Kinesis Survey Technologies Kinesis Webinar December 18 & 19, 2013 Best Practices in Email Sending.

Kinesis Survey Technologies

Kinesis Webinar

December 18 & 19, 2013

Best Practices in Email Sending

© Kinesis Survey Technologies, 2013

Introduction

1. One-Time, Occasional, or Intermittent

Email Campaigns

2. Email Distribution for

Panels, or a Panel-like Approach

Email Sending Best Practices For:

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Security and Regulation

Take precautions when sending emails

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Email_spam_legislation_by_country

Always confirm in-country regulations

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Spam Triggers

• Removal phrase before a link, such as “Click here to be removed from future mailings”• As a best practice, always use the world “unsubscribe” rather than remove

• A high ratio of HTML to text

• Poorly formatted HTML

• Text that begins with “Dear”

• Excessive use of punctuation….

• Use of exclamation marks!!!

• Unusually large or brightly colored fonts

• Use of the word “survey” in an invitation

• Misspellings

• $$$ Dollar signs, mentions of sweepstakes, and anything that connotes financial offerings

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Lists

• Know the Source of the List• Emails sent directly by the original Opt-in Sources

have the best response, and typically the best completion rates

• Be aware of the frequency the list is used• Choosing lists that have less than a 4% bounce rate

each month will help avoid blacklisting

• Determine how the list has been Maintained• Bounce-backs and opt-outs must be purged

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Invitation Design

• Include a clear indication of the sender; name and address• Always provide an opt-out link• Verify the appearance and links• The subject should be well conceived

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Before You Send the Invitation

• Ensure that the invitation is thoughtful and well-designed

• Ensure that the survey is well-designed and tested thoroughly across all devices

• Make sure that the survey is not too lengthy and that incentive matches expectations / is reasonable for what is being asked

• Remember: Respondents can report you even after completing a project

• Always start with a soft launch. If the bounceback or opt-out rate is high, reevaluate your options.

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Reminder Emails

Kinesis removes opt-outs and bouncebacks from the original sender lists. When using other email solutions, you should confirm they are doing the same

There should be virtually no bouncebacks from a reminder email

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Be Kind to Your Community

Dedicated IP addresses do not ensure whitelisting

One sender’s bad practices

can blacklist an entire IP Range.

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Panels

• Panels automatically support and provide a legal mechanism for double opt-in

• Never transfer lists to third parties

• Automatically purge panels of bouncebacks and opt-outs

• Only ask for background details periodically

• Send emails from a recognizable domain

• Clearly state why the email is being sent

• Wrap emails in professional-looking HTML.

• Take advantage of tools that allow for uploading of existing HTML invitations.

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Targeting

• To invite relevant panelists, target with an appropriate query

• Use Sampling tools

• Carefully match projected quota targets

• Factor in the expected incidence rate

• Better targeting leads to a better panel health

• For larger panels, consider routing for sample optimization

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A/B Testing

• Subject Lines• Invitation Text• Invitation design and background themes• Placement of the survey link• Placement of the opt-out link• Incentive levels• Incentive types

Consistent invitation design and text, from one project to the next, increases respondent

confidence that the invitation is legitimate

© Kinesis Survey Technologies, 2013

Best Practices Conclusion

• Understand in-country regulations• Develop an outstanding invitation design, and maintain it• Consider your own preferences when sending invitations• Determine your own best practices through analyzing data• Always test your emails before sending

Contact the Kinesis Client Services team for advice!

© Kinesis Survey Technologies, 2013

Conclusion

Experience the research software platform that is future-proof.

For more information, or to schedule a customized demo, please contact Kinesis.

Email: [email protected]: www.kinesissurvey.com