Overcoming the 3 Challenges to Optimizing Your Email Program

Moderator:  Ali  Swerdlow  VP,  Industry  Rela1ons  LiveIntent  @swerdtoyourmom  @LiveIntent  

Chris  Arrendale  CEO  Inbox  Pros  @Arrendale  @InboxPros  

Tami  Forman  VP,  Corporate  Marke1ng    &  Communica1ons  Return  Path  @TamiMForman  @returnpath  

We’re the only real-time ad optimization platform for email newsletters

Putting ads in email is a natural thing.

We’ve aligned with key partners to ensure our publishers and advertisers maximize their investment in their email marketing programs and in their LiveIntent engagement.

Inbox Pros & Return Path for LiveIntent Clients

State of the Inbox One fantastic opportunity Three real challenges.

Opportunity Email optimization. The inbox has evolved into a powerful market hub.

Who uses email? Everyone (Literally. Everyone.)

Daily Usage

Over one-third of the worldwide population will be using email by year end 2019. - The Radicati Group, Inc. "Email Statistics Report,

2015-2019" (2015) 

Email wins on mobile devices

ExactTarget  “Mobile  Behavior  report”  (2014)  

The inbox knows us: What we buy, what we watch, what we care about.

It’s also where we take action. We engage with email. We like it.

Three Challenges 1.  Gaining access 2.  Gaining trust 3.  Gaining advantage

Three Challenges 1.  Gaining access 2.  Gaining trust 3.  Gaining advantage

The inbox is hard to reach

Source:  Return  Path  Inbox  Placement  Benchmark  Report,  September  2014  

4 Steps to Reaching the Inbox

1. Configure – Set up authentication - SPF,

SenderID, DomainKeys, DKIM.

4 Steps to Reaching the Inbox

2. Make Friends – Get signed up on all feedback loops

and white lists possible – not all ISPs and inbox providers have one, but do the research and sign up!

– Research reputation.

4 Steps to Reaching the Inbox

3. Design Campaigns – Make sure your image-to-text ratio is ~30:70.

–  Include an “Add to Address Book” statement.

–  Brand messages.

–  Include text or html unsubscribe link (not an image) – one click opt-out is best.

–  Include postal address in footer.

Anatomy of a successful email

To: John Smith From: Lenovo

Subject Line

HTML Headline for Email Subject

Hi, John,

Text. Embedded call-to-action.

Text.

Text. Re-iterate call-to-action.

Graphic

Graphic

Pre-header Text

Text.

Footer + Unsubscribe Verbiage

Ensure subject lines are substantive (not promotional) and speak to business benefits; ideal length is 100-140 characters and more than 16 words

Personalization is optimal in B2B emails for higher conversions; avoid “Dear X.”

Ensure domain reputation for landing page URLs remains high; also, make sure there are both text and graphic links to landing page

Smaller section graphic or highlight graphic of offering in the content offer email

Include pre-header test that is essentially the “boilerplate version” of your Content Offer email

Maintain 70/30 ratio with essential graphics highlighting Content Offer or product/service

Design email content with “images off,” ensure high mobile readability

Optimize the footer and unsubscribe verbiage

4 Steps to Reaching the Inbox

4. Maintain –  Keep user engagement high – target recipients

with relevant content and stop sending to any that are not interested.

–  Keep your abuse complaint rate below 0.3% -remove complaints immediately.

–  Keep your bounce rates below 10% - remove hard bounces immediately.

–  Entice and remind recipients to add your from address to their address book.

Delivered ≠ Inbox

What is Deliverability?

•  Delivered is the way to measure that the email was accepted by the recipient’s mail server

•  Deliverability is getting to the inbox and

measuring the open/click statistics

Understanding Bounces

•  Hard bounces – Occur when the email server rejects the

email due to permanent conditions

–  Examples: bad mailbox, bad domain

•  Soft bounces – Occur when the email server rejects the

email due to a temporary condition

–  Examples: mailbox full, temporary ISP block

Bounces & Sender Reputation

•  Bounce rates impact your Sender Reputation •  If your bounce rates are too high, the ISP may

think you are a spammer and may block your domain or IP address

•  There is no “magic number” that can get you blocked/bulked

Reputation-based filtering works.

Spam in the Inbox

3% <

Email Filtering

Complaints

Source:  Marke1ngSherpa,  2015  

List Management

Sending Volumes

•  Sending volumes to smaller domains is key to getting delivered.

•  Major ISPs publish rate limits and connection settings.

•  B2B and smaller B2C domains do not publish these settings.

•  Key is to send smaller volumes to not ‘flood’ the recipient’s mail server.

•  Get whitelisted, if possible.

•  Communicate this with your subscribers!

Reporting – Keys to Deliverability

•  Inbox Placement Rate

•  Open rates: How many subscribers open your newsletter

•  Click rates: How many subscribers click the link on your newsletter

•  Bounce rates: How many emails don’t make it into the inbox

•  Complaints: How many “abuse” complaints your campaign receives

•  Unsubscribes: How many people unsubscribe from your newsletter

5 Metric Takeaways

1.  Fear not, the word "free" will not automatically send your email to the junk folder.

2.  Yahoo! accepts only 1 out of 8 emails.

3.  47% of subscribers use the "spam" button to unsubscribe.

4.  77% of marketers experience emails being diverted to the spam folder.

5.  Many URL shorteners are on blacklists. Don’t use them!

Three Challenges 1.  Gaining access 2.  Gaining trust 3.  Gaining advantage

Around the world, 16 million phishing messages arrive in inboxes every single day… Source: Symantec Security Technology and Response Group, August 2012

…50% of them are opened… …10% of them are clicked on Source: Symantec Security Technology and Response Group, August 2012

Message A Message B

Message A Message B

Authentication – Your Passport to the Network

IP and domain authentication are very important for deliverability •  SPF

–  IP Authentication –  DNS record update supplied by your MAP or ESP

•  DKIM

–  Domain Authentication –  DNS record update supplied by your MAP or ESP

DMARC.org

“If your domain doesn’t protect itself with DMARC, you will be increasingly likely to see your messages sent directly to a spam folder or even rejected.” Google Product Manager John Rae-Grant

DMARC: anti-phishing standard today, inbox placement factor tomorrow

Source: DMARC.org, press release, February 2015

Three Challenges 1.  Gaining access 2.  Gaining trust 3.  Gaining advantage

The inbox is an everyday battle for consumers’ attention. Who’s your competition? Are you winning?

15.5%

VS

READ  RATE  FOR  HOME    DEPOT’S  CAMPAIGNS  IS    

HIGHER  BY  

15.5%

VS

80%

WINNER:  HOME  DEPOT!  

34%

VS

READ  RATE  FOR  KOHL’S  CAMPAIGNS  IS  HIGHER  BY  

34%

VS

13%

WINNER:  KOHL’S!  

20%

VS

THE  READ  RATE  FOR  PIZZA  HUT’S  CAMPAIGNS  IS    

HIGHER  BY  

20%

VS

41%

WINNER:  PIZZA  HUT!  

Email Optimization Gaining access. Gaining trust. Gaining advantage.

Key Takeaways

1.  The inbox is full of opportunity – to engage with your audience, learn more about them and drive them to action

2.  Getting to the inbox is the key to optimizing email marketing results – know your inbox placement rate (IPR) and the factors that drive it

3.  Lack of trust in email authenticity will drive down response rates and erode your brand equity – batten down the hatches to prevent fraud

4.  The inbox is a unique media environment where the battle for attention is intense – know who you are competing against and how you stack up

Moderator:  Ali  Swerdlow  VP,  Industry  Rela1ons  LiveIntent  @swerdtoyourmom  @LiveIntent  

Chris  Arrendale  CEO  Inbox  Pros  @Arrendale  @InboxPros  

Tami  Forman  VP,  Corporate  Marke1ng    &  Communica1ons  Return  Path  @TamiMForman  @returnpath  

Q&A