Transcript Modern Earth Inc.

Why Email Marketing
Fails
Dan Belhassen
greatBIGnews.com
Modern Earth Inc.
Your session leader
Dan Belhassen
Founder & President of Modern Earth Inc., an
Internet technology company
Website creators, online software developers,
search engine consultants, new media
marketing specialists
Booth in exhibit hall
Don’t believe the session title…
Email marketing can do great things for
your program
IF you follow some best practices..
The promise of Email Marketing
Reach thousands for pennies
Significant ROI
Why not explore this medium?
Budgets are tight?
Internal IT roadblocks?
Concerned about time requirements?
Afraid of being labeled a spammer?
What can they look like?
What can they look like?
What can they look like?
Top 10 Best Practices
Based on LERN practices & feedback
from our clients
Touch your market!
On a regular basis
Based on their need to know
Timely content
New brochure/session starting soon!
Meaningful content
Since you’re interested in kids camps..
Call to action
Registration ends in 6 days!
Send segmented promotions!
 Don’t use one look for all your markets
 Different designs for each of your 7 segment, ie:
Seniors
Boomers
Gen X
Gen Y
Children Activities
ESL
Certificate Courses /
Accreditation courses
Health & Wellness
Sports
Plus an “alert” template to change expectations
Send segmented promotions!
 Sample “General” template
Send segmented promotions!
 Sample “GenX” template
Send segmented promotions!
 Sample “GenY” template
Forget newsletters!
Who has time to READ A NEWSLETTER?
Think PROMOTIONS
Receiver focused
Easy to scan
“What’s in it for me?”
Don’t “over content”
Less is more
Don’t make reading your promo work
Better a fast, interesting read
Give them a reason to read it
Use teaser paragraphs
Small paragraphs
Click link to read full text
Use link tracking to know what people are
actually reading
Measure your results!
Keep track of open & click statistics
The truth about open rates
40% is “Good”
80% periodic readership average
The long tail…
Measure results & seek improvements
Use humour or controversy!
Entertainment drives readership
Readership drives registration
Be different!
Einstein with a clown nose = “serious fun”
Blend promotion & content!
Feature high profile instructors
Use anecdotes
Use past student testimonials
Pass the WIIFM test
Send follow ups!
Use click-through tracking to send
targeted follow ups
Pay attention to what gets low clicks
And what gets high clicks!
Track conversions!
Click-through > website
Website > registration form
Registration form > submission
Sample Marketing Plan
Sample plan is for community programs
Easily modified for other program types
Sample Marketing Plan
Assumptions
4 or 5 brochures per year
Not yet doing email marketing
1,000 initial subscribers
Culled from past reservations
Online registration capability
Detailed for one quarter
Replicate for rest of year
Sample Marketing Plan
August
Modify website to accept email subscribers
Create promotion page with incentive
Free course? Gift certificate draw?
Register with a friend discount?
Let them know clearly what to expect
Train your staff to ABA!
Feature email promos in brochure
Sample Marketing Plan
August
Modify online system to capture email
addresses (opt in if required)
Brochure -2 days
Send promo “watch for brochure..”
Brochure +3 days
“Looked at the brochure yet?
Download instructions
Sample Marketing Plan
September
Create a series of spotlight promotions
10 courses in one theme
Include images and more details
Sidebar for “courses in danger”
Low & high enrollment
Once per week for 4 weeks
Sample Marketing Plan
October
Promo every 2 weeks
Spotlight 6 upcoming courses
Focus on “part two” courses
Sample Marketing Plan
November
One promotion
Promote upcoming winter brochure
(also any other up-coming courses)
Sample Marketing Plan
Replicate plan for other 4 or 5 brochures
Modify as suitable for your programs
Create a plan, stick to it, evolve it
Gathering email addresses
Gathering email addresses
Ask for them!
“Do you want to be notified of upcoming
courses?”
Phone / online registration
Phone inquiry
Website prompt
In the classroom (evaluation form)
Community course promotion events
Selecting a system
Key features
Deliverability
Tracking (opens, click-throughs)
Import subscribers & prevent duplicates
Capture email from website
Send to a friend w/self sign up option
Design matches your branding
Questions?
Dan Belhassen
(866) 766-7640
[email protected]
Presentation available at
http://modernearth.net/lern2006
See me at our booth in exhibit hall
Thank you!
www.greatBIGnews.com
www.modernearth.net
Presentation available at http://modernearth.net/lern2006