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Optimize Email Results Through Testing: Advice, Best Practices, and Real Examples to Help You Succeed MDR’s Free Webinar Series October 28, 2010 Copyright 2010 Market Data MDR’s Free Webinar Series • Provide customers added value to our sales and marketing solutions • Give you insight and market intelligence through a dialog with the market’s thought leaders • Copy of the slides and a recording of the session will be sent to you tomorrow. • You can submit a question at any time using the Q & A button in the lower right corner of the screen. Copyright 2010 Market Data Today’s Agenda • Best practices and tips on how to test effectively and improve your email campaign results • Real-life examples of other marketers who have used testing • Case study from an education marketer who's using email testing Copyright 2010 Market Data Christopher Ziemnicki E-Marketing Solutions Leader MDR • Christopher Ziemnicki currently leads e-marketing product development at MDR and acts as chief strategy consultant on interactive marketing to MDR’s customers. • He leads MDR’s industry-leading educational e-marketing research and best practices efforts. • Before joining MDR, Chris built and managed large-scale web-affiliate marketing programs and managed email marketing programs for both start-up and established B2C companies and catalogers. Copyright 2010 Market Data Natalie Myers Senior Reporter WhichTestWon.com • As senior reporter at WhichTestWon.com, Natalie Myers has convinced brands including TheSims, Dell, Hair Club, Safe Software, Wal-Mart, and even the Vancouver Olympics to reveal results data from their A/B and multivariate tests. She’s created a free online library of more than 70 tests— including email tests—to inspire the marketing community. • Previously, Myers was a case study reporter at MarketingSherpa. Her past B2B journalism experience also includes positions as staff reporter at Providence Business News and editorial assistant at B2B magazine Modern Materials Handling. She is a 2007 U.S. Small Business Administration R.I. Small Business Journalist of the Year award recipient. Myers holds a degree in journalism from Ohio University. Copyright 2010 Market Data Jen Stoll Marketing Director Field Trip Factory • Jennifer Stoll is the marketing director for Field Trip Factory, a company that develops hands-on educational experiences that connect communities, commerce, and classrooms across the country. • She spent over five years in promotional marketing and account services at General Mills and Ryan Partnership prior to joining Field Trip Factory in 2005 in the Client Services department. • Jennifer holds a bachelor of science degree in business administration from Bucknell University. Copyright 2010 Market Data Test Best Practices and Tips Christopher Ziemnicki E-Marketing Solutions Leader, MDR Copyright 2010 Market Data Testing “Almost any question can be answered, cheaply, quickly and finally, by a test campaign. And that’s the way to answer them—not by arguments around a table. Go to the court of last resort—the buyers of your product.” Copyright 2010 Market Data Testing “Almost any question can be answered, cheaply, quickly and finally, by a test campaign. And that’s the way to answer them—not by arguments around a table. Go to the court of last resort—the buyers of your product.” —Claude Hopkins, Scientific Advertising, 1923 Copyright 2010 Market Data Take Our Poll! Q: Do you currently use testing as part of your email marketing campaigns? Copyright 2010 Market Data Testing • 51% of U.S. online marketers currently use email A/B testing strategy, with an additional 25% planning on doing so in the future. – Lyris (2010) • 48% of marketers test subject lines on a regular basis. – MarketingSherpa (2010) • 47% of marketers regularly test offers/calls to action in their emails. – MarketingSherpa (2010) Copyright 2010 Market Data Direct Marketing Funnel Copyright 2010 Market Data Email Marketing Funnel Copyright 2010 Market Data So What Should You Test? Testing Tip: Move Bigger Levers First – List – – – – – • Deliverability • Segmentation Offer Creative Personalization/Dynamic Content Deployment Time/Day Landing Page/Microsite Testing Tip: Test Shouts, Not Whispers Test Tips from Alan Rimm-Kaufman Group, 2005 Ten Tips for Online Testing. Copyright 2010 Market Data Testing List/Segments • Same message for all segments vs. tailored message for select audiences • Thinking about what you want to test ahead of time and putting them into unique segments in order to see results • Keep list source (house vs. prospecting) coded so you can always see these differences Testing Tip: Keep Test Notebooks Copyright 2010 Market Data MDR Campaign Analyzer Reporting Copyright 2010 Market Data Testing Subject Line Subject line testing designed to increase both open rate and click-through rate – Test relevancy – Test offer – Test personalization in subject line – Test dynamic insertion in subject line – Test front loading – Test teaser subject lines Copyright 2010 Market Data Testing Message Creative Testing creative is designed to increase clickthrough rate and overall conversion – Test long copy vs. short – Test image light vs. image heavy versions – Test letter layout vs. postcard, etc. – Test dynamic content insertion/ personalization Testing Tip: Assign Unique Tracking Codes Copyright 2010 Market Data Email Test Cell Functionality Test and Roll Testing Tip: Testing Within, Not Between Copyright 2010 Market Data Email Test Cell Functionality Test and Roll Copyright 2010 Market Data Email Test Cell Functionality Test and Roll Testing Tip: Test One Thing at a Time Copyright 2010 Market Data Copyright 2010 Market Data Testing Examples: Subject Lines, Creative, and Landing Pages Natalie Myers Senior Reporter, WhichTestWon.com ©2010, WhichTestWon.com a division of Anne Holland Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Copyright 2010 Market Data The ONLY Weekly Dedicated to Reporting on Real-Life A/B and Multivariate Tests • Over 80 past tests • How-to PDF reports and training videos about testing • A new test each week ©2010, WhichTestWon.com a division of Anne Holland Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Copyright 2010 Market Data Email Subject Lines: One vs. Multiple “Topics” • Subject Line A “1 in 5 emails will be opened on mobile—our survey results predict user behavior” • Subject Line B “Changing mobile behavior survey results, 5 key CRM questions, customer engagement tips” Take Our Poll! Which subject line do you think will get more opens? ©2010, WhichTestWon.com a division of Anne Holland Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Copyright 2010 Market Data RESULTS: Subject Line “A” Is the Winner “1 in 5 emails will be opened on mobile— our survey results predict user behavior” • 21% Lift in Opens! • 45% Lift in Unique Clicks! (Unique Click = Total number of people who clicked any link) ©2010, WhichTestWon.com a division of Anne Holland Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Copyright 2010 Market Data Shopping Cart Abandonment Email Creative: Which Offer Got More Orders? A B Take Our Poll! Which creative do you think got more paid orders? ©2010, WhichTestWon.com a division of Anne Holland Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Copyright 2010 Market Data RESULTS: Creative “A” Is the Winner • 36% Lift in Paid Orders! • 59% Lift in Number of Products Sold Per Order! (Even though the other version had a higher click-through rate.) ©2010, WhichTestWon.com a division of Anne Holland Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Copyright 2010 Market Data Lead Generation Forms: Embedded vs. Button A B Take Our Poll! Which landing page do you think got the most form submissions? ©2010, WhichTestWon.com a division of Anne Holland Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Copyright 2010 Market Data RESULTS: Landing Page “A” Is the Winner • 72.7% Lift in Lead Gen Form Submissions! ©2010, WhichTestWon.com a division of Anne Holland Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Copyright 2010 Market Data Thank you! Natalie Myers, Senior Reporter [email protected] Click here to sign up for our Free Weekly > >> WhichTestWon.com ©2010, WhichTestWon.com a division of Anne Holland Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Copyright 2010 Market Data CASE STUDY www.fieldtripfactory.com Jen Stoll Marketing Director, Field Trip Factory Copyright 2010 Market Data The Leading National Provider of Experience-Based Learning • Over 25,000 field trips conducted annually for ages 4+ • Leading U.S. retailers hire us as a turnkey solution to generate awareness, traffic, and sales by providing educational experiences in their communities • Trusted educator resource for learning standards integration • Topics include: – – – – – Health and Wellness Environment and Sustainability Arts and Music Character Development Career Development Copyright 2010 Market Data Field Trip Factory and MDR • Field Trip Factory supplements our own educator database with MDR’s offerings to drive awareness with educators across the country – Deploy targeted emails 1 to 2 times a month focusing on markets and/or clients to drive additional exposure – Constantly evaluate efforts to ensure driving conversions* as effectively as possible Copyright 2010 Market Data * Conversions = Field Trip Bookings Testing Objective • Increase open rates, click-through rates, and conversions through subject lines and email content tests – Set up a strategic plan to generate benchmarks – September = key timeframe • 10% to 15% of field trips booked in September during back to school Best Practice: Create a measurement plan including quantitative and qualitative goals prior to beginning tests. Copyright 2010 Market Data Initial Setup • Create testing matrix that includes: – Email name and timing – Quantity – % Breakout for A/B split Best Practice: Understand your historical “standard” open and CTR, and allocate a large enough sample size for the A/B split so you can effectively evaluate prior to deploying C. Copyright 2010 Market Data September Deployments Version 1 Lessons Your Students Will Never Forget! Version 2 Free Field Trips in Your Area! Emails contained same visual and similar information relating to the specific field trip but varied in subject line, headline, message, and personalization. Copyright 2010 Market Data A/B Deployment Evaluation and Roll • Results varied by client and market – CTR outweighed open rate when determining what segment to “roll” Best Practice: Create a timeline that allows 48 to 72 hours to understand initial response before rolling C. Copyright 2010 Market Data Results of “C Roll” and Key Learnings • 4 of the 5 “C Rolls” had Open and CTR that were in line with A/B split rates – The next deployment will allow for separate subject line and content tests to fully understand response • Conversions for 4 of the 5 emails were in line with average rates – Client D had significantly lower conversion rates • Suggests market condition may have affected “C Roll” and response rates Best Practice: Do not rely on one test to provide complete direction. Plan out a minimum of three tests to generate a baseline. Copyright 2010 Market Data Additional Notes • Next Steps: Field Trip Factory upcoming emails: – – – – Subject line tests separate from content tests Landing page tests Positioning of logos Promotional efforts Best Practice: Test Continuously! Copyright 2010 Market Data Q&A Natalie Myers Jen Stoll Senior Reporter WhichTestWon.com [email protected] www.FieldTripFactory.com Marketing Director, Field Trip Factory [email protected] Christopher Ziemnicki E-Marketing Solutions Leader, MDR [email protected] MDR is the education market’s first choice for sales, e-marketing, direct marketing, social media, and research solutions. Powered by the most complete, current, and accurate databases available in the industry, MDR can help you grow in the K-12, higher education, library, early childhood, and related education markets. To learn more about MDR’s sales, e-marketing, telesales, and direct marketing solutions, call us at 800-333-8802 or visit www.schooldata.com. Copyright 2010 Market Data