Posts Tagged ‘Email Marketing Best Practices’
Posted by Nic Winters on November 19th, 2009
Welcome again to The First 2 Weeks, where we analyze 3 competitors’ email marketing strategies when it is most crucial… the opt-in process, welcome message, and first few campaigns as these marketers attempt to establish relationships with subscribers.
In our last edition we evaluated the opt-in process and welcome messages for 3 competitors in the arts and crafts retail segment: Hobby Lobby, Jo-Ann, and Michael’s. In part 2 we will now investigate campaigns sent beyond the welcome email and preference editing options.
INITIAL CAMPAIGNS
Both Hobby Lobby and Michael’s sent out additional campaigns beyond the welcome email within the first 2 weeks, both sending 2 additional emails. Both competitors were much more aggressive than Jo-Ann, which didn’t send anything beyond the welcome message within the first 2 weeks – missing out on this chance to quickly establish a solid foundation with subscribers.
The emails sent by Hobby Lobby include very heavy image use, however they did a good job of using informative alt tags so that all is not lost with images off. They did a very good job of sticking with a template for their design as well, as additional messages arrive in the inbox with the exact same design setup. Thus, subscribers quickly learn what to expect and where they can find the information they are looking for. However, within this design they have pushed the coupon far too low in the design – as this is an item that should be featured near the top to drive redemptions and maintain high interest in their email offerings. This design framework also always includes a quirky quote at the base of the email – a creative touch that I could see some subscribers seeking out on future emails.
Hobby Lobby incorporated a few other best practice items, however each of them was slightly flawed as they are all hidden too low in their email. They linked to their RSS feed capability, allowed you to forward to a friend and gave the ability to subscribe if you were forwarded an email… but each of these become lost as they are low in the email.
On their first additional message, Michael’s did a great job of using both text and background colors to develop an email design that is images off friendly. However, even though they have incorporated this tactic, they fall behind at the same time since none of their images included alt tags. This is especially evident when you reach the coupon section of the email (like Hobby Lobby… once again too low in the creative) and you have no indication there is a coupon without images enabled. They also successfully incorporated a forward link at the top of their message and remind their subscribers to add them to their address book to ensure delivery.
We have identified some flaws in this first message from Michael’s in addition to some successful best practice items, however in their second message it is hard to find a single item to praise. The email is comprised entirely of images… and not a single one contains an alt tag – leaving you with a completely blank email with images off. This leaves me wondering why they didn’t take the same text and background color approach they used on the first message as the entire right side of this message could have been achieved with text.
EMAIL PREFERENCE OPTIONS
In offering preference options Michael’s falls behind their competitors, as they only provide a simple unsubscribe link on all messages. Both Hobby Lobby and Jo-Ann instead provide robust preference capabilities that may assist in retaining subscribers.
Hobby Lobby features an “Update Your Subscription” link at the top of each message which takes you to an easy form to check off the subscriptions you would like.
Jo-Ann takes a slightly different approach with their link (at the base of emails) leading to a page that allows you to select to receive all emails or fewer… even spelling out the estimated frequency related to these options.
Watch for our next edition in the coming weeks in which we will evaluate the campaigns of 3 new competitors!
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Posted by Nic Winters on November 10th, 2009
Welcome again to The First 2 Weeks, where we analyze 3 competitors’ email marketing strategies when it is most crucial… the opt-in process, welcome message, and first few campaigns as these marketers attempt to establish relationships with subscribers.
For this edition of The First 2 Weeks, we have chosen 3 competitors in the arts and crafts retail segment: Hobby Lobby, Jo-Ann, and Michael’s.
OPT-IN PROCESS
The opt-in placement on these 3 competitors’ websites was fairly similar, placing the opt-in opportunity near the top right of the homepage – not requiring scrolling. However, Hobby Lobby did the best job of calling attention to the opt-in area. Jo-Ann’s opt-in area blends into the background a little too easily, and Michael’s is practically trying to hide the opt-in area with a very small “Register” link that is quite muted (on top of the fact that “Register” doesn’t exactly scream opt-in for emails).
All 3 competitors’ opt-in forms are quite lengthy, collecting a great deal of information that could be valuable for email segmentation efforts. Both Hobby Lobby and Jo-Ann do however provide the interested party with the opportunity to quickly sign up and skip these additional details (with Hobby Lobby highlighting a required section and Jo-Ann offering an express sign-up section). On the other hand, Michael’s requires an immense amount of fields including a username and password, postal address, and birth date (items that could detract from getting email subscribers). However, overall, all 3 competitors offer some great options during the opt-in process such as your various interests and which types of e-newsletters you would like to receive.
WELCOME MESSAGE
Greetings from both Jo-Ann and Michael’s arrived within 10 minutes beyond opt-in – a timely response to begin the email relationship, whereas Hobby Lobby failed to send any confirmation or thank you via email. However, this is fairly forgivable as they provide you with a coupon right on their website the moment you complete the opt-in form… but they should have promoted this perk on their homepage to entice subscribers!
Both Jo-Ann and Michael’s remind subscriber’s to add their from address to their address book to ensure future delivery. Jo-Ann includes a couple more best practices by including a prominent forward link at the top and by listing the email address that is opted-in (to avoid confusion in cases of old email addresses that have been forwarded, etc.). Both competitors also establish the value of their email programs quickly by providing a coupon in these welcome emails. Michael’s doesn’t feature any sort of graphic representation of this coupon within their message – instead they rely upon a fairly simplistic “Print Coupon” button. Jo-Ann does feature a graphic of the coupon, however they bury below the preview pane… thus it is a good thing that they place a simple link above the body of their message linking to the print location.
Overall Michael’s takes a non-flashy approach to email design, utilizing mainly text – thus, very little is lost with images off. Jo-Ann has incorporated alt tags for many of their images so when images are disabled the reader is not left clueless… however, the largest portion of the preview pane is used by 2 large images that were left with no alt tags. Michael’s also experienced some alt tag issues, exposing a lesson for all of us. As you build an email design, be careful with labels that you intend only for internal use – or you may end up like Michael’s, who display 2 alt tags that say “spacer” within the areas that blank images display with images on.
Watch for Part 2 in the coming weeks in which we will evaluate campaigns sent beyond the welcome message and preference editing options.
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Posted by Nic Winters on November 2nd, 2009
Welcome again to The First 2 Weeks, where we analyze 3 competitors’ email marketing strategies when it is most crucial… the opt-in process, welcome message, and first few campaigns as these marketers attempt to establish relationships with subscribers.
In our last edition we evaluated the opt-in process and welcome messages for 3 competitors in the luxury car segment: Jaguar, Mercedes, and Porsche. In part 2 we will now investigate campaigns sent beyond the welcome email and preference editing options.
INITIAL CAMPAIGNS
Within the first 2 weeks only Jaguar sent an email beyond any welcome communications to capitalize on this opportunity to establish a solid foundation with subscribers. This first email was received just over 24 hours after opt-in, and it was fairly important that Jaguar send this message quickly since they had been one of the competitors who did not deploy a welcome message.
This email relied heavily upon images, an issue that was made even worse since they did not employ alt tags to convey what the reader is missing. Thus, when this message is viewed with images off, it appears very blank within the top portion of the preview pane.
Jaguar did incorporate a text area in the message, however it is too low in the design to offset the damage done in the top area. The email does include a couple best practice-related items by utilizing personalization. They bring in both the subscriber’s first name and identify the email address the message was intended for. As noted in past reviews, listing this email address can assist in reducing a subscriber’s confusion in cases of old email addresses that have been forwarded, etc.
EMAIL PREFERENCE OPTIONS
Mercedes appears to provide the most options for subscribers of these 3 competitors, as even though we did not receive an email, we can make some assumptions based on their website. When you view the “Policies” area, you can then navigate to the “Manage Email Subscriptions” section. When you enter in your email address it pulls up all of the preferences that you selected selected during opt-in, allowing you to make updates as needed.
Jaguar doesn’t feature any preference options, only including an unsubscribe link which doesn’t lead to any of the numerous fields that subscribers enter during opt-in.
As we did not receive an email beyond the opt-in confirmation message from Porsche, we cannot evaluate their typical preference options. Within the confirmation email there was not even an unsubscribe link (as it was a transactional-type email), thus we needed to explore the website extensively to find the unsubscribe functionality. This requires a multi-step process – clicking on “Dialog and Newsletter”, then “Porsche Newsletter”, then the “Subscribe” link (a fairly odd link to have to click in order to reach an unsubscribe capability!), and then hitting an unsubscribe link on the far left which allows you to finally enter your email address for them to remove. We would assume for CAN-SPAM compliance that their usual email marketing methods include at least a clear unsubscribe link on messages beyond this confirmation email.
Watch for our next edition in the coming weeks in which we will evaluate the campaigns of 3 new competitors!
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Posted by Nic Winters on October 9th, 2009
Welcome again to The First 2 Weeks, where we analyze 3 competitors’ email marketing strategies when it is most crucial… the opt-in process, welcome message, and first few campaigns as these marketers attempt to establish relationships with subscribers.
For this edition of The First 2 Weeks, we have chosen 3 competitors in the luxury car segment: Jaguar, Mercedes, and Porsche.
OPT-IN PROCESS
All 3 competitors did well regarding opt-in promotion on their websites, as the no scrolling was required to opt-in. Mercedes places a standard opt-in entry field area in a prominent location at the top right of the page, while Porsche requires a little more searching as the link doesn’t stand out in the bottom left with a message that doesn’t exactly scream email – “Dialog and Newsletter”. Jaguar takes it a step further by promoting opt-in in 2 areas, both on the left and bottom.
The opt-in page for Porsche is very simplistic, only asking for your salutation, first name, and last name – but all are required. One great feature about the Porsche opt-in process is an intermediary page you see before arriving at this form, which explains what you can expect and includes a link to the latest newsletter. Jaguar and Mercedes both provide the ability to specify the car models you are interested in (a great piece of data for future email segmentation). However, this and many other fields on the Jaguar form are required – something that may reduce the number of interested parties looking for a simple opt-in. They do capitalize on this opportunity though, as they even ask about your current vehicle and when you plan to purchase again.
WELCOME MESSAGE
Of these 3 competitors, only Porsche sent a welcome message. Their text email arrived around 2 minutes after the opt-in – a very timely response to begin the email relationship. The message serves just one purpose – to confirm your subscription, as Porsche utilizes a double opt-in list. The all text email lacks branding and the style one might associate with a luxury auto manufacturer, but obviously nothing is lost with images disabled in this key message to confirm your subscription. Porsche also used a very generic subject line of “Newsletter Subscription” – not exactly the friendly greeting in my inbox that I expected. Their off-putting from name matches the cold subject line – as “no-reply@porsche.de” also doesn’t extend a warm welcome.
Even with these faults… at least I know that Porsche received my opt-in and I’m officially on their list – something that isn’t so clear with their 2 competitors.
Watch for Part 2 in the coming weeks in which we will evaluate campaigns sent beyond the welcome message and preference editing options.
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Posted by Nic Winters on September 28th, 2009
Welcome again to The First 2 Weeks, where we analyze 3 competitors’ email marketing strategies when it is most crucial… the opt-in process, welcome message, and first few campaigns as these marketers attempt to establish relationships with subscribers.
In our last edition we evaluated the opt-in process and welcome messages for 3 competitors in the upscale clothing retail segment: Banana Republic, Eddie Bauer, and J. Crew. In part 2 we will now investigate campaigns sent beyond the welcome email and preference editing options.
INITIAL CAMPAIGNS
All 3 competitors made a definite impression over the first 2 weeks by sending additional emails beyond the welcome message. Both Eddie Bauer (6 emails) and J. Crew (5 emails) however were a little more aggressive than Banana Republic – who sent 2 emails over that same timeframe.
Each of these e-marketers utilized designs with large images that contained mainly text (thus not optimizing their creative for images being disabled). Banana Republic featured an eye-catching design, but the text across the top and down the left side was actually included in the image – causing a blank appearance with images off. Eddie Bauer sent an email that was nearly all text but as they coded this in images, it too appeared blank with images disabled. J. Crew followed in their footsteps with this email boasting a sale with what appeared to be all text, and once again with images off… all is lost. Compounding these issues is the fact that both Eddie Bauer and J. Crew are using image mapping on some of their emails (making sections within images linked to separate URLS) within these large images – a feature that is not supported by all email clients.
However, even though these emails are not designed with images off in mind – all 3 competitors are incorporating various best practices as well. Eddie Bauer and J. Crew are both reminding subscribers to add them to their address book (to ensure future message delivery) and provide forward to a friend capabilities. J. Crew even takes this a step further by including a link for your friend to opt-in if the message has been forwarded to them. All 3 are promoting their involvement in social media within their emails (including Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and YouTube). Each of the competitors are also using snippet text above their creative, however J. Crew is hampering their efforts by placing this text below their link to view a mobile version – causing the mobile link text to appear in the inbox next to the subject line instead of the snippet text, etc.
In my eyes, Banana Republic committed the worst crime of this group in only their second email to me post-welcome message. To my surprise I received a promotional email from one of their other stores, Piperlime, stating that they thought I would enjoy hearing about these deals… even though I chose not to select to receive messages from their other brands during the opt-in process. Even worse, at the base of the email I found that they weren’t just supplying me with a chance to opt-in for further Piperlime emails… I was required take action if I wished to remain on the Banana Republic list but not receive Piperlime emails!
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