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Handbook: Email Marketing Advanced Practices
Handbook: Email Marketing Advanced Practices
Email Marketing
Advanced Practices
Proven processes for accelerating
email marketing performance
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EXCERPT
MarketingSherpa 2011 Email Marketing Advanced Practices Handbook
Email Marketing
Advanced Practices Handbook
Proven processes for accelerating email marketing performance
Lead Author
W. Jeffrey Rice, Research Analyst
Contributing Authors
Sergio Balegno, Research Director
Jen Doyle, Senior Research Analyst
Kaci Bower, Research Analyst
Adam Sutton, Reporter
Production Editor
Brad Bortone, Associate Editor
All rights reserved. No part of this report may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, faxing, emailing, posting online or by any
information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the Publisher.
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MarketingSherpa 2011 Email Marketing Advanced Practices Handbook
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Table of Contents .................................................................................................................... ii
Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 1
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MarketingSherpa 2011 Email Marketing Advanced Practices Handbook
Mobile ..................................................................................................................................... 32
New challenges................................................................................................................................... 32
New opportunities ............................................................................................................................... 32
Helpful hints: ....................................................................................................................................... 33
Have a Mobile Web presence ...................................................................................................... 33
Research ..................................................................................................................................... 33
Ensure an excellent experience ................................................................................................... 34
Section summary: Integrate email into overall marketing strategy ............................................... 35
Chapter 2 notes .................................................................................................................................. 36
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Segmenting ............................................................................................................................ 93
Database driven .................................................................................................................................. 93
Endemic data ............................................................................................................................... 93
Transactional data ....................................................................................................................... 93
Behavioral .................................................................................................................................... 93
Computed data ............................................................................................................................ 94
Implementation strategies ................................................................................................................... 94
Sales cycle .................................................................................................................................. 94
Customer motivation .................................................................................................................... 94
Case study: One-two campaign punch grows email and mobile lists .......................................... 95
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Case study: 'Mind Type' segmenting lifts email donations 42.5%: 6 steps to find subscribers'
underlying motivations ................................................................................................................. 98
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MarketingSherpa 2011 Email Marketing Advanced Practices Handbook
Results.................................................................................................................................. 191
Benchmarks ...................................................................................................................................... 191
Chart: Email list growth trend, by primary channel .................................................................... 192
Section summary: Analysis, measurement and results ............................................................. 193
Chapter 8 notes ......................................................................................................................... 194
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MarketingSherpa 2011 Email Marketing Advanced Practices Handbook
INTRODUCTION
Today, marketers are under more pressure to amplify brand awareness, deliver qualified leads, and
increase online transactions, even as the numbers of communication channels exponentially grow through
social media and mobile devices.
Our goal for this Handbook is to provide you with a trusted resource for advanced email practice. In the
recently published 2011 Email Marketing Benchmark Report, email marketers from Fortune 500 companies
to small "mom-and-pop" stores told us their most prevalent challenges. The most notable challenges were:
Additionally, we listened to marketers at MarketingSherpa Summits, workshops and various online media
discuss the latest trends regarding email, social media and mobile marketing.
RISING EXPECTATIONS
With the increased use of social media and location-based marketing, email recipients' expectations have
risen. Consumers are no longer willing to accept generic email blasts that show up in their inbox. Today,
customers and prospects demand relevant emails to help them solve a problem. They expect to be able to
respond to a person, not a no-reply@address.com, and are very selective in the type of emails they receive,
from coupons and new products, to communications from the CEO.
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MarketingSherpa 2011 Email Marketing Advanced Practices Handbook
Adding to the challenge (or for some, the opportunity), inboxes are becoming more sophisticated, with
tools such as Google’s Gmail Priority Inbox, Microsoft’s Hotmail and Gist, all of which use algorithms and
behavior patterns to determine which messages are significant, which ones can be deleted, and what needs
immediate attention.
PERFORMANCE PATH
Consumers are overloaded with messages and may be experiencing email fatigue. Implementing advanced
email techniques to engage customers is a requirement for increasing relevancy and response rates. Proper
execution is determined by your insights, innovation and systematic dedication to continuous
improvement.
YOUR INSIGHTS
Every customer is an individual with unique preferences. Each of the marketing tactics in your arsenal has
distinct qualities, and as a marketer it is your job to tailor them to your audience. Best practices are a good
place to start, but do not discount the breadth of knowledge you already possess from your customers,
your products and the competition. Your company’s values and brand voice will also guide you in
manufacturing meaningful communications.
As marketers, we strive to become more aligned with the sales team, and on some days will need to
evangelize the latest marketing tactics to meet a customer’s preference. On other days we will defend the
current e-marketing strategy, urging colleagues not to add one more link, picture or offer in
communications by explaining there is a high price to pay for clutter.
These are the moment-to-moment judgments of knowing when to innovate and when to be risk-averse.
Only you know what is best for your company. Experimenting with different approaches to try to
outperform your current marketing initiatives is essential. When we actively seek out key performance
indicators and which areas need improvement, upholding our strategy will be easier.
CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Instituting formal and repeatable email processes has been a priority for marketers for some time. While
many companies have made progress, the following charts show there is more work to be done. Best
practices and sales and marketing intuition are not enough to achieve a level of email marketing maturity.
Instead it will take a measurable and repeatable methodology by which people, process and technology are
aligned to effectively engage customers from information to conversion.
First, look at the impact of an organization’s email marketing maturity on effectiveness. MarketingSherpa
defines email marketing maturity in three phases, Trial, Transition and Strategic.
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MarketingSherpa 2011 Email Marketing Advanced Practices Handbook
Organization does not have a Organization has an informal Organization has a formal process
process or guidelines for process with a few guidelines it with thorough guidelines it
performing email marketing. sporadically performs. routinely performs.
CHART: HALF OF ALL ORGANIZATIONS STUCK BETWEEN TRIAL PHASE AND STRATEGIC PHASE OF
MATURITY
We do not have a
process or
guidelines for
performing email We have a formal
marketing (Trial process with
phase) thorough
14% guidelines we
routinely perform
(Strategic phase)
37%
We have an
informal process
with a few
guidelines we
sporadically
perform
(Transition phase)
49%
MarketingSherpa’s 2011 Email Marketing Benchmark Report made a clear correlation between the phase of
an organization’s email marketing maturity and the effectiveness of its email programs. This is
demonstrated by the following chart.
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MarketingSherpa 2011 Email Marketing Advanced Practices Handbook
48%
Increasing sales
27%
revenue
22%
44%
Building brand
33%
awareness
33%
36%
Improving customer
23%
relations/retention
21%
34%
Supporting offline
24%
marketing programs
9%
Effectiveness is a key difference between organizations in each phase of email marketing maturity. Email is
clearly more effective at achieving the objectives of organizations in the strategic phase than it is for
organizations in less mature phases. This disparity creates a sound business case for investing in the
necessary marketing education and training to advance from your current phase of email marketing
maturity to the next.
To complete the worksheet, circle one number in each row that corresponds with the column heading that
best describes the process you use for each tactic. For example, circle 5 in the first row if your organization
has a formal, documented process with thorough guidelines that is routinely performed for overall
execution of list generation campaigns. If your organization has not begun to formulate a process for this
tactic, circle 1. After circling one number in each row, sub-total each column and combine columns for your
total score. Matching this score to the phase shown in the bottom row will determine where your
organization is now in the email marketing maturity lifecycle.
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MarketingSherpa 2011 Email Marketing Advanced Practices Handbook
Executing a variety of
list building tactics
1 3 5
Creating relevant
content and shipping it 1 3 5
in a timely fashion
Monitoring your
deliverability
reputation and
routinely updating
1 3 5
email lists with
recipients preferences
Integrating email
marketing with both on 1 3 5
and off-line tactics
Sub-Totals
Total
B2B Marketing Trial Phase: 5 - 7 Transition Phase: 9-15 Strategic Phase: 17- 25
Maturity
MAKING LEAPS
Email is one of the hardest working tools in the marketing toolbox. Strategically, email plays an important
role in achieving a wide range of marketing objectives. Tactically, email appears to have unlimited potential
especially when integrated with a multitude of marketing including emerging channels like social media.
However as a mature tactic, performance improvements are no longer measured in quantum leaps but in
incremental steps. To accelerate email marketing performance marketers will need to combine a number of
success factors and have them work synergistically.
MarketingSherpa has created the LEAPS methodology for elevating email marketing effectiveness. This is
broken out into five key areas summarized on the next page.
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MarketingSherpa 2011 Email Marketing Advanced Practices Handbook
In this section, you’ll learn how to develop a strategy to build a quality list
of brand evangelists for your company based on your resources and
Leverage all target audience. First, examine your current subscribers. Discover if they
are engaged and receiving information they determine relevant. Design a
tactics to build robust preference page including opt-down options, and even ask
quality lists recipients to unsubscribe. Then turn your attention to adding new
subscribers with a mix of offline and online tactics right for your brand.
We’ll teach latest ways to systematically grow a core group of fervent
fans.
All of a marketers effort will be for not, if their messages do not reach the
recipient’s inbox. Understanding your relationship with ISPs and how
Act respectfully your reputation affects your deliverability success is the first step. Next,
to ensure take strategic action on your methods for handling complaints, list
hygiene, relevant content and sending permanence to protect your
deliverability reputation. Maintain best practices from diligent lead capture to legal
compliance. Implementing repeatable deliverability processes will give
you an edge in the ever changing email landscape. As new regulations roll
out and Web mail providers enhance their filters to prioritize emails in
their customers’ inboxes your team will keep pace.
The two most frequently discussed marketing topics are social media and
the fast adoption rates of smartphones. Like other tactics in your
Sync email with marketing toolkit, combining email can create positive synergy and
social media and tangible benefits to your program. Learn the evolving best practices to
leverage the power of social media for sharing and list growth. Develop
smartphones email messages to meet the new requirements on smaller screens and a
mobile lifestyle.
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MarketingSherpa 2011 Email Marketing Advanced Practices Handbook
The LEAPS methodology is interwoven throughout the handbook. Sections significant to the LEAPS
methodology will be highlighted for easy recognition. By focusing on the five factors you will be able to
prioritize your areas for improvement. As each of the five factors are interrelated, even small improvements
in one area will positively impact the others. For example, the steps taken to build a quality subscriber list
will pay dividends in your ability to create engaging content and ensure reliable delivery.
Overall, this book is designed for you to quickly select chapters that will help you execute effective email
communications. Each section is filled with research data, best practices and case studies. The idea is that
you will continuously experiment in small increments, moving from best practices, to customization and
testing, and then repeat the process. The goal is not perfection, but rather ongoing improvement – giving
you the freedom to try new tactics while meeting your ship dates.
As a community of marketers, we understand how quickly things change. As you read and experiment,
please feel free to share your findings on the MarketingSherpa LinkedIn group. There, we can continue this
conversation and share both our challenges and successes.
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