Copyright 2008 Constant Contact Inc. Agenda Planning for Email Marketing Questions to Answer and Planning Suggestions for Success Types of Email s What Do I Want to Achieve Who Should I Send to When Should I Send Promotional Three Main Types 1. Regularly Scheduled 2. Promotions 3. Events Action Oriented Drive Traffic Drive Sales Drive Traffic To Retail Store / Site Obtain Donations Contains Calls to Action Purchase Now Link Click for More Information Click to Donate Lead with Real Benefits In all of your marketing communications (email, web, phone & mail) lead with real proven benefits and personalize the communication to the needs of the audience. -MarketingSherpa Special Report: Marketing During a Down Turn 2008 Regularly Scheduled s Most common is the Newsletter but other styles are common Product/Service Updates Related Information to breaking news Holiday s Event Driven Soft Sell Create Awareness Establish your organization as an expert The Go To or Provider of knowledge on the subject Establishes trust and credibility within your target market Builds a Relationship = Retention and Loyalty Continues to establish as authority on subject Educationally-Focused rather than just promotional Widens your Audience Exposure Relationship Focused Include Event Details Opportunity of Sponsorship
Promotional s What are the goals for the? Sell Item or Service Sign up for List / Waiting List Traffic to location or Website Obtain Donations How many sold Growth of List Coupons Redeemed Amount Raised Define and determine the best way to measure success. Heavier investing in online is working well since many competitors are reducing marketing investments and our collective share of voice is increasing our sales.-marketingsherpa Special Report: Marketing During a Down Turn 2008 your ROI, if you can not today, invest in this ability. If you have bulletproof numbers on revenues and ROI s of Marketing programs it becomes a simple conversation on where to spend..-marketingsherpa Special Report: Marketing During a Down Turn 2008 Regular s Event Driven s Keeping my Business in Subscriber s Mind (Opens) Establish your Organization as the Expert (Opens/Clicks) Drive Traffic to Website (Clicks) Increase Exposure (Forwards) Sign Up for Event Show Up at Event Widen Exposure FAQ 3194: See how your metrics compare to other Constant Contact customers Be ruthless with measurement; monitor results and react quickly the ROI on every little thing. by both the program and campaign. Make your money work the hardest for you. -MarketingSherpa Special Report: Marketing During a Down Turn 2008 Number of People Clicked and Registered Number of Give Away items with Call to Action Coupon offer Number of forwards Results of Post Event Survey Educational resource Leverage responses for new testimonials Highlight positive feedback in future newsletters Send a Diversity of Types and Formats TEST to see what interests your audience Promotions Single / Double / Triple With educational content Quick Hits of Information Industry updates Product updates Event updates Long form Editorial Newsletter w/out promos Newsletter w/promos Identify segments Remain consistent with overall branding For example: B to B subscribers prefer Card layout B to C subscribers prefer Newsletter layout Segment that prefers quick hits? Who should this communication reach? Test, Test, Test Improve your results without spending additional money. Real Time A/B Split testing for headlines, graphics and copy. -MarketingSherpa Special Report: Marketing During a Down Turn 2008
The Question of Who The Question of Who The audience that will find it Interesting and Relevant Remember: With every irrelevant email, you are diminishing the relationship with that subscriber Segmentation The more you know, the better you can hit their interests If not interested they may mark it as SPAM Review your results Include links that feed into that segment s interests. Was the message something they care about? Which links were most effective? Constant Contact Clicks Report Success = Opens + Clicks Email users were 72% more likely to respond to a business email if its content was based on the interests they had specified. DoubleClick, 2007 56% of consumers consider marketing messages from known senders to be SPAM if the message is just not interesting to me. - Q Interactive, 2007 Know your Subscribers When is the best time to send the communication? Historic Starting Point: B2B: Monday thru Wednesday between 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM B2C: Tuesday thru Thursday between 11:00 AM and 3:00 PM When should email communications be sent? Watch for trends in your Opens Report When is your audience most likely to open your message? Frequency Frequency More email doesn t mean more response (More relevant email does!) Let them know how often you plan to send each type at Sign Up They will be expecting your emails Content should drive frequency Send Less if you can not provide Fresh and Relevant Content Not sure what your audience wants? Ask them with a survey What topics are you interested in? How often would you like to receive information from us? How often would you like to receive special offers from us? Nearly 40% of people receive more email than expected at sign up. - 2007 Return Path Study: Email Remains Integral for Ecommerce When asked why recipients unsubscribed to opt-in emails, 40% said they were getting too many offers. - Jupiter Research, 2008 Example from an effective Sign Up Form Introduction: You will receive the monthly GLTR newsletter at the beginning of each month. In addition, we are now sending out emails of Event Updates in your area around the 15th of each month. Please select which sports you would like to hear event updates about. Constant Contact survey template: Newsletter satisfaction
Promotional s Regularly Scheduled s Is there a Time Limit on the offer? Make sure the communication creates a sense of urgency around the Call to Action. How often is too much or not enough? Follow up with a Last Chance communication for those who have not responded. Average touch rate is twice a month E.g. Newsletter and update/promotion Communicate at least 4 times a year Increases odds of being top of mind Under-promise and over-deliver Better to provide a good quarterly newsletter than a mediocre monthly one Event Driven s When do I send? How many days/hours of notice and registration time do they need? 5-6 weeks before the event: Send the personalized invite 3 weeks before: Send 2 nd announcement Include new offer/special discounts Announce any special guests who are attending 2 days before: Send final reminder with date/time/location Tips: 2 announcements and 1 reminder Include the event in your newsletter Send a follow up those that did attend and also to those that did not attend Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun 1 2 3 4 5 6 Gift Idea Newsletter Weekend Sale Email Specials-PM 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Memorial Day Memorial Day Weekend Weekend Mother s Day Last day for Mother s Day Gift Ideas- delivery Extended Hours Summer Memorial Day Memorial Day Specials- Weekend Weekend Extended Hours Regular Holiday/Event Effecting Business Promotional Date Deadline Don t just promote What is the Value of the communication? If subscribers find value in your email, they are more likely to open your next email. E.g. Sell BBQ Grills Write monthly newsletter Guides to choosing cuts of meat Barbeque recipes Grill maintenance tips Recipients will remember you when they are ready to buy When consumers trust a brand, they are willing to pay a little more. You can rise above the clutter for a lower out-of-pocket cost and resonate more deeply with your intended consumer. As long as your price isn t completely out of the ballpark, then trust can be the deciding factor. Building Brands In A Recession, Online Spin Blog, Cory Treffiletti April 2, 2008
Before After Can you offer something? Something Low or No Cost Adds Value for the Subscriber Provides Reason for the Email Example: Opportunity Sign up for an RSS related to a hot button issue. RSS: Live feed Benefit A pool of topics that can be sources for articles in your newsletter. Handout: Content Suggestions Remember about Email Marketing Want more on what we covered today? Studies show in past recessions, companies who continued to aggressively market themselves realized an average sales growth of 275 percent over the next five years, versus a 19 percent growth rate of those who significantly cut marketing expenses. Maximizing Your Marketing Resources, Go-To-Market Strategies, April 25,2008 To get started, sign up for your FREE 60 day trial here: http://www.constantcontact.com/index.jsp?pn=quilttrade Want to attend more free live webinars? Check out the upcoming sessions in our Learning Center at http://www.constantcontact.com/learning-center/index.jsp. Suggested Next Webinars 1. Email Marketing Demo 2. Building Better Lists 3. Promotions Planning & Design 4. Newsletter Makeover 5. Online Survey Demo 6. Email Deliverability 7. How to Boost the Response to Your Email Questions? You have a consultant here to help at 1-866-876-8464 A Guide & Planning Calendar Templates Used 25 Question to Answer before you send your Content Resources/Ideas Handout Planning Calendar Holiday Mother s Day II Promotions - My Image II Promotions - My Image I Mon Tue Wed Th u Fri Sat Sun 1 Gift Idea Email 2 Newsletter 3 Wee ken d Sale Spec ials- PM 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 0 11 Last day for delivery 12 13 Mother s Day Newsletter - Fitness Cards - Professional Newsletter Crisp I