Email Marketing Basics:

The Good, the Bad & the WOW

Email Marketing Do’s & Don’ts + Ideas from Campaigns that Rocked

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 The Journey Of This Course

Part 1 | BASICS Part 2 | IMPROVING RETURN Part 3 | DATA

Lesson 1 Lesson 3
Email Marketing Optimizing Email
Basics: The Good, Marketing Content
the Bad & the
WOW Lesson 2
Email Marketing Lesson 4
List Growth Using Data to
Drive Response
Lesson 1 Objectives:

1.) Maximize your email marketing by avoiding the spam

folder
2.) Optimize your email content for all devices and
accessibility settings so each email can help earn you
responses
3.) Improve engagement by using email preheaders as a
copy opportunity
4.) Know the law so you don’t fall prey to it accidentally in
today’s privacy-focused world.
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Email can send direct:
✔ At the time that it’s most relevant to the
recipient
✔ With the products/content that are
personalized
✔ Can track individual recipient
engagement
✔ … and automate your follow up

Email gets delivered:

✔ Average email read rate: 25-30%
(compared to < 10% with social)

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It’s 2020… Why Email?

Source: Adobe 2018

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It’s 2020… Why Email?

Email drives the best ROI of any

marketing channel:
$38 for every $1 invested

Source: Litmus 2018

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The Anatomy of an Email 2
1 Subject Line 3
2 Pre-header
3 Branded graphic header 4
4 Main message
5 Call-to-Action 5

6 Supporting Message
6
7 Footer
7

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Course Overview:

1. The Good (5 Things to Always Do)

2. The Bad (5 Things to Never Do)
3. The WOW, That Rocked!
(a few example campaigns that really worked)
Email Marketing in 2020…

THE GOOD
5 Things You Should Always Do

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 1 Get Permission
5 Things to Always Do

✔ Subscribers should opt-in

(not be auto-opted in)

✔ Set expectations on
frequency, value, security

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 1 Get Permission
5 Things to Always Do

✔ Subscribers should opt-in

(not be auto-opted in)

✔ Set expectations on
frequency, value, security

✔ NO harvesting email
addresses from websites

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 2 Follow the Law – CAN-SPAM Act of 2003
5 Things to Always Do

(U.S.)
✔ Accurately identity the sender
✔ Working opt-out mechanism
✔ Include a physical address (or P.O. Box)
✔ Message and subject line must have clear intent
✔ Don’t commit fraud (duh)

Or else:
✔ ISPs can take action

Learn more at ftc.gov @bestofjess

 2 Follow the Law – CAN-SPAM Act of 2003
5 Things to Always Do

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 2 Follow the Law – CASL (Canada 2017)
5 Things to Always Do

✔ Explicit permission required

✔ Proof of subscriber’s explicit
opt-in/consent required
✔ Applies to anyone in Canada
at the time of email open

Or else:
✔ Citizens can take action

Learn more here or here

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 2 Follow the Law – GDPR (E.U. 2019)
5 Things to Always Do

✔ Explicit permission + proof required

CITE: Concise, Intelligible, Transparent, Easy Accessible
✔ State how all data will be used in your privacy policy
✔ Host and transfer customer data responsibly
✔ Must be able to completely remove a subscriber and all
traces of their data from your database if they request it

Or else:
✔ Fines up to €20 million

Learn more at eugdpr.org

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 2 Follow the Law – CCPA (California 2020)
5 Things to Always Do

✔ Inform customers what data you’ll collect & how you’ll use it
✔ Option to opt out of having their data sold
✔ Cannot deny goods or charge different rates to different
customers
✔ Must be able to report on all the data you have on a
customer and what 3rd parties/partners it’s been shared
with + offer the option to be removed from the database.*
Or else:
✔ TBD… Likely fines, pending precedent on who’s liable.

Learn more at caprivacy.org/about

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 3 Have a Plan
5 Things to Always Do

Integrate with your larger vision content marketing calendar

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 3 Have a Plan
5 Things to Always Do

Set goals & define metrics for success

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POP QUIZ: Which Subject Line Won?

A. Help us solve hunger. Most Clicks

B. Donating 1 million meals. Most Opens

C. You can help solve hunger.

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 4 Have a Testing Plan
5 Things to Always Do

Test & Track to learn

Opens < Clicks < Conversions Also watch your:
✔ Subject lines ✔ Bounces
✔ Day of week ✔ Unsubscribes
✔ Frequency ✔ Complaints
✔ Personalization
✔ Discount/price

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 5 Use Email’s Secret Weapon: DATA
5 Things to Always Do

Personalization + Segmentation + Automation + Optimization

A

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 5 Use Email’s Secret Weapon: DATA
5 Things to Always Do

Personalization + Segmentation + Automation + Optimization

Much more on this in Course #4!

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Email Marketing in 2020…

THE BAD
5 Things You Should Never Do

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 1 Don’t Start from Scratch
5 Things to Never Do

Email = Blog + Social + Video ++

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 2 Don’t Use One Big Image
5 Things to Never Do

… or a bunch of small ones

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 2 Don’t Use One Big Image
5 Things to Never Do

Email Client Market Share Desktop Defaults Images

Gmail (& Gmail App) On

Apple iPhone On

Outlook (Desktop) Off

Apple iPad On

Apple Mail On

Yahoo! Mail Off

Google Android On

Outlook.com Depends

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 2 Don’t Use One Big Image
5 Things to Never Do

IKEA emails circa 2019!

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 3 Don’t Buy an Email List
5 Things to Never Do

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 3 Don’t Buy an Email List
5 Things to Never Do

If you want to grow your list quickly, instead invest in:

➔ Media: digital media, sponsored emails, etc.

➔ SEO/Inbound lead generation
➔ Register-to-Win (and other email signup) promotions
➔ In-store (or in-air) sign up scripts and contests

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 3 Don’t Buy an Email List
5 Things to Never Do

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 4 Don’t Ignore Mobile
5 Things to Never Do

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 4 Don’t Ignore Mobile
5 Things to Never Do

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 4 Don’t Ignore Mobile
5 Things to Never Do

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 5 Don’t Send Without a Pre-Flight Check
5 Things to Never Do

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 5 Don’t Send Without a Pre-Flight Check
5 Things to Never Do

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Email Marketing in 2020…

WOW, THAT ROCKED!

A Few Ideas That Kicked A$$

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Campaigns That Wowed
$ Pre-Headers Can Sell

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Campaigns That Wowed
$ Video/Animation Lifts Engagement

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Campaigns That Wowed
$ Don’t Just Sell. Tell Stories.

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Campaigns That Wowed
$ Journey-Based Emails Drive ROI

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Campaigns That Wowed
$ Journey-Based Emails Drive ROI

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Campaigns That Wowed
$ Give Your Fans a Megaphone

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Bonus Tip: Choosing the Email Platform
That’s Right for You
Based on size of list, capabilities, B2B vs B2C and budget

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How to Choose: ESP vs MAP vs CCCM

• One location • More segmentation/ multiple locations or

audiences
• One or two lists/not much segmentation
• Basic automation (welcome, birthday)
• Basic automation (welcome, birthday)
• Designed templates for drag-and drop
• Designed templates for drag-and drop
email creation
email creation
• NO need to know HTML
• NO need to know HTML
• Starts at $89/mo
• Starts at FREE
How to Choose: ESP vs MAP vs CCCM

• Dynamic list creation & segmentation • Dynamic list creation & segmentation
• Dynamic content capabilities • Dynamic content capabilities
• Workflow automation, including split • Workflow automation, including split
paths, mid-flow triggers/decisions paths, mid-flow triggers/decisions
• Drag and drop design or full access to • Drag and drop design or full access to
build your own HTML build your own HTML
• Starts at $500/month • Starts at $200/month*

*Hubspot offers a $0/month starter account for learners,

but it doesn’t offer email marketing
How to Choose: ESP vs MAP vs CCCM

• Dynamic list creation & segmentation, • Fully customizable and cross-channel

including use of interwoven data using
“data extensions” data tables/lookups • For marketers’ minds, but with all the
• Journey Builder, including split paths, tools/levers to design your own platform
mid-flow triggers/decisions and database
• Mostly for those who build their own • Email, Mobile, etc.
HTML + AMP script/dynamic content
• Starts at $120,000/year
• AdStudio, Mobile Connect, Einstein
• Starts at ~$30,000/year
Lesson Recap:
1.) Ask permission to send email - entice prospects to opt in,
rather than automatically marketing to them
2.) Make your emails a mix of text and image and keep mobile
device readers in mind (More on this in Lesson 3)
3.) Create a content plan, including how email can support and
share your long-form, video, and social content
4.) Create a testing plan so you’re learning but not overtesting
5.) Email’s unique super power is data: send to the right
subscribers with personalized content at the time that’s
most relevant to them (More on this in Lesson 4)

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Lesson Resources:
● Litmus or Email on Acid tools for email rendering and
spam filter testing prior to email deployment
● ReturnPath or 250ok for tools to help you determine if
your email made it to the inbox (or not).
● A recap of legal resources around permission/data:
○ CAN SPAM
○ CASL
○ GDPR
○ CCPA

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Email Marketing Basics:
The Good, the Bad & the WOW
Email Marketing Do’s & Don’ts + Ideas from Campaigns that Rocked

@bestofjess