Baltimore, Maryland

Blue Sky FactoryDriving Email Marketing Performance

How to Grow Your Subscriber Database

Thursday, May 28 20093:00 PM

Agenda

• The Importance of List Growth

• The Opt-In Process

• Subscriber Preferences

• Viral Emails and Social Media

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The Importance of List Growth

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The Importance of List Growth• Highest ROI

– Email has the highest ROI (return on investment) for all online media • For every dollar spent on email marketing, marketers can expect an estimated $45.06 ROI. – DMA,

2008

• Increase in Sales– Increase in subscribers can mean an increase in sales

• Consumers who subscribed to email newsletters generated 34.25% more product sales. -MarketingSherpa

• Email presently generates 21.6% of total revenue from [marketing] campaigns. – DMA, 2008

• Customers Prefer Email– Email is widely used and preferred by your customers

• Over 90% of internet users between age 18 and 72 and 74% of internet users age 64 and older send and receive email, making it the most popular online activity for all age groups. - Pew Internet and American Life Project, 2009

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Email is Different

• Direct

• Highly personal

• Email users are picky

• Anything can be considered SPAM

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The Opt-In Process

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Getting them to your Website

• Organic Search• Paid Search• Online Advertising• Cross Promotion with other media• Direct Mail and Collateral• Blogging• Tweeting

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Getting the Opt-In

• Permission-Based Email– A list of true opt-in subscribers will garner the best results

• No pre-checked boxes or tricks

• Consider using incentives

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Email Offerings

• Tell them what they will receive

• Include newsletter titles and a brief description of what you offer

• Show the frequency at which they are sent

• Include other email offerings – Specials, Press Releases, etc.

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Email Offerings (cont’d)

• Show preview of an email• Give them access to see

previous emails also• Example: Charlotte-

Mecklenburg Schools

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Signing up on your Website

• Make the sign-up easy• Provide sign-up on every page and/or prominent on

homepage• Example: Active

Junky

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Signing up on your Website (cont’d)

• Include a dedicated Thank You page• Example: Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools

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Signing Up Offline

• Capture opt-ins offline as well – Trade Shows– Seminars– Networking Events

• Make it clear that they will receive email• If you receive email addresses from hosts, use an

engagement campaign• Follow up quickly• Personalize a welcome email

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Welcome Email

• Send a Welcome Email as soon as possible• Confirm the benefits of your mailings

– 78% of welcome emails explained the benefits of signing up. - Email Experience Council

• Confirm frequency/type of email• Use Branding• Provide whitelisting information

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Welcome Email (cont’d)• Link to your website and/or email archive • Opportunity to unsubscribe and update preferences • Example: Active Junky

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Subscriber Preferences

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Contact Updates

• Subscribers can edit or add to their contact information

• Allow them to add data that you did not acquire during their initial sign-up – Name– Demographic Information– Geographic Information– Areas of Interest

• Use data for personalization

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Cross Promotion

• Allow users to update email communications that they receive from you

• Current subscriptions should be checked by default

• Example: BSF

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Format

• Multi-part emails: HTML & Text– Allow subscribers that read email on a PDA to receive a

plain text only version • 64% of key decision makers are viewing your carefully crafted

email on their Blackberry's and other mobile devices, according to new data. – Marketing Sherpa

• Always include a View In Browser link

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Frequency• Do not over email!

• Frequency should be determined on a list-by-list basis

• Allow subscribers to choose the amount of email they receive from you – 37.4% say they receive more email than they expected when they

signed up. - Return Path

• Compile data from daily emails into a weekly email, or weeklies into a monthly

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Test Frequency

• Test frequency to find the right formula for your subscribers – Do they want your email daily, weekly, or monthly? – Do they prefer a certain day or a certain time of month? – Find the right balance or you will lose your audience

• Track results in opens, clicks, opt-outs

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Viral Emails and Social Media

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Viral Marketing

• Most successful viral campaigns are unique, interactive or humorous

• Make your content “forwardable”

• Include a Forward to a Friend link

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Social Media Sharing

• Subscribers are increasingly savvy in social media usage• Give the option to share the email with networks• Include a Subscribe link to entice new subscribers• Example: BSF

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Thank You!

Melanie SimsBlue Sky Factory, Inc

msims@blueskyfactory.com

Please visit us online: http://www.blueskyfactory.com

Our blog: http://blog.blueskyfactory.com/

Q&A