The 10 Biggest Email Marketing Mistakes Companies Make (and how to avoid them)

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The 10 Biggest Email Marketing Mistakes
Companies Make(and how to avoid them)

• Presented by Bradley Feuer
• bfeuer_at_meadigital
• www.meadigital.com
• 3-20-03

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Discussion Topics

• Special Thanks (The Cannon)
• What the Research is Telling Us
• Whats in it for You
• Why Me
• The 10 Mistakes (and the 10 remedies)
• Recap
• Take-Aways
• Latest Greatest (if time)

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Special Thanks

• The Cannon - Those who have gone before us
• Seth Godin (Permission Marketing)
• Kim Macpherson (Permission Email Marketing)
• Hans Peter Brondmo (Post Communications)
• Debbie Weil (B2B expert, Clickz)
• Clint Symons (opt-in-news publisher)

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The Research

• Two studies indicate marketers Email Marketing
  challenges
• MEA Proprietary Research ROI, Qualified lists,
  Content, Results

eMarketer 2002
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The Research

• Click Through Rates - Industry Research (varies
  depending on relationship)

DoubleClick 2003
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Whats In It For You

• Validate what youre doing right
• New strategies to consider
• New tactics to try
• Learn from others mistakes
• Specific take-aways

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Why Me

• Online Email Marketing Veteran since 1996
  (Beyond Interactive, Versity.com,
  CollegeClub.com, Pointcast)
• Built Email Technology Deployed 100s Campaigns
• Local National Speaker
• Partner MEA Digital
• Email Consumer

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Mistake 1 No Email Plan

• Have you developed an email marketing strategy?
• Current brand objectives
• Data capture management
• Permission
• Message
• Implementation
• Measurement

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Remedy 1 Create a Dialog Map
Opt-in Subscribe eNewsletter
OPWV Central eMarketing database
Opt-in Newsletter
Unqualified Lists
Future mailings/ 3rd Quarterly Newsletter
Data Updates - unsubs bounce
Reports/ Key Findings
2nd Issue Auto- trigger
2nd eNewsletter
Links to Website 1st Issue
2nd Quarterly Newsletter Includes Forward to a
Friend
Qualified Lists
OPWV Central eMarketing database
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Mistake 2 No Clear Message Strategy

• Do you have a content plan?
• Focus relevance
• Media (Text, HTML, Video, Flash)
• Email vehicles
• (Newsletters, Promotions, Catalogs, Coupons,
  ect.)
• Communication frequency

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Remedy 2 Use a Creative Brief
Objectives
Relationship
Action
Think Now
New Perception
Ammo (Incentive)
Message
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Mistake 3 No Success Metrics

• Costs
• Cost per sale
• Cost per lead
• Cost per subscriber
• Cost per communication
• Feedback
• Analytical tracking surveys
• Content interaction (opens, clicks)
• Churn, list growth

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Remedy 3 Use Metrics As Benchmark
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Mistake 4 No Technology Criteria

• Currently over 2 dozen Email ASP eCRM
  technology providers.
• They have a wide range of functionality,
  scalability and financial stability ?.
• Know what you need. Do not buy more do not buy
  less.

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Remedy 4 Technology Audit
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Mistake 5 No Test Plan

• Direct Marketing is about making incremental
  improvements.
• Develop your hypothesis
• Test subject lines, offers and lists by sending
  to a small sub-segment to identify the best
  variables.
• Deploy campaigns based upon test results

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Remedy 5 Use a Cell Matrix
OF1
OF2
OF3
O 29.3 C 4.1
O 31.2 C 4.5
O 34.6 C 5.2
L1
L2
O 42.1 C 6.3
O 47.4 C 6.7
O 33.5 C 5.5
OF Offer L List O Open Rate C Click Thru Rate
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Mistake 6 Complacency

• Use what you learn during cell testing to
  optimize response.
• Regarding offer and creative - Its not important
  what you think of it its what your customers
  and prospects think of it.

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Remedy 6 Respond to Feedback
BEFORE TESTING
AFTER TESTING
Increased click-through by over 20
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Mistake 7 No Quality Assurance

• 42 of Email sent are rendered improperly
• The email (client application) market is
  extremely fractured not to mention version
  control issues
• Do not assume that the multi-part messaging
  capability will address all these different
  standards.

SilverPop 2003
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Remedy 7 QA Lab
Eudora
SilverPop 2003
Outlook
https//roomres.aladdincasino.com/CGI-BIN/LANSAWEB
?PROCFUNRAWRA16RESFUNCPARMSUP(A2560)seml?
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Mistake 8 No A/B Splits

• Any Email technology worth its salt provides
  simple A/B split capabilities take advantage of
  it.
• Keep an archive of subject lines and
  corresponding open rates.

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Remedy 8 A/B Splits

• Track subject line response
• The Healthy Alternative.
• It's not too late to say Happy Holidays.
• Premium quality last minute gift ideas.
• Holiday gift giving has never been so easy!
• Make it a fruitful affair for everyone.
• Great gift ideas are now ten percent off!

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Mistake 9 No Fulfillment Plan

• Test web site fulfillment vehicle(s)
• Take the user directly to the desired action
• Optimize the necessary steps involved

Email Promotion
Links to home page
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Remedy 9 Landing Pages/Micro Sites
1) Email
2) Dedicated (and pre-populated) landing page
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Mistake 10 No Data Analysis

• Go beyond open and click rate (the devil IS in
  the details)
• Final desired action
• Churn rate
• Click-throughs by URL
• Click stream analysis
• Time spent per article
• Cross-tabs
• Cell-test results

DoubleClick 2003
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Remedy 10 Analyze the Data
eNewsletter
Response by customer segments
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Recap Ten To Dos

• Dialog Map
• Message Strategy
• Success Metrics
• Technology Audit
• Cell Testing
• Creative/offer modifications
• QA Lab
• A/B Splits
• Landing Pages
• Data Analysis

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Take - Aways

• This process can (and should) be used for email
  retention and email list rental as well as B2C
  and B2B email programs.
• Email Marketing IS Direct Marketing - with a
  number of subtle nuances learn them.
• Remember
• Crawl, Walk, Run
• PTO (plan, test, optimize)
• Be ready the email recipients to email you!

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Latest Greatest

• Email Referral Programs

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Latest Greatest

• Rich Media (Audio, Video Flash

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Latest Greatest

• Compressed eCatalogs

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Latest Greatest

• Click-to-Call

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Latest Greatest

• Email Branding

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Latest Greatest

• Email Coupons