E-mail Marketing Best Practices

Office Xpats Tuesdays@Noon September 30, 2014 Presented by Marietta Szubski

Key Criteria: Audience POV

Relevance Content Copy Design CTA Destination

“Why should I care?” “Is it engaging?” “Get to the point, and make it quick.” “Looks great, even on my phone.” “What do you want me to do next?” “What’s the connection to the message?”

Key Criteria: Business POV

Relevance Content Copy Design CTA Destination

“Does this topic relate to our biz goals?” “Will the story resonate with our audience?” “Did we make the message memorable?” “Is it on-brand and professionally polished?” “What do you want your audience to do next… and why?” “Does it pay off the message and keep them in our domain?”

Resources: Good Stuff to Know

IMAGES

● ● You can have only one link/destination url per image.

You can have up to 3 images, with 3 separate links in a single band, but they all need to be the same height and their total width needs to add up to the width for your template.

COPY

● ● ● ● You can use a combination of text that you enter or text that is part of the image.

Text that is part of the image looks best if it is on a relatively solid, contrasting background.

Sans Serif fonts (i.e. Verdana, Arial) are easier to read, especially on the small screen of a mobile device.

Keep text short - headlines of 1-3 words and body copy of less than 25 words - think of it as teaser copy.

CTAS

● Use short, active CTAs to point visitors to the deeper story or pay off on your site or blog. Examples: Watch now > Read more > Learn more > Register today > Shop now > Sign up here > Start shopping > Explore more > Event details >

BITS & PIECES TO REMEMBER

● Enter a pre-header at the top of the HTML version that adds more context to your subject line.

● Create a text version of the email. The best way to do this is to enter the text manually in the text version of the email.

● ● Add image descriptions and alt tags to the images you place in the HTML version.

Apply the brand link style to any text links you type into the HTML version.

Resources: Pre-Send Checklist

CONTENT & COPY ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ Topic is relevant and timely Featured products are in stock Subject line - will not trigger spam filters Pre-header - plays off the subject line Headline concisely conveys main idea Body copy is about a single topic CTA uses action words Spelling and grammar have been checked by more than one person Text version created manually Contest rules have been cleared with legal Link to contest rules is included on the page Content is geographically relevant (i.e. don’t send emails about contests and shopping deals to regions/countries where they are not allowed) DESIGN, IMAGES & TYPOGRAPHY ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ Hero image is clean and large enough to display well on a small mobile screen There is high contrast between the image and any text placed over it The image quickly conveys the main idea of the email Typography is on-brand and easily viewed on a mobile device Image titles and descriptions (or Alt Text) have been added along with the destination URL associated with the image in Bronto.

Partner logos are included as mandated in your sponsorship agreements Permission has been granted and photo credits are included if you use an image that is copyright-protected.

TECHNO-BITS ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ Destination URL(s) are within your brand domain Content at destination is live and current Let users know where they are going if it is not a page on your site i.e. your FB page, partner contest page or your brand Instagram page All links work (image, CTA button and in-line text links) from both desktop and mobile views Email has been tested in both desktop and mobile environments and displays well in all key browsers and apps Send time has been scheduled and optimized (if applicable) Check message stats after sending

Resources: External Reference Links

EMAIL MARKETING BEST PRACTICES - 2014 http://www.v12groupinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Best-Practices-Email-Marketing-2014.pdf

SPAM TRIGGER LIST - 2014 http://www.v12groupinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Email-Marketing-Spam-Trigger-List-2014.pdf

EMAIL DELIVERABILITY BEST PRACTICES & GLOBAL LEGAL GUIDELINES http://www.marketo.com/_assets/uploads/Email-Deliverability.pdf?20130916164232

DESIGN TIPS: MOBILE + EMAIL http://image.exct.net/lib/fe641570776d02757515/m/2/EN-MobileInboxDesignTips.pdf

MOBILE IDEA FILE http://www.exacttarget.com/sites/exacttarget/files/deliverables/en-mobileideafile.pdf

Office Xpats Members Special Offer $50 for a 1.5 hour, in-person site review with Marietta Szubski.

We will review: – Navigation – Quality & relevance of content – Quality & relevance of visual elements – Visitor entry points and paths – Calls-to-Action – Discuss/prioritize site improvements Contact Marietta Szubski at [email protected]

to schedule a review session. Offer good through October 15, 2014.