email marketing for independent creatives

presented by

Gina NykerkIndie Arsenal, 2011

Email Marketing For Independent Creatives

Hi.

I’m Gina.

I’ve been in email marketing for nearly 6 years.

This is my inbox.(one of four, mind you)

Courtesy xkcd.com.

Why email?

It’s popular

94% of daily email users subscribe to marketing messages

- Exact Target, 2010

It perform

s$42.08 returned per dollar

invested -DMA, 2010

It’s personal

A one-on-one conversation with a lot of people, all at one time

What can I do with email?(Possibly a question asked a time

or two by your clients)

Drive word of mouth & PR.

Drive sales.

Engage readers.

Increase site traffic

Retain customers.

Repurpose it as content for your social networks

Let your readers repurpose it as content for their social networks

Build a community.

Tweet a link to sign up for your emails.

Add your email signup form to your blog.

4 things you should know about email,

um,right now

1. Best practices are your friend

• Don’t SPAM! Permission based email is the (only) way to go. Build that list, friend.

• You must provide an opt-out and a physical or mailing address on each email

• Email is not a science. Our favorite answer is “it depends.” Expect to test, test, and

test some more.

• Audience segmentation is awesome. Try it.

• Don’t forget the subject line – spend at least 5 minutes crafting it.

2. It works very well with social media + traditional

marketing

Remember how video killed the radio star?*

*It actually didn’t

We’ve heard the same hype about email

But alas, email, social + traditional marketing channels continue to live,

breathe & coexist in harmony.

They’re quite complimentary, in fact.

3. Your creative? Oh SO important.

Look good, look smart

A sharp-dressed email can make the difference between reading and deleting. Solid design

and proper coding:

• Increase deliverability rates• Grab readers’ attention

• Create a positive response

Design for the medium. Email is not a website or a

print piece.

It is, however, an extension of the

brand so make it look that way.

When designing for email keep in mind:

•72 dpi

•600-700 pixels (320-520 for mobile devices)

•RGB (not CMYK)

•Use basic, old school HTML. Keep it simple, keep it clean

•Tables ARE your friend. Inline styles are the way to code. No CSS, please

•Link to videos. Do not try to embed

•Don’t forget a plaintext version!

•Always use alt tags and never send one big image file. Image rendering is finicky.

See?

(How they were supposed to look)

4. You are not alone*

or

How to make this work for you

* Cue Michael Jackson’s greatest hits

Find a vendor you like to work with.

Client or not, you’re most likely going to be the one working in the interface while crafting or sending

the email. Be comfortable in it.

There are a lot of vendors to choose from. Consider finding

one to partner with.

Emma, Exact Target and CampaignMonitor all offer agency specific platforms, each with their own strengths and

weaknesses. All other US based email vendors typically stick to affiliate

programs

Don’t be a tool.

(Just use them)

Response tracking Document

library

Dynamic Content

Variable Content

Google Analytics

Sign up Forms

Image hosting

UYO HTML

Stationery Builder

Split A/B Testing

Triggers/AutoResponders

Resources abound.

Even if you’re not an expert, you can act like one.

The Emma blog: www.myemma.com/blog (yes, I’m partial, but for what it’s worth it wasn’t always very good. Now it’s

kicking a**)

The Email Experience Council: http://www.emailexperience.org/ (A highly regarded source

in the industry)

The Email Stat Center: www.emailstatcenter.com (A great resource if you’re wondering how your email is performing)

MarketingProfs: www.marketingprofs.com (A fantastic resource for all things online marketing)

MediaPost Email Insider: www.mediapost.com (My daily read on the email industry)

Emailium: www.emailium.com (Email inspiration at your fingertips)

My Favorites

Gina Nykerkgina@myemma.com@ginanykerk

thanks!Begin the brilliantly insightful Q&A now.

No calculus questions, please.

www.myemma.com@emmaemailmyemma.com/blog