 2015 among 2,057 adults (aged 18 and over) on a@tudes towards Email Marke&ng.

From This To This

Designing for Mobile InteresMng Experiments

Version A

Vs. Version B

54% In Clicks

Version A Version B Vs.

13% In Clicks

Using InteresMng Imagery InteresMng Experiments

Version A Vs.

Version B

30% In Clicks

Version A

Vs. Version B

52.5% In Clicks

Using Preheaders InteresMng Experiments

Version A Version B

Without preheaders With preheaders Vs.

104% In Clicks

12% In Clicks

Why is it that these emerging strategies are working in some

cases but not in others?

What really separates the strategies that work from those that don’t?

How can I know if what I’m trying in email will help me get more clicks and not less?

Science-‐based Op2miza2on Ins2tute Conducts both primary and secondary media and messaging research and strategy from actual behavioral tests with real customer data. 20 years of ac2ve research, including over: •  20,000 sale path experiments •  1 billion tested emails •  500,000 execu2ve interviews •  2,200 brand-‐side case studies


People make the same type of judgments in the digital

experience as they do in the physical experience.


It’s not about the change in the email; it’s about the change in

the mind.

So what can we target in the mind of the customer to trigger a change of behavior (i.e an

increase in clicks)?

The Strategic Formula for Email Success

eme = rv(of + i) – (f + a) © eme = email messaging effec8veness index rv = Relevance to the consumer of = Immediate offer force i = Incen1ve to take ac1on f = Fric1on elements in the email a = Anxiety elements in the email

The Strategic Formula for Email Success

eme = rv(of + i) – (f + a) ©

Today’s Focus

Today we are going to focus on the 4 elements that don’t cost you anything to adjust.

Relevance The Strategic Formula for Email Conversion Success

eme = rv(of + i) – (f + a) ©

Relevance

Defini2on – The immediate compa2bility of the email message to the recipient’s mo2va2ons.

Relevance From This To This

Relevance

•  Customers aren’t trying to open and click your emails, they are trying to eliminate them.

•  To prevent elimina2on, the most effec2ve strategy a marketer can take is to ensure an immediate personal connec2on with the customer.

•  This personal connec2on can be established by referencing one of these two levels:

–  A customer’s internal biases

–  A customer’s external events

Key Observa8ons

eme = rv(of+i) – (f+a)

9% In Open-‐Rate

26% In Click Rate

Reference an upcoming holiday…


Original Subject Line: Book now to save up to 30% on hotel stays this December in NOLA

Treatment Subject Line: Holiday Shopping, Reveillon Dinners, Cathedral Concerts and More NOLA Tradi1ons

From This A specific need…


To This A specific need…


150% In Click-‐rate

From This Or even the size of their dog…


To This


13% In Daily Total Rev.

Or even the size of their dog…


Offer The Strategic Formula for Email Conversion Success

eme = rv(of + i) – (f + a) ©

Offer

Defini2on – The value you promise in exchange for an ac2on (i.e. a click)

Offer


Offer

•  You may think that the offer is the product that you want to sell.

•  In reality, however, the offer is the addi2onal informa2on a customer receives in exchange for a “click.”

•  What is the most effec2ve way to get a click?

–  Is it to give them an en2re product pitch? Or just part?

–  Is it to by telling them more than enough? Or just enough?

Key Observa8ons


Version A Version B


So why did having a pre-‐header work in one instance but NOT work in another instance?

Learn how a farm justifies premium…

Version A Version B


! Significant drop in offer force How appealing is learning about a farm, anyway?

Case Studies

Barack Obama Stand with me today

The New York Times Get Unlimited Access to NewYorkTimes.com with Home Delivery

[B2B Software Company] The CFO’s Guide to Assessing Financial Viability

Subject Lines

From This


The CFO’s Guide to

Case Studies

Barack Obama Stand with me today

The New York Times

[B2B Software Company]

Subject Lines

To This

Get Unlimited Access to NewYorkTimes with Home Delivery .com Free the Online

Hey

13% In Opens

10% In Opens

34% In clicks

16% In Dona8on Revenue


Assessing Financial Viability Avoiding the 7 Deadly Stiflers


51% In Clicks

Case Studies Body Copy

From This


Case Studies Body Copy

To This

51% In Clicks

Case Studies Calls-‐to-‐ac2on

From This


SHOP NOW

To This

VIEW DETAILS 13% In Click-‐rate

SHOP NOW LEARN MORE 37% In Click-‐rate

*Bu"on color and style anonymized (neither was changed in the test, just text)

FricMon The Strategic Formula for Email Conversion Success

eme = rv(of + i) – (f + a) ©

Fric2on

Defini2on – Psychological resistance to a given element anywhere in the email process.

Fric2on

•  We oaen generate unnecessary problems in our emails by the amount of content we have and/or the way we display it. To the customer, this is perceived as: –  Unnecessary Difficulty

–  Unnecessary Length

•  In most cases, the objec2ve is to minimize, not eliminate fric2on. If you eliminate all fric2on, you eliminate “the click.”

Key Observa8ons


Case Studies From This


Case Studies To This

7.5% In Click-‐rate




33.7% Cumula2ve Increase in Click-‐rate

PRODUCT B

IMAGE

[PRODUCT B NAME] [Product Category Referenced Above]


Three word headline.

We’re the 2015 TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice for [Specific Product Category]

PRODUCT A IMAGE

[PRODUCT A NAME] [Product Category Referenced Above]

Our [PRODUCT A NAME] is reengineered for life on the go. We improved the [travel feature], and then added beher [feature], another [feature] plus a [final feature].

•  [Use feature A for] the road, rail, air and engine noise to add some peace to your journey

•  [Use feature B] for the [ac2vity] you love •  [Use feature C] to achieve [specific ac2vity] •  [Use feature D] to achieve [another ac2vity] you love

VIEW DETAILS



VIEW DETAILS

From This

Case Studies

PRODUCT B

IMAGE

[PRODUCT B NAME] [Product Category Referenced Above]



Three word headline.

We’re the 2015 TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice for [Specific Product Category]

PRODUCT A IMAGE

[PRODUCT A NAME] [Product Category Referenced Above]

Our [PRODUCT A NAME] is reengineered for life on the go. We improved the [travel feature], and then added beher [feature], another [feature] plus a [final feature].



VIEW DETAILS



VIEW DETAILS

To This

Case Studies

Vs. Non-Mobile Mobile

For the non-‐mobile version, the difficulty experienced by the customer (pinch-‐to-‐zoom + scroll) is

unnecessary.

Non-mobile

Vs. Mobile

54% In Clicks

So why did having a mobile design work in one instance but

NOT in another?

Non-mobile

Vs. Mobile

54% In Clicks ! Mobile design increases importance of content

The mobile design increased read rate, thus pu@ng more weight on content (for worse in this case)

Anxiety The Strategic Formula for Email Conversion Success

eme = rv(of + i) – (f + a) ©

Anxiety

Defini2on – Psychological concern s2mulated by a given (or unaddressed) element in the email process.

Anxiety They’re just hard water stains…


Anxiety

•  Anxiety is just as lethal to conversion as fric2on.

•  Try and mi2gate anxiety ra2onally and you are likely to fail…

–  Though created from legi2mate concern, its impact in the mind is oaen dispropor2onate to the reality of risk.

•  In email, anxiety is most oaen experienced as a form of intense “knee-‐jerk” skep2cism and cau2on.

Key Observa8ons


Text-heavy Image-heavy Vs.

When compared to the text-‐heavy email, the image-‐heavy email feels like an irrelevant ad.


60% In Click-‐Rate

159% In Comple8on Rate

From This Anxiety


Balanced imagery Vs. Heavy

imagery

So why did heavier, ad-‐like imagery work in this case?

Vs.

! Increase in relevance for exis2ng customers This email was sent at the beginning of fall to a list of customers with an established rela&onship.

Case Studies

252% In Conversion

152% In Revenue/Visitor

Anxiety


Approach A Approach B

Case Studies From This

Anxiety




151% In Click-‐Rate

Anxiety


Final Case Study The Strategic Formula for Email Conversion Success

Final Case Study

Background: A web tool that lets you quickly create and customize Bible studies.

Goal: To increase click-‐through rate

Research Ques2on: Which email will produce the highest click-‐through rate?

Approach: A/B split test

!

Brand: SmallGroup.com Loca2on: Marke2ngExperiments Research Library Protocol ID: Pending

But here’s the problem: In the busy day-to-day of church life, the time you have to work on Bible studies is often stretched thin by other ministry needs. That’s why our team created smallgroup.com: a convenient web tool that lets you quickly create and customize Bible studies.

We would love for you to try smallgroup.com free for two weeks. During your preview, you can build up to eight customized studies to try out in your groups.

Try it free for two weeks!

You’re serious about discipleship. That makes two of us.

Start My Free Preview

We would love for you to try smallgroup.com free for two weeks. During your preview, you can build up to eight customized studies to try out in your groups.

Try it free for two weeks!

Start My Free Preview

Add your logo/colors and share instantaneously.

You’re serious about discipleship. That makes two of us.

But here’s the problem: In the busy day-to-day of church life, the time you have to work on Bible studies is often stretched thin by other ministry needs. That’s why our team created smallgroup.com: a convenient web tool that lets you quickly create and customize Bible studies.

In the busy day-to-day of church and small group life, the time you have to work on Bible studies is often stretched thin. That’s why our team created smallgroup.com: a web tool that lets you quickly create and customize Bible studies that fit your style and approach.

See how it works

From This To This

Final Case Study

Email Design Total Click Rate Bu"on Click Rate

Original 0.8% 0.2%

Treatment 1.1% 1.0%

% Rela1ve Change: 42% 358%

Increase in Buhon Clicks

358%

The email design improved using elements of the strategic formula produced a staMsMcally significant increase in bucon clicks and total clicks.

Key Takeaways The Strategic Formula for Email Conversion Success

Summary

•  Customers aren’t trying to open and click your emails, they are trying to eliminate them.

•  To prevent your emails from being prematurely dismissed by customers, you must significantly increase perceived value and significantly decrease perceived cost.

•  You can achieve this when you use the email effec2veness index as a strategic guide to op2mizing and crea2ng your email campaigns.

Key Observa8ons

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the strategic formula for email conversion success

Documents

messaging research

email success eme

years of ac2ve research

secondary media

email message

strategic formula

sale path experiments

mobile interesmng experiments