1. Email Marketing W5 Dan Belhassen greatBIGnews.com

2. About your presenter Dan Belhassen – Founder and President of Modern Earth Inc., an Internet technology company – Website creators, online software developers, search engine consultants, mobile app developers, elearning specialists, new media marketing specialists – Find me in my booth if you want to follow up – Presentation available at http://modernearth.net/lern2012

4. WHY EMAIL MARKETING

5. WHY

6. But.. I heard that email was dead?

7. WHY Email has replaced traditional mail. Still most popular “long form” option.

8. WHY Email is still highly effective.

9. WHY Email usage is holding steady.

10. WHY “66% of those surveyed said they had made a purchase because of a marketing message received through email.” “Consumers who subscribed to email newsletters generated 34.25% more product.” “The vast majority of responding companies (72%) rate email as 'excellent' or 'good' for return on investment.”

11. WHY Should form part of your marketing toolkit. Along with…

12. WHY Should form part of your marketing toolkit. Along with…

13. WHO TO SEND TO

14. WHO

15. WHAT TO SEND

16. WHAT “Seven in 10 US Internet users said they judged these "from" and "subject" lines when deciding whether to report an email as spam.” “Including the company name in the subject line can increase open rates by up to 32 percent to 60 percent over a subject line without branding. “ “79% of the respondents said they hit the "report spam" button when they don't know who the sender is” “55.9% of respondents cited knowing and trusting the sender as the primary reason for opening an email.”

17. WHAT

18. What Kinds of Subject Lines Most Attract Your Attention? – 55.2% - Clearly State the Offer – 49.6% - Discount or free shipping – 48.8% - Brand name or sender – 33.8% - Curious – 30.3% - Promise immediate answers (download or survey) – 18.7% - Short – 15.2% - Promise to solve a specific problem – 14.1% - Funny – 11.0% - Has my name in it

19. WHAT Subject lines that will motivate opening: Discounted Price 72.5% Free shipping offer 60.1% Special offer mention 37.4% Specific brand mention 26.9% Time-based deadline 21.4% My name 4.3%

20. WHAT Product information in retail emails that will motivate clicks Displaying price 62.7% Photo of product 61.7% Delivery information 43.7% Brand name 42.4% Displaying dollar savings 36.1% Brief description 36.1% Displaying % savings 24.3%

21. WHEN TO SEND

22. WHEN Time of day online users check personal emails at work Sporadically47% First thing in morning 25% At lunchtime 18% During afternoon break 8% Right before end of day 2%

23. WHEN When online users check their email First thing in morning 41% Right after dinner 18% Right after work 14% Right before bed 14% Middle of night 40%

24. WHEN Where online users check their email In Bed 23% In class 12% In a business meeting 8% Wi-Fi hotspot 6% Beach or pool 6% Bathroom4% While driving 4% Church1%

25. WHEN How often moms would like to be notified by retail emails Daily3.6% Weekly35.3% Bi-Weekly22.6% Monthly32.9% Quaterly2.6% Annually1.5% Other1.5%

26. WHEN

27. You must EXPERIMENT and DISCOVER When is the best time to have your audience TAKE ACTION

28. HOW TO SEND

29. #1 Create Targeted Lists

30. Don’t just have one large list! Target your best (repeat) customers They are most likely to re-enroll with you

31. #1 Create Targeted Lists Separate list based on interest area – Attended a course category in last 24 months Computer, photography, gardening, business, health or separate by demographic – Senior, Youth, Family Or both!

32. #1 Create Targeted Lists

33. Sample “General” template

34. Sample “GenX” template

35. Sample “GenY” template

36. #2 Maximize Opens The “open decision” will be based on – The From address / Identity – The subject line

37. #2 Maximize Opens From Address – Composed of a NAME and EMAIL ADDRESS – Usually only the name will be visible – Clearly identify who you are – Critical for credibility

38. #2 Maximize Opens Name of Sender

39. #2 Maximize Opens Assuming credibility is established… – The subject line says what the message is about – Make it clear enough to help the receiver delete it WHAT? Yes! They should be trained that the subject line is directly related to content Overall open rates will improve over time – But what makes a good subject line?

40. #2 Maximize Opens But, why guess when you can measure? Take 25% of your list and divide into A/B groups – Send subject 1 to group A – Send subject 2 to group B – Send the “winning” subject line to the remaining group

41. #2 Maximize Opens But, why guess when you can measure? Take 25% of your list and divide into A/B groups – Send subject 1 to group A – Send subject 2 to group B – Send the “winning” subject line to the remaining group Use your statistics to improve your success

42. #2 Maximize Opens But, why guess when you can measure? Take 25% of your list and divide into A/B groups – Send subject 1 to group A – Send subject 2 to group B – Send the “winning” subject line to the remaining group Use your statistics to improve your success 17% 23%

43. #2 Maximize Opens Which are better for your audience? – Specific deadlines – Price (eg: discounts) – Urgency – Don’t miss out on great fall courses! OR – Fall course calender now available

44. #3 Use “calls to action” Tell your subscriber what to do! Clearly communicate the next action they should take

45. #3 Use “calls to action”

47. Classy art Everything on one page

48. #4 Targeted Follow ups Most email marketing systems will provide – Everyone who opens a promo – Everyone who clicks on a link Create a follow up list based on opens and clicks – Send a targeted follow up

49. Sample initial promo

50. #4 Targeted Follow ups Sample follow up

51. #5 Measure Results Most systems will provide a reporting mechanism See which promos have gotten better results Example why that is – Try A/B testing with different content

52. #6 Track Conversions There are three main conversion steps – Are you tracking each step? Click-through > website Website > registration form Registration form > submission

53. #6 Track Conversions Ultimate conversion tracking – Tie your email marketing to Google Analytics – Use conversion tracking tool – Will show you which links ultimately generated ROI

54. SAMPLE MARKETING PLAN Lifelong Learning / Recreation Program

55. Preparation Promote list through website – Show example of past editions – Ask for as little information as possible – Set expectations on frequency

56. Preparation Promote newsletter through brochure – “Want to learn about new courses? Sign up online!” – “Learn about hot new courses first with our email alerts!” – “Enter to win your course for free at www…”

57. Preparation Provide an incentive – Draw or contest One “reader” per month wins? One “new subscriber” per month wins? – Free course? Gift certificate?

58. Preparation Train staff – “Always be asking” for permission – How to handle questions Modify procedures Opportunities to gain permission Phone calls, course evaluations, registration methods

59. Preparation Record of all email promotions – Print outs of promotions – Indication of subject line, open rate, CTR – ROI (number of registrations)

60. Sample Marketing Plan Community/Recreation Program Assuming you are starting “from scratch”

61. August First week (6 weeks out) – Mail brochure – Sent first email announcing brochure Third week (4 weeks out) – Mail brochure 2 nd time to past participants and inquiries Third to Fourth week (3-4 weeks out) – Emails spotlighting new courses

62. September First Week (1 week out) – 3 rd email send out – Low enrollment classes emailed to best customers – Send email about popular classes Second week (0 weeks out) – Classes start Weekly promotions while classes are starting

63. SAMPLE MARKETING PLAN Professional Development / Seminar / Conference

64. Sample Plan 14 weeks out – First brochure mailed 10 weeks out – Brochure mailed 2 nd time to frequent customers 6 weeks out – Brochure mailed 3 rd time to best customers. – First email sent out

65. Sample Plan 4 weeks out – 2 nd email to best customers, and prospects in immediate area 2 weeks out – 3 rd email sent out 1 week out – Test a fourth email to those in immediate area who are best clients

66. HOW SPAM FILTERS WORK

67. How SPAM Filters Work Thousands of anti-SPAM systems – Scored (ie: SpamAssassin) – Learned (ie: uses Bayesian Algorithm) – Challenge/Response (ie: SpamArrest) – Greylisting (ie: greylisting.org) – Human Rated (ie: Cloudmark)

68. Avoid being labeled as SPAM Properly setup email server – Dedicated IP address – Reverse IP DNS entry – SPF (Sender Policy Framework) DNS entry

69. Avoid being labeled as SPAM Properly setup email server – Dedicated IP address – Reverse IP DNS entry – SPF (Sender Policy Framework) DNS entry

70. Avoid being labeled as SPAM “Polite” email server – Limit total email volume upon request – Limit emails sent “per connection” Remove invalid email addresses – Limit undeliverable emails

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72. SELECTING A SYSTEM

73. Selecting a system Key features – Deliverability – Tracking (opens, click-throughs) – Import subscribers & prevent duplicates – Capture email from website – Send to a friend w/self sign up option – Design matches your branding

74. Thank you! greatBIGnews.com modernearth.net Presentation available at http://modernearth.net/lern2012 Any questions?