33 Ways to Improve Your Email Marketing

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33 Ways to Improve Your Email Marketing

• Kim MacPherson
• Inbox Interactive
• February 2, 2005

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What Makes a Successful Email Campaign?
QUALITYLIST
TIGHTCREATIVE
SOLIDOFFER
SEND ISSUESSTREAMLINED
SPAM LAWS FOLLOWED
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What Makes a Successful Email Campaign?

• Good summary article on CAN-SPAM
• http//www.zhivago.com/mt/canspam.htm
• To download the full law
• http//www.spamlaws.com/federal/108s877.html

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Build a Qualified, Receptive Email List

• 1. Make your sign-up area visible on every
  page...

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Build a Qualified, Receptive Email List

• 2. Make it clear that privacy is a priority

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Build a Qualified, Receptive Email List

• 3. Ask for email address twice

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Build a Qualified, Receptive Email List

• 4. On the thank-you page or within your sign-up
  area, make it easy for new subscribers to ensure
  their emails get delivered.

Example http//www.smarterliving.com/us/hotmail.p
hp
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Build a Qualified, Receptive Email List

• 5. Send a confirmation message right away.

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Build a Qualified, Receptive Email List

• 6. Ask new opt-ins for specific preferences,
  especially format preferences.

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Offer, Creative, Content

• 7. Optimize your from and subject lines in
  terms of length, structure and content.

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Offer, Creative, Content

• 7. Optimize your from and subject lines in
  terms of length, structure and content.
• ISP From Spaces Subject Spaces
• AOL 15-16 51
• Yahoo! 30 80
• Hotmail 20 45
• Excite 20 40/80
• Gmail 18 58
• Comcast 20 35

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Offer, Creative, Content

• 8. Remind recipient why he is receiving your
  e-mail.

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Offer, Creative, Content

• 9. Develop your emails format based on
  offer.
• Lead generation offer Less is more.
• Paid offer More details, please.

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Offer, Creative, Content

• 10. Design the heart of your message to live
  within a 500 x 300 pixel space.

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Offer, Creative, Content

• 11. For longer emails, break up copy with
  subheads and sprinkle them throughout (but make
  them worthy).

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Offer, Creative, Content

• 12. Dont (believe it or not) be afraid of the
  word Free...

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Offer, Creative, Content

• 13. Keep graphics to a minimum and make them
  COUNT.

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Offer, Creative, Content

• 14. Include more than one call to action (with
  link), but be careful about including TOO MANY...

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Offer, Creative, Content

• 15. Create customized mailings to segments of
  your list based on their ISP.
• Gmail
• White background
• Rich text
• Few images
• AOL
• Plain or rich text
• Company name in subject line
• If you must use HTML, keep graphics to a minimum

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Offer, Creative, Content

• 16. Link your email directly to a landing page
  developed specifically for that email.

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Offer, Creative, Content

• 17. Include a link to your privacy policy on
  every email.

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Offer, Creative, Content

• 18. Host a Web or PDF-based version of your email
  and post a link at the very top of your email.

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Offer, Creative, Content

• 19. Include only ONE possible path that your
  email recipients can take.

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Offer, Creative, Content

• 20. Test a transaction-enabled email.

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Offer, Creative, Content

• 21. Instead of a single email, send an email
  promotional/educational series.

Examples on next 5 pages...
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Offer, Creative, Content
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Offer, Creative, Content
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Offer, Creative, Content
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Offer, Creative, Content
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Offer, Creative, Content
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Offer, Creative, Content

• 22. Link your email or landing page to a
  pre-populated form.

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Send Restrictions and Challenges

• 23. Create seed accounts on various ISPs and
  email clients such as AOL, Hotmail, Yahoo!, and
  Googles new Gmail.
• Kmacseed_at_gmail.com
• seedkim_at_juno.com
• kimmacseed_at_aol.com
• kmmseed_at_hotmail.com.

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Send Restrictions and Challenges

• 24. Consistently rotate a new day of the week to
  send your emails yes, even if youre a B2B
  company.

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Send Restrictions and Challenges

• 25. Find the optimal TIMES to send to your
  audience.

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Send Restrictions and Challenges

• 26. Ensure delivery of your emails during the
  times you designate.
• Add a buffer.
• Allow for server or email service provider
  delays.
• Determine length of time ISP delivers.
• You may need to start the send anywhere from a
  few minutes to several hours beforehand.

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Send Restrictions and Challenges

• 27. Constantly clean your lists. Look for
• Typos (e.g. kjm_at_inboxinteractive.com)
• Invalid domains (e.g. kim_at_iboxinteractive.com)
• Poor formatting (e.g. kim2inboxinteractive.com)

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Send Restrictions and Challenges

• 28. Select a from address carefully.
• Ensure that the domain name corresponds to the IP
  address.
• Avoid filter trigger words (e.g. specials or
  offers) within your from address.
• The address is different from the friendly from.

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Send Restrictions and Challenges

• 29. Use a content screener or content evaluation
  system to check for potentially "offensive" words
  and phraseshttp//www.lyris.com/contentchecker/
  
• Many marketers use Microsoft Outlooks protocol
  when developing their own list of words to
  avoidhttp//office.microsoft.com/en-us/assistanc
  e/HA010450051033.aspx

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Send Restrictions and Challenges

• 30. Always prepare a text version of your message
  by hand.
• 60 characters max across
• Few symbols
• Very short paragraphs
• Keep links short - consider short redirect links,
  if need be.

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Application of Key Learnings

• 31. Test at least ONE new variable with every
  outbound email communication, including
• Offer
• Design/format
• Subject line elements
• Length
• Maildate/time

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Application of Key Learnings

• 32. Create follow up campaigns that are sent to
  the nons...
• Non-openers Review subject line
• Non-clickers Surveys, bonuses
• Non-converters Review landing page structure
  and/or synchronicity with email

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Application of Key Learnings

• 33. For paid offers, test a microsite for your
  email instead of the traditional email-landing
  page combination.

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CAN-SPAM The Basics

• (If youre not already)
• Include a means to unsubscribe in every email.
• Include your physical address in every email.
• Ensure that all sender information is accurate.
• Write subject lines that are clear and not
  deceptive.
• Honor unsubscribes within 10 business days of the
  request.

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Resources

• Who to Contact About Whitelisting
• Yahoo! http//add.yahoo.com/fast/help/us/mail/cg
  i_bulkmail
• AOL http//postmaster.info.aol.com/whitelist/inde
  x.html
• MSN/Hotmail http//www.bondedsender.com

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Resources

• Email COA and List Hygiene Vendors
• Yesmail
• Return Path
• FreshAddress
• Experian
• AcquireSoft
• Broad Vision Media

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Resources

• Survey Companies
• Zoomerang
• SurveyMonkey
• Apian (apian.net)
• Infopoll (infopoll.net)
• InstantSurvey (netreflector.com)
• SurveyCrafter
• StatPac
• mantaINSIGHT (mantacorp.com)
• Perseus
• Quicksense
• StatSurvey