Transcript Here

The Insider Secrets to The
Most Effective Form of
Online Communication
By Ryan P. Allis, CEO of iContact
April 12, 2008
HYATT REGENCY ORANGE COUNTY
So, What’s The Most Effective
Form of Online Communication?
LESSON: Thoughts become things
The Most Effective Form of
Online Communication is…
LESSON: Thoughts become things
LESSON: Thoughts become things
Everybody uses it
It’s ubiquitous
It’s asynchronous
SPAM
CIALIS
WIRE FRAUD
BUY NOW!!!
I’M LONELY TONIGHT
But email gets
a bad rap…
LESSON: Thoughts become things
CRACKBERRY ADDICTS
NO MORE FREEDOM
NO MORE TIME
EMAIL
LESSON: Thoughts become things
Used Because
It’s Effective,
Since 1965
EMAIL
LESSON: Thoughts become things
LET’S GIVE IT
SOME LOVE
So, email is the most effective
form of online communication.
LESSON: Thoughts become things
But, what is the most effective
form of online marketing???
LESSON: Thoughts become things
HINT:
EMAIL
EMAIL + MARKETING =
MARKETING
LESSON: Thoughts become things
When email is one-to-one it’s
just email.
LESSON: Thoughts become things
When email is one-to-many, it’s
email marketing.
LESSON: Thoughts become things
Today, I have a Big Hairy Audacious Goal
Mr. Gorilla,
the Email Marketer
My BHAG is…
To create over 300 new Certified Expert Email
Marketers (CEEMs)
THE TWO
TYPES OF
EMAIL
MARKETING
There are two types of email
marketing…
LESSON: Thoughts become things
GRRR!
SPAM
LESSON: Thoughts become things
OPT-IN
What’s the best way to turn your
prospects into customers?
LESSON: Thoughts become things
AND what’s the best way to turn
those customers into lifetime
evangelizers?
LESSON: Thoughts become things
OPT-IN
EMAIL
MARKETING
LESSON: Thoughts become things
THE AXIOM OF
VALUE
LESSON: Thoughts become things
THE 3 TYPES OF
OPT-IN
Opt-in can only occur if there is
permission
LESSON: Thoughts become things
There are different types of opt-in
THE KEY TO
PERMISSION
1. Single Opt-In
2. Notified Opt-in
3. Confirmed Opt-in
THE KEY TO
PERMISSION
THE 3 SACRED
RULES OF
PERMISSION
Even if there is permission, a
message can still be spam
LESSON: Thoughts become things
You must be clear about:
LESSON: Thoughts become things
1. WHAT YOU’LL BE SENDING
2. HOW OFTEN
3. FROM WHOM
Disclose at the point of sign-up
the content, frequency, and the
sender
LESSON: Thoughts become things
LESSON: Thoughts become things
The 3 Sacred Rules…
1. Don’t send something
different that what you said you
would
LESSON: Thoughts become things
2. Don’t send something more or
less frequently than you said you
would
LESSON: Thoughts become things
3. Don’t let other people/brands
send anything to your list (unless
disclosed)
LESSON: Thoughts become things
Violate any of these three sacred
rules…
LESSON: Thoughts become things
THE VALUE OF
OPT-IN EMAIL
MARKETING
So, opt-in email marketing is
communicating to existing
customers, members, and
prospects
LESSON: Thoughts become things
Opt-in email marketing pays back
$15.50 in return for every $1
spent
LESSON: Thoughts become things
Source: Winterberry Group, May 2006
What can opt-in email marketing
do for your business?
LESSON: Thoughts become things
Email Marketing…
• Drives repeat sales, referrals and customer lifetime value
• Increases prospect conversion, keeps your company at
top of mindLESSON: Thoughts become things
• Is easy to use and at a low cost, with measurable results
• Has the highest ROI on any online tool, $15.50 in return
for every dollar spent
Attract
Convert
Retain
Email marketing (done right) will
greatly increase your:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Prospect-to-customer conversion
Repeat visits
Repeat orders
Customer lifetime value
LESSON: Thoughts become things
THE 8 USES OF
OPT-IN EMAIL
MARKETING
How can you use email
marketing in your organization?
LESSON: Thoughts become things
You can send:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Monthly newsletters
LESSON: e-courses
Thoughts become things
Automatic
Sale promotions
Weekly coupons
Customer surveys
Group member updates
Donor fundraisers
Paid insider-only content
THE 5 STEPS
TO GETTING
STARTED
QUICKLY
1. Determine if you want to
manage your email list manually
or automatically
LESSON: Thoughts become things
2. Upload your existing list
LESSON: Thoughts become things
3. Put a sign-up form on your
home page (and all pages) with
clear disclosure and value
statement
LESSON: Thoughts become things
4. Select your template and
insert your content
LESSON: Thoughts become things
5. Send on the schedule you set
and track your results
LESSON: Thoughts become things
WHAT TO LOOK
FOR
Key Features to Look For
Key Features to Look for in an Email Marketing Product
 Open & Click Through Tracking
 Bounceback Handling
 Sign-up Form Tool
 CAN-SPAM Compliance
 Pre-Designed Templates
 WYSIWYG Editor
 Multiple Lists
 Image Hosting
 Subscriber Management
 List Importing
 Web-based
 List Segmentation
 Autoresponder Tool
 Survey Tool
 RSS Feed Tool
 SpamCheck
 Public Newsletter Archiving
 Published Inbox Deliverability Rates
GETTING GREAT
INBOX
DELIVERABILITY
Getting InboxGetting
Delivery
Inbox Delivery
1. Make sure your Email Service Provider is whitelisted with AOL,
Yahoo, Gmail, and Hotmail
2. Make sure your ESP isn’t currently on any blacklists
3. Make sure your ESP has feedback looks set up
4. Ask your subscribers to add your email address to their address
book
5. Use SpamCheck to ensure your message doesn’t have any
trigger words or trigger elements
6. Don’t use trigger words in your subject lines
7. Use consistent from names
8. Use the same from address every time
Words to Avoid
Getting Inbox Delivery
Elements to Avoid
Getting Inbox Delivery
1. Avoid CSS
2. Avoid Javascript
3. Avoid Forms
4. Avoid using ALL CAPS
5. Avoid using just an image with no text
6. Avoid
Big Red Lettering
Getting Inbox Delivery
The Keys to CAN-SPAM
20 WAYS TO
BUILD YOUR
LIST
Build your list through:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Trade Shows
Seminars conferences
Point-of-sale
forms
LESSON: Thoughts become things
Squeeze pages and lightboxes
Events
Free report response ads
Your email signature
Co-registration
LESSON: Thoughts become things
Create an effective sign-up form
by:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Positioning it above the fold
LESSON: Thoughts become things
Having an overwhelming value proposition
Offering an opt-in incentive
Collecting whatever data you will want to
segment by
5. Minimizing fields for maximizing sign-ups
LESSON: Thoughts become things
LESSON: Thoughts become things
LESSON: Thoughts become things
LESSON: Thoughts become things
LESSON: Thoughts become things
PERSONALIZE
YOUR
MESSAGES
Without Personalization…
LESSON: Thoughts become things
With Personalization…
LESSON: Thoughts become things
Standard Fields
The standard mail-merge fields are usually along the lines of:
Prefix - [prefix]
First Name - [fname]
Last Name - [lname]
Suffix - [suffix]
Business Name - [business]
Email - [email]
Phone - [phone]
Fax - [fax]
Address 1 - [address1]
Address 2 - [address2]
City - [city]
State - [state]
Zip - [zip]
List Name - [listname]
WRITE GOOD
SUBJECT LINES
Write Compelling Subject Lines…
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Answer what’s it in for them
Open with a benefit or curiosity
Create aLESSON:
sense
of urgency
Thoughts
become things
Personalize it
Keep it under 35 characters
BAD
ENTREPRENEURSHIP CHRONICLE FOR
AUGUST 2008
LESSON: Thoughts become things
GOOD
[fname]’s Entrepreneurship Chronicle
BAD
Want to get out of the city this weekend?
LESSON: Thoughts become things
GOOD
[fname], want to get out of [city] this
weekend?
A good open rate is 20%
LESSON: Thoughts become things
A great open rate is anything
above 30%
A good CTR is 2%
LESSON: Thoughts become things
A great CTR is anything above 4%
9 TIPS TO WRITE
GREAT
NEWSLETTERS
Write Compelling Newsletters…
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Provide quality content and make the value to the
reader clear
Build a long
term
relationship
and
use
a
consistent
LESSON: Thoughts become things
voice
Describe compelling benefits for your offering.
Use credibility indicators
Don’t use long copy, or sell directly in the email
Use lots of links, drive traffic to the site
Use the calendar to send date-relevant promotions
Create urgency with limited time offers
Have a clear call to action at the end
USE LIST
SEGMENTATION
You can use list segmentation to:
1. Target specific demographics
2. Provide a discount to active customers
3. Send separate messages to customers
who open or click more
4. Create sub-groups based on survey
response data
TRACK &
OPTIMIZE YOUR
RESULTS
You can use an ESP to track
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Opens
Clicks
ForwardsLESSON: Thoughts become things
Bounces
Complaints
Unsubscribes
Split test different subject lines,
content, and days with subsets of
your list
LESSON: Thoughts become things
Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and
Thursdays mornings and early
afternoons are generally best
times to send emails
LESSON: Thoughts become things
LESSON: Thoughts become things
CREATE AN
AUTORESPONDER
ECOURSE
MY TOP 8
EMAIL
MARKETING
TIPS
Top 8 Email Marketing Tips
1.
Start Email Marketing Today :Email marketing is the most cost effective means of
reaching prospects, constituents, and customers.
2.
Put a Sign-Up Form On Your Site: A big mistake of web site owners is sending out
an email newsletter but not putting a sign-up form on your web site.
3.
Be Clear About What You Will Send and How Often: The biggest cause of spam
complaints is recipients not receiving what they expected to receive when they
opted-in. Send valuable content on a set schedule and be clear in your opt-in form.
4.
Send During the Best Times: The best times to send an email to consumer
addresses are: Tuesday through Thursday 6pm to 8pm and Sunday 7pm to 9pm.
The best times to send an email to business addresses are: Tuesday through
Thursday 9am to 11am, 1pm to 3pm.
Top 8 Email Marketing Tips Continued
5. Maximize Deliverability: Add a message at the top of your emails that says "To ensure
receipt of our emails, please add [email protected] to your Address Book."
Make sure to use the SpamCheck feature.
6. Have a Consistent From Name: Use either your company name or the name of a person at
your company. Once you choose a From Name, keep it consistent.
7. Send HTML & Text: Include both a plain text and an HTML version of your newsletter. If you
don’t include a plain text message, around 5% of your recipients will see a message with
nothing in it.
8. Build Your List At Every Opportunity: If you have a retail location, add a point-of-sale sign
up form. At conferences or events, ask everyone you speak with if you may add them to
your list after you exchange business cards. Add your newsletter sign-up form to every page
on your web site.
THE ROLE OF
EMAIL IN THE 3
TYPES OF
MARKETING
Three Types of Marketing
There are three types of marketing:
• Acquisition marketing
• Conversion marketing
• Retention Marketing
1. Acquisition Marketing
Acquisition marketing acquires prospects via:
A. Display Advertising (Cost Per Impression)
B. Cost Per Click Advertising
C. Organic Search Optimization
D. Co-registration Deals
E. Affiliate/CPA Marketing
F. Social Media Marketing
A. Display Advertising
Ad Servers
• DoubleClick (Google), Atlas (Microsoft), Zedo, or Open Adstream
• MediaVisor, RFPs, IOs
Ad Networks
• Tribal Fusion
• Advertising.com
• Tacoda
• AdBrite
• 24/7 Real Media
• aQuantive
• Blue Lithium
• Casale Media
• Revenue Science
• DrivePM
• Value Click
Acquisition Marketing
B. Cost Per Click Advertising
Major Networks (90%)
• Google Adwords (65%)
• Yahoo Panama (17%)
• Microsoft AdCenter (8%)
All Other Networks (10%)
• Kanoodle
• Miva
• Findwhat
• 7Search
• Zango
C. Organic Search Optimization
Basic Steps to Rank Well for Competitive Search Terms:
1. Determine Keyphrase: Determine which target keyphrase you want
to rank for.
2. Increase Keyphrase Frequency: Place keyphrase on your home page
5-10 times, in image alt tags, in title tag, in H1 tag, in anchor text.
3. Add Thematic Content: Add 20-30 articles to your web site about
topics related to your keyphrase.
4. Build Reputation: Get at least 20-30 other web sites and blogs to
link to your content. Number needed determined by authority of
sites (PR) and competitiveness of target keyphrase.
D. Co-Registration Deals
Co-Registration networks
• Opt-intelligence
• Q Interactive
• Lead Point
• CoregMedia
E. Affiliate/CPA Marketing
Affiliate Networks/Programs
• CommissionJunction
• LinkShare
• Share A Sale
• 1 ShoppingCart
• MyAffiliateProgram
CPA Offer Networks (Primarily for Consumer Offers)
• Primary Ads
• AzoogleLeads
• CPA Empire
• HydraNetwork
• ClickBooth
• Value Click Media
F. Social Media Marketing
Social Networks
• Facebook, Myspace, Bebo, Hi5, Orkut, Multiply, Ning
Content Aggregators
• Digg, Reddit, Propeller, Newsvine
Content Networks
• Squidoo
Blogging Tools
• Blogger, Typepad, Wordpress, MyBlogLog, Technorati
Social Search/Bookmarking Tools
• StumbleUpon, Mahalo, FreeIQ, Wikimedia, Del.icio.us
Video Tools
• YouTube, MetaCafe, Vimeo, Viddler
2. Conversion Marketing
Conversion marketing converts prospect into customers via:
• Email Marketing
• Newsletters
• Autoresponders & Ecourses
• Prospect-Base Promotions & Sales
• CPM Re-targeting
• Landing Page Optimization
3. Retention Marketing
Retention marketing turns a customer into a lifetime evangelizer via:
• Email Marketing
• Newsletters
• Autoresponders & Ecourses
• Existing Customer-Base Promotions
• Surveys
• Blogs/RSS
The Cardinal Sin of Web Marketers
We focus WAY too much time
and money on acquiring new
customers and not nearly
enough on converting existing
prospects and getting our
existing customers to buy
more.
Three Methods of Increasing Revenue
There are only three ways to increase company
revenue
1. Acquire more prospects (ACQUISITION
MARKETING)
2. Increase conversion rate of prospects
(CONVERSION MARKETING)
3. Increase re-orders from existing
customers (RETENTION MARKETING)
We often focus almost all of our time and
money on Method 1 and so little on Methods 2
and 3.
Two Key Questions
Key Questions to Ask Yourself
1. How much money do you spend
on prospect acquisition?
(Advertising and Sales Costs)
2. How much money do you spend
on increasing conversions and
LTV?
(Landing Page Optimization, Email
Newsletters, Email Promotions,
Blogging)
The Three Types of Marketing
Acquisition Marketing
•
•
•
•
•
•
Display Advertising
Cost Per Click Advertising
Organic Search Optimization
Co-registration Deals
Affiliate/CPA Marketing
Social Media Marketing
Retention Marketing
•
•
•
•
•
Email Marketing Newsletters
Autoresponders & Ecourses
Customer-Base Promotions & Sales
Surveys
Blogs/RSS
Conversion Marketing
•
•
•
•
•
Email Marketing Newsletters
Autoresponders & Ecourses
Prospect-Base Promotions & Sales
CPM Re-targeting
Landing Page Optimization
• Email Marketing
• Autoresponders
• Surveys
• Blogs/RSS
Bringing It All Together
Introduction to iContact
• 2nd largest email marketing company
• Only company that provides email marketing, surveying, autoresponder, and blogs
• Over 22,000 customers and 180,000 users
• Currently send out 500 million emails per month
• 99.9% Verified Inbox Deliverability
• Web based, subscription solution
• Average customer pays $47 per month
• Based in North Carolina
• Founded in 2003, raised $5.8M to date
• 90 employees, scaling to 130 by end of 2008
Blogs, Autoresponders, & Surveys
iContact also allows small businesses to easily create surveys, autoresponders,
blogs, and RSS feeds
Easy to Create Blogs
Automated Autoresponders
Multi-question Surveys
iContact…
“Last year, we did exhaustive
research to find an online email
service provider we could recommend
to our customers, and the service that
was the clear winner was iContact.”
– Derek Gehl
Internet Marketing Center
iContact…
For a free 15 day trial of
iContact visit:
www.icontact.com
iContact Advantages
• Only tool to include surveys, autoresponders RSS feeds, and blogging capabilities
• Better inbox deliverability (99.9% deliverability verified by Pivotal Veracity)
• Lower cost (starts at $9.95 per month)
• Easy to use, over 300 templates and e-postcards
• Scalable to millions of emails/month
• No technical skill required
What’s the best way to turn your
prospects into customers?
LESSON: Thoughts become things
AND what’s the best way to turn
those customers into lifetime
evangelizers?
LESSON: Thoughts become things
OPT-IN
EMAIL
MARKETING
LESSON: Thoughts become things
You’re Now A CEEM
WOO HOO!
For More Information
Contact Info:
Ryan P. Allis, CEO
iContact Corp
[email protected]