Inbox Informant

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INBOX INFORMANT Rachel McClung | goodsmiths.com February 1, 2012 top secret CLASSIFIED

description

Email newsletters are the bread-and-butter of online marketing, but now that multiple channels compete for your user's attention, strategy is everything. With the right approach, you can charm your audience and tailor content to them. We'll discuss the role metrics can play in the design and content creation process, and gain perspective on best practices for newsletter design and build.

Transcript of Inbox Informant

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INBOXINFORMANT

Rachel McClung | goodsmiths.com

February 1, 2012

top secret

CLASSIFIED

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THE MISSION

Email Newsletter Process• Prep tool for sending the newsletter• Develop engaging content• Craft a strategic design • Effectively build and deploy newsletter

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DISCLAIMER:There are many ways to accomplish the same result. The goal today is to look at one method of getting things done. Making decisions appropriate for your audience is key.

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THE BASICS

At a minimum, here’s what you need:• Tool for sending the newsletter. Make sure the tool you’re

using offers automated unsubscribes and reporting.• HMTL newsletter itself• Audience, properly imported into the tool

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NEWSLETTER FLAVORS

HTML Newsletter• File that contains the code for your newsletter content. • The file references images used in the design.

Text Only• No pictures. No fancy type. Just the content, straight

and simple.• Requires plain-text formatting and manual line breaks after

60 – 70 characters.• A relic. Don’t invest a lot of time in it.

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THE NEW KID

Mobile Format• Research suggests around 30% of people read email on

their phone.1

• Some providers allow subscribers to request mobile formatting (example: MailChimp).

• Requires setting specific markup in the head tags to format for the mobile screen.

• Testing is important.1 http://www.email-marketing-reports.com/iland/2011/04/mobile-email-marketing-design-challenges.html

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EMAIL SENDING PROVIDERS

Lower End Higher End

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PEOPLE STILL READ?

Content matters• Ideally, work with a professional writer• If you can’t, get someone else to proof read• Focus on creating effective calls-to-action• Offer content in small chunks

CLASSIFIED

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DON’T FORGET...

Subject Line• Under 55 characters• Be tempting, yet avoid hyperbole • You can use “free”. But don’t use ALL CAPS or !!! 2

From Info• From name could be company or person • Use an official domain email vs. a free one• Can set up [email protected] http://www.lyris.com/email-marketing/108-Email-Subject-Lines-15-Rules-to-Write-Them-Right

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BONUS POINTS

View as a Webpage• Functions as a fail-safe. Use judiciously.

Personalization• A way to directly engage audience• Depending on the data you have about your subscribers, it

could be as simple as “[First Name], welcome…”

Create a Gmail Snippet• Make alt tag with snippet on first image in email

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Gmail Snippet with Personalization

Disguises.com 50% Off Sale Hi Agent Z, super prices...

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PRIMITIVE DESIGN

HTML email design is still growing up.• No major movement to standardize inconsistencies

between mail clients.• Most notably, Outlook and Outlook Express have little to no

support for advanced CSS properties.• Avoid @font-face and video embedding.

For more, see campaignmonitor.com/css

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DESIGNING LIKE IT’S 1999

For proper rendering across email clients, create layouts that are...• Table-based• Use transparent spacer pngs. Do not use padding.• Have inline CSS• Designed for 550 – 650 px in width

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ALWAYS IN STYLE

Tips for Managing CSS• Inline CSS tools bring styles defined in the head tags inline

with content.• Some ESPs will do this automatically.• If you are developing a template, consider putting styles in

the td (table data) area for consistency.

Try http://beaker.mailchimp.com/inline-css

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SLICING + DICING

Benefits and Challenges of Slicing• Slicing refers to the practice of parsing a Photoshop file into

chunks of images and text that fit within an auto-generated HTML file.

• Easy to implement, requires less technical knowledge• Breaks when HTML text changes are implemented• More suitable for one-off emails

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TEMPLATED PERFECTION

Benefits and Challenges of Creating a Template• Encourages standard content between newsletters• Can be part of a comprehensive production cycle with

designated sections and word count documents.• More involved to set up initially• Better for ongoing newsletters

top secret

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Summary

Feature Photo

Feature Story

Sub Photo 1, Sub Story 1

Sub Photo 2, Sub Story 2

Tagline

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SIMPLE = BETTER

Mobile Design Principles• Involves omitting certain types of content• Single column format is ideal• Avoid tiny image-based areas• Ask, where will the links go?

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IMAGE CONSCIOUS

Do...• Use alt tags.• Employ good typography.• Balance form and function.

Don’t...• Make all-image emails.• Put critical information solely in an image.• Forget to host your images.

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INVITE THE MUSE

Do...• Set up a free email for the purpose of subscribing to a

range of newsletters.• Stay current by browing email galleries.

Try emailinstitute.com/email-gallery or campaignmonitor.com/gallery

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SPAM! SPAM! SPAM!

Do...• Email people that you have worked with in the last 2 years.• Provide method for unsubscribes.• Be respectful of your list.

Don’t...• Buy names.• Email questionable contacts.• Play hard to get.

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TESTING 1, 2, 3...

Do...• Enlist the help of others.• Develop a workflow pattern to make it a habit.• Test on different platforms and email clients.

Don’t• Assume someone else will click on all the links.• Forget to double check.• Rely on how the email looks in a browser. Send a test

message instead.

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NUMBER CRUNCHING

Open Rates• Around 15 – 30%, based on the industry 3

• Depends on the context of the list

Click Through Rates• How many people open vs. how many clicked• Roughly 3 – 10%, depending on industry 4

• Clicks provide insight into strongest content3, 4 http://mailchimp.com/resources/research/email-marketing-benchmarks-by-industry

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ALL THE INSIGHT

Everything you might want to know.• Who opened it• How many times they opened it• Where they are• What mail clients are being used• What they clicked on• Who unsubscribed

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330 opens, 104 clicksCTR 31.5%

Feature Story = 70 clicks

Sub Story 1 = 33 clicks

Sub Story 2 = 1 click

3 unsubscribes

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IN THE END

Takeaways• Be smart about the content you send.• Be aware of the frequency.• Develop standards for ongoing newsletters.• Test, and test again.• Evolve your strategy to suit your audience.

top secret

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THANK YOU!You were a great audience. Any questions?