EMAIL MARKETING Sue Fidler Why do email newsletters

EMAIL MARKETING Sue Fidler

• Why do email newsletters? • How to send emails • Audiences – building lists • Getting Delivered and Opened • Design • Content • Reporting • Objectives? • Planning Sue Fidler

Why? More than 80% of UK population have email Email is 99. 9% unique Sue Fidler

Why? Great for fast communications, - nearly all opens are within first 24 rs Good for repeat/follow up messages Good reporting – who and what Good for calls to action - campaigns and appeals Forward to a friend Sue Fidler

How? The mechanisms used to send and deliver bulk emails Three methods: • Outlook/Eudora/Lotus/other PC/pop 3 based email system • In-House bulk email broadcast software • ASP bulk email broadcast software Sue Fidler

Address Book Address Management/history/export/import Subscriptions Subscribes and unsubscribes Bounces Hard (email not there) and Soft (unavailable) 2 part send HTML and Text versions Templates Design, look and feel management Reports Open rate, Click throughs, bounces, unsubscribes HTML email with WYSIWYG editor SPAM Being blocked Bandwidth Internet Pipe size IT Department Sue Fidler

OUTLOOK In-House s/w Purpose X Address Book X Subscriptions X Bounces X 2 part send X Templates X Reports X HTML X SPAM X X Bandwidth X X IT X X Fit for purpose X X Sue Fidler ASP s/w

Who to send to? Any audience – however large or small: The key is not how many audiences you have but whether you have something to say. . . • • • Sue Fidler Supporters/donors Campaigners Clients Users Staff Job Seakers

Names: where do you get them? • Building your own list gets higher open and click through than any bought list • Swap names with peers • Get article in press or other newsletters • Buying lists – don’t without expert help Sue Fidler

Building Lists • where are you asking • ask on every page of your website, • on all on and offline forms, • on fundrasising, marketing, campaiggns, membership asks • target landing pages to offer relevant emails • what are you offering • ONLY ask for what you need • give an example of content • can you offer multiple options to type or frequency? • ask them to help you save money and the environment. . Sue Fidler

Building Lists • thank you email • cross sell • thank you landing page • cross sell • give them options to move onto next thing • opt out practice • send a goodbye email and confirm opt out • don’t forget Forward to A Friend Opt in • do you represent trust? – privacy policy link ALWAYS CHECK ENTRANCE AND EXIT POINTS Sue Fidler

Data Protection • are you registered with the IPO? • only costs £ 35 pa and makes you look professional • where is your data? • who can see it? • who can use it? • how do you manage? • hard bounces (spam) • soft bounces • unsubscribes • you should be able to track and keep history of subscribes and unsubscribes Sue Fidler

Getting Delivered • SPF • Sender ID, • Registered IP address, • Google, hotmail, yahoo white listing Spam check • Subject Line: • don’t use symbols, capitals and FREE OFFER WINNER • Content avoid: • key spam words, large fonts, too many bright colours. Sue Fidler

Checking delivery • seed names into the address books • create gmail, yahoo, hotmail accounts • check design in different browsers Sue Fidler

Getting Opened • FROM address • branded • clear • friendly Sue Fidler

Subject lines • Keep it Short 50 characters or less - 10 words- preview pane only. • Make them curious - ask a leading question • Avoid spam filter words • Create a benefit. "What's in it for me? “ • Create a sense of urgency - stress urgency and timeliness • If relevant make it personal "thank you for your gift to. . . " • reinforce brand, be honest, be relevant, be timely • do not mislead Sue Fidler

Content: Design • 600 -650 pixels wide • Always have "read this in your browser“ • As short as possible - above the fold • Headlines to catch the eye, brief copy, few strong images Sue Fidler

Email Formats • HTML • Text Only Sue Fidler

Sue Fidler

Sue Fidler

Email Formats • HTML • Text Only Critical you do both Sue Fidler

Content: Copy • assume that most people have heard of you before they get your email • once they open it they have expectations based on FROM, subject and who you are • remind people of threads. . like events and campaigns. • highlight "attention nodes" - highlights, callouts. . • be less formal and more personal • dynamic content - adding personalised content beyond contact details. • don’t use forms, they don’t work in most browsers • using video or audio - in the email or onsite Sue Fidler

Content: Personalisation • best if you cab have Dear Firstname • add as much personalisation is relevant: For example if you know corporate name and company: Dear John, Its great that Dixons is supporting our campaign… • add more if it is pertinent – • last donation, action, • conection/attribute or interest • personalised content – if you know their interests produce stories to match Sue Fidler

Segmentation • split openers and clickers into groups • by location • geographic area of interest • subject • lurkers, just general enews. . • can test pushing them one way or another to convert • specialists - donors, campaigners, job seekers, events attendees etc • accept what they want to engage in, • send them specific emails with subtle cross selling Sue Fidler

Content: Call to Action • click through - to where? • tailored landing pages • must match branding, font etc of destination - consistent user experience • either a single very clear message or a small range of options • "vote here" should just have that, • "support our campaign" might have donate, petition, contact MP • tell readers the benefits of their actions • forward/tell your friends. . Corporates now recon 2/3 sales are influenced by shared opinions Sue Fidler

Content: pass it on • forward to a friend • would you recommend us? • testimonials • ask people to reply with comments and feedback • linking to blogs - ask people to comment • social networking - ask people to join facebook, twitter etc Sue Fidler

Integration • where are you inviting people from. . • offline, website, facebook and twitter • here comes our enews • sign up for our upcoming enews • get our latest campaign here. . • read more on our enews • use facebook updates and tweet the same stories • drive traffic to enews from all available source • and from enews to the web Sue Fidler

Content: Bells and Whistles • surveys/polls • objectives, • target audience, • questions clear and concise, • don't use acronyms, • don't ask negatives, • make sure answers are mutually exclusive ie 18 -24 24 -35. • no leading questions • be brief • if it is long have pages to show completion • always send thank you email • always follow up with results Sue Fidler

Content: Virals • have an idea • short and sweet or clever/funny • make it easy to forward • show the benefit • build into bigger picture • measure it • send out press releases to influencers who will blog and tweet • integrate with Facebook, Twitter, You. Tube, etc Sue Fidler

Reporting • opens, click through, • bounce, unsubscribe and replies • who clicked on what • don’t forget who didn’t open or didn’t click. • integrating data into other databases • integrate the email links to analytics. • can you track actions in other mediums? • should you clean your list? Sue Fidler

Sue Fidler

Why? • • Sue Fidler What are the objectives Set Goals/KPI’s Can you place a value on emails, how will you measure? Develop acquisition, retention and reactivation plans Focus on behavior Tailor landing pages Optimise content Map out ongoing campaign plan

Email Ladder • welcome - very high open rate, don’t just say thank you for joining • awareness - purpose: brand awareness bridge media and identify interest • development - purpose: develop involvement , confirm interest/engagement • • conversion - purpose: online action thank you – purpose: cross sell other actions reinfoce engagament • loyalty - purpose: broaden and deepen relationship improve lifetime value Sue Fidler

Planning • Why are you doing it? – set objectives • Who are you sending to? – identify audiences, capture names • What are you communicating? • What are your outcomes? actions • Set you targets • Plan your resources – content, links etc Sue Fidler

Q&A Sue Fidler

Demo Sue Fidler

Sue Fidler sue@suefidler. com 07889 350285 www. suefidler. com www. facebook. com/suefidler twitter. com/Sue. Fidler Charitye. Mail: www. charityemail. co. uk twitter. com/Charitye. Mail