Designing Your Email Program From Online Outreach To Welcome Email- Dylan Boyd, eROI

Designing Your Email Program from Online Outreach to the Welcome Message

Dylan Boyd VP Sales & Strategy | eROI

Blog: TheEmailWars.com Twitter - @dtboyd & @eROI Site: eROI.com

Email Marketing (it works and it’s cheap)

During a time when all marketers need to be smart with every dollar they spend, email is one of the few “go-to” tools with

dramatically low cost and instantaneous accountability.

*Blessing and a Curse*

Email Marketing Email Is “Free” Email Marketing Is Not

$180 - Email Marketing: an Hour a Day by Jeanniey Mullen and David Daniels).

What’s the value of an email address?

0.0035%

To do Online Marketing well, marketers need to be good at so much more than Email + Search.

They need to understand the lead source and communicate clearly and appropriately.

The Online Marketer’s Challenge

1.  How Do They Find You?

2.  Where Do They Land?

3.  How Do You Continue The Conversation?

4.  How Do You Get Them to Act?

Your Audience

Finding Thru Search: Paid vs. Organic

Finding you: Blogs/Social Media

1.  Opt in / Thank you

2.  Welcome Messaging

3.  First Touch

3 Email Program Components

Opt-In

Tips for Opt-In

1.  Call out your Email Opt-in on every page of your site. 2.  Don’t expect them to find it (or read) 3.  Links to samples are effective 4. Give subscribers choices! e.g. frequency (daily,

weekly, monthly), event alerts, etc... 5.  Tell them specifically what they’re signing up for &

how often they’ll hear from you. Keep that promise. 6.  Don’t make someone register (user/pass) for email 7.  Remember, you can get more information later

Examples of Opt-in Questions

Good

Too Much

If you ask them questions...

...don’t ignore the answers. They will spread the word.

Like I am doing now.

Get them in and start the relationship

CBSSports.com Opt-In: Before/After

Welcome Email

2 Types of “Welcome Emails”:

1.  Account Registration/Thank You

2.  Email Communications Opt-In

(Double Opt-In is not viewed as a “Welcome Email”)

Thank You Email: Business Reasons

1. Immediate Recognition

2. Education for the Uninitiated

3. Tests Email Address Validity

4. Begins Behavioral Profile

Thank You: New Account

Welcome: Not Pretty, But Effective

Thank You: Registration

  Thank Them

  Confirmation of Success

  Provide Account Details

  Cross Promote

  Link to Preferences

EventBrite: Thank You/Welcome

  Branded “From” and Email

  Confirmation

  Account Details

  Tools & Resources

  Link to Preferences

A Welcome Email is the first email received after an opt-in and/or confirmation of subscription

This will likely be your highest open rate ever.

Make it count.

Welcome Email

So as you can see the Welcome Emails drastically out performs the Standard Emails on every metric:

Open Rates: 145% Increase Click Rates: 165% Increase Conversion Rates: 442% Increase!!

Welcome messages generate superior open rates and, done well, create a halo effect that boosts subscribers’ engagement with subsequent promotional and trigger emails.

Shopbop: Welcome Email

  Special Offers

  More Details

  Calls to Action

  Whitelist Instructions

  Link to Preferences

TEST, TEST, TEST

The Welcome Email: Business Reasons

1.  Continued Conversation

2.  Exposure to Additional Services/Information

3.  Subscription Management/Progressive Profiling

4.  Opportunity to Award/Reward

1.  Send your welcome message within 24 hours to people who sign up for your e-mail program.

2.  Provide a link to your preference center so subscribers can manage their subscriptions.

3.  Include a welcome offer or other incentive to make a purchase; be creative about incorporating this offer into the subject line without making it too long to display in subscribers’ inboxes.

4.  Provide subscribers with information on the types of content they can expect to receive from you and how frequently.

5.  Include white-listing instructions so subscribers can keep your e-mails out of their junk folders.

6.  Although welcome messages likely are considered transactional under the CAN-SPAM Act, it’s still smart to include an opt-out link in case people change their minds about subscribing.

7.  Try to personalize the content for maximum relevancy and subscriber retention.

8.  Tell subscribers how you intend to use their e-mail addresses or provide a link to your privacy policy.

8 Steps to More Effective Welcome E-mails

A Welcome Message Study: Marketers Are Missing Opportunities to Pave the Road to Relevancy Return Path

CBSSports.com Welcome Email Strategy

First Touch

80% You have 3 chances to set the

relationship before you lose 80% of your future email marketing

performance.

1.  Speeds Up Engagement�

2.  Reduces List Churn�

3.  Inbox Recognition�

4.  Builds Brand

The First Touch: Don’t Wait….Send it!

So, What’s Next?

Be Good at 3 Things

1.  Opt-In

2.  Welcome Messaging

3.  First Touch

Thank you.

dylan@eroi.com @dtboyd

Questions?

Discuss with us on Twitter:

@eROI