EMAIL MARKETING IN THE DIGITAL AGE

Trends, Best Practices and Predictions

OVERVIEW

Fundamentals

List Management

Creative

Testing & Optimization

!"! "

#"# "

!"!

$ %

&

! !" !

$"

!"

2

FUNDAMENTALS

3

Where Does Email Fit In?

Driving Conversion Rates

Increasing Brand Awareness

Collecting And Leveraging Data

Producing concrete sales results A core focus and top priority For better communication that cuts through the clutter

' ( ) *

On its own or in conjunction with channels like social media and mobile, email remains a key route to address 2014 marketing priorities

+

!

,

!

-

!

4

Email Marketing Isn’t New

5

But the facts* remain: !  Consumers receive an average of 44 emails a

day, 25% of which are permission-based commercial messages.

!  88% of US online consumers check email daily !  81% of subscribers have been motivated to

provide a company with their email address due to some form of promotion

!  50% of consumers make purchases as a direct result of email

* Source: ExactTarget Email X-Factors Report

Email Facilitates ‘Lifecycle’ Marketing

Acquire On-board Engage Retain

Acquiring new audience members and

converting potential customers into

subscribers

Onboarding subscribers and accustoming them to the frequency and

content of interactions

Engaging subscribers with relevant,

purposeful campaigns

Retaining subscribers with targeted re/

engagement and win-back strategies

' ( ) *

Strategic email campaigns provide the ability to reach customers across a number of different stages

♥

♥

/

!

%"

!"

&"

!"

6

Relevancy Is Factor #1

7

Consumers quickly decide which companies they like receiving messages from based on relevancy. !  Personalization is Paramount:

Noticeable evidence that content is targeted drives conversions.

!  Value is Evident: It’s important to make the advantage of being on the email list clear. This can be achieved via special deals, promotions or exclusive content.

8

The Mobile Imperative

About 45% of email opens happen on phones

!  “Mobile First” approach to emails (HTML5/CSS3 animations)

!  Mobile design techniques include:

•  Responsive/adaptive emails

•  “Mobile Aware” emails

!  Recognize that users, particularly mobile users, are scrolling

9

Email & Social Channels Overlap

!  Social engagement levels now impact email open rates, click-throughs and conversions.

!  Used together, email and social reinforce messaging, resulting in greater overall reach, awareness, interaction and sharing.

LIST MANAGEMENT

10

11

Driving Sign-up

!  Pop-Ups and Overlays: Can be annoying but are proven to be effective.

!  Messaging: Incentives for registering must be clear and relevant.

!  Opt-In: Some data shows that double opt-in provides better results.

!  Social: Leverage social channels to grow lists. An easy method is to setup an email form on a facebook tab.

!  Contests & Promotions: Can spike list growth.

!  eCommerce: Incorporate email sign-up into all account registration and ecommerce flows. Source: Mailchimp

12

Welcome Emails

Automated emails should create an immediate link with subscribers

!  Increase account creation, customer acquisition, and list growth.

!  A good opportunity to reward subscribers with offers or valuable information.

!  Consider a welcome email series instead of a single email.

!  Make sure that a welcome series is a portal to your site.

!  Incentivize or say thanks on birthdays, upon reactivation or at other occasions.

13

List Segmentation

Smart segmentation strategies ensure messaging relevance !  Responsiveness/

behavior/history !  Demographics !  Purchase amounts !  Ethnicity/language-

specific

14

List Cleansing & Management

Improve your list integrity with accurate list cleansing

!  Improve deliverability, minimize SPAM traps, improve response rates

!  Delete inactive subscribers

!  Investigate hard and soft bounces

!  Consider partner services like briteverify, datavalidation or leadspend

Source: Mailchimp

CREATIVE

15

Understanding Reading Patterns

16

!  Top to bottom and left to right

!  Strong vertical patterns encourage scanning the full length of email

!  Simple/short messaging prompts pauses for reading and comprehension

Design Imperatives

17

!  Clean simplicity with a touch of boldness

!  Cohesion between the offline and online brand

!  Fun, clever by way of all available and supported methods (e.g. disruptive messaging, surprising animations, etc…)

Design Fundamentals

18

!  Keep primary CTA as high as possible

!  Readability: Minimum and consistent text size/color should be maintained

!  Visual Emphasis: Position key content points at a glance

!  White Space: Grouping content to increase comprehension

!  Clever, fun and surprising

Trends: Mobile First

19

Leverage mobile-specific features such as high resolution screens or modern HTML/CSS to create more beautiful and dynamic emails not possible on typical desktop clients.

Judicious use of retina resolution graphics for sharper presentation (e.g. for use on logos, call to action’s, etc…)

CSS Animation: Images move, zoom or grow. In this example: Ken Burns effect happens in the circle.

Content

20

!  Personalization

!  “Content First” editorial to build user trust and confidence moving forward

!  Preheaders can add additional context to the subject line without overwhelming users. Most email clients pick up the initial piece of content displayed in an email

!  Follow up and last chance reminder emails

!  Infographics

!  Social links (e.g. share email, pin imagery, etc…)

La Cocina Goya 4/1/14 Celebrate Easter with traditional Latin Dishes Inbox - Flightpath Enjoy dozens of recipes that savor the colorful flavors of spring

21

Long Tail !  Emails with multiple promotion

items regularly perform better than simpler counterparts

!  “Long tail” additions provide additional points of engagement – great if the main message does not connect

!  Additional engagement opportunities without negatively impacting primary message

Trends: Animated GIFs

22

Add a little punch to otherwise static emails.

Interaction with an app http://bit.ly/ZfZTDL

Animation of fashion model http://bit.ly/1o1kwjd

Trends: Other Dynamic Effects

“On they fly’ elements such as a countdown clock

Inline Video * Video plays inside the email

* Supported on iPhone / iPad, Apple Mail, Some Android 2.3-4.4, Outlook.com - Video will autoplay, but controls are not visible/useable. All other clients display an animated GIF in place of the video. Video works when viewing the HTML in browsers (aside from IE 8)

23

Trends: Rate this Email

24

Many brands are including a “Rate this email” link within the footer, where users can fill out a survey or add suggestions/comments straight from the email. This is a great way to get instant feedback from your actively engaged users.

25

Retention Strategies

Finding and rewarding your best – and worst –customers

!  Sincere and appreciative email messages with rewards your customers will value

!  Higher-value incentives for best customers

!  Triggered, high incentive campaigns for inactive subscribers

TESTING & OPTIMIZATION

26

27

Subject Line Testing Test open rates via small pilot groups

!  Learn what motivates your specific audience

!  Leverage Google Search or Twitter to research what resonates with them

!  Use actionable language

!  Be explicit, though subject lines phrased as questions may perform better

!  The use of symbols in subject lines (when appropriate) is a great way to actively engage more opens

!  Under 50 characters to avoid truncation

!  Avoid using promotional phrases or things that sound spammy

28

Heat Maps Whether it is on the desktop or on a phone, heat maps are a great way to see where people click.

!  Mostly near the top? Do your customers scroll?

!  Do they like photo or text links?

•  Do different types of photos (e.g. products versus lifestyle) get more clicks?

29

Testing & Optimization

!  Heat Maps: Where are people clicking?

!  Subject Lines: What motivates your audience

!  Segments: Based on customer behavior, demographics, sign-up date, etc

!  Images/Colors: Test display and choice of images

!  Copy Variants: Tone, length, calls to action, offers, etc.

!  Mobile: Optimized vs non-optimized

!  Frequency: When might fatigue set in?

!  Date & Time: When to send?

Testable Email Elements

Measuring Success

30

Move beyond open and click-through rates

!  Where do recipients go on your website?

!  How often do they visit?

!  Study conversions and/or email revenue

!  Are there new ways to think about how to segment your list based on behavior?

!  Understand deliverability, bounces, unsubscribes and complaints

Optimize & Innovate

31

" User behavior patterns change and evolve

" Every audience/business is unique

About Flightpath

! Founded in 1994 ! Creative digital agency ! Headquartered in New

York City ! 50+ employees ! Privately held ! Email specialists ! Results oriented

32

THANK YOU flightpath.com