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Six Quick Wins to Boost Email R.O.I. by 1833% - Really!

We've all had the frustrating experience of trying to find the formula for a successful email. Since there's no standard across all industries for email, testing is critical. However, using tried and true best practices improves the likelihood of success. After running a recent email test, we've identified six best practices proven to be quick wins.

The Test

Our marketing team ran an internal test to measure the performance of two different versions of an email. The original followed traditional design conventions, but we created a second version according to online marketing best practices.

Our findings were astonishing: the second email outperformed the first by 1833%. From a sales perspective, that's the equivalent of jumping from 36 leads to 660. Altering several key aspects of the email drastically affected performance, and outlined below are elements that can contribute to the success of any email campaign.

1. Spam Free Subject Line

The test email's subject line included the spam trigger "adv," which is often used by heavily regulated industries such as attorneys, pharmaceuticals and insurance companies. Removing the "adv" and creating a more concise, to the point subject line prevented the email from being flagged and filtered as spam.

Watch the length of your subject line. Our research shows that subject lines with 50 characters or less perform well, while those containing 33 or fewer characters perform optimally.

Keep the subject line tight, specific and informative. There's a big difference between "Save $100 on Dental Insurance" and "Look Inside for a New Offer on Dental Insurance, Available for a Limited Time Only."

2. Create an Engaging Headline

A dull, uninformative headline was plastered at the top of the first email. Adjusting it to create a specific message that clearly identified the email's offer intrigued people to read on.

Don't simply announce that a new great offer exists. Be specific about what you're offering and why it will benefit them. "Increase Your Sales!" doesn't engage people the way "Key Sales Executives Report a 437% Increase in Revenue by Using This Closely Guarded Secret" does.

Notice how the second sample headline appeals to people's "greed goblin". Don't bury these details in the email, inform people upfront exactly how much money they can save, time they can slash, how much more productive they'll be, etc.

3. Content that Demands (and Directs) Action

Uninformative, wordy and directionless content bogged down the first email. Using a concise and easy to read bulleted list, we reworked the content to clearly indicate the offer's specific details. Heatmap eye tracking studies prove that people don't 'read' email the same way you're reading this article. They skim. In other words, they only pick out words to decide it's worth a click.

That means that if you're not highlighting the words FOR them, they may pick out the wrong ones and not take action. In our second email, we bolded key words and bulleted the key points so they were easy to read.

The original email failed to provide real direction. Including a direct call to action with an embedded link in the first paragraph (above the "fold") is crucial to success, and our research shows putting a link in the first paragraph results in higher click through rates.

Adding informative links throughout the second email gave potential customers multiple opportunities to act. Links that simply say "Click here" don't compel action, but a link that says "Gain access to the official site" gives people the sense they're getting to go behind the scenes.

We added a final link to the bottom of the email so that people didn't have to scroll through the entire text to locate directions for the "next step."

4. Make Graphics Work FOR You, Not Against

The large graphic at the top of the original email certainly added flair, but it also triggered spam filters and actually sabotaged the campaign's success. There's no exact science to determining the "right" size for images, but the original image measured 324 pixels high. By decreasing the lead graphic to 14.5% of its original size (47 pixels), the new email suddenly became readable in preview panes, and whizzed past spam filters.

Consider, a major problem with graphics is that most people will never even see them. According to MarketingSherpa, 69% of B2B users and 27% of B2C users view emails in a preview pane - which means your graphics could get lost in their narrow viewing space.

In addition, 48% of users between the ages of 35 to 54 have images blocked by default, so they're only seeing a slew of boxes with those irritating little red x's instead of your images.

However, you can use images effectively in an email. You'll find higher conversions if you can provide a small thumbnail graphic of the book, product, report or whitepaper you're offering. It gives people that feeling "Ah! I want THAT!" Including a screen shot of the website we were providing access to certainly improved our test email. A teaser graphic eliminates the "leap of faith" feeling that can accompany clicking on a link for the first time.

Finally, use a "candy coated" button - one that's large, brightly colored and hard to resist - as the final link to your landing page. Especially in B2B settings, our internal tests show that having a button that is a confirmation of people's interest reaps higher clicks i.e. "Get access to the official site" vs. "Go!"

5. Branding Should Help, Not Hinder Results

Though this is a small point, it's definitely worth addressing. Always lead off with your most recognizable brand, even if your logo is in the process of a redesign. Consumers who receive an email with a logo they don't recognize could easily trigger a mental spam alert "I don't know these guys! Why are they sending me email?!" Reusing the original logo in the second email put a trusted face forward and improved results.

6. The Landing Page: Bringing It All Together

The original landing page matched the original test email, a method that definitely followed best practice. However, the ineffective content, design and layout of the original email resulted in an equally irrelevant landing page.

We used the same strategies from the email on the landing page, repeating the enticing headline (in bold) and including the specific points of the offer.

We added a larger screen shot of the website we were providing access to, giving the visitor a little more of a "sneak peak." Always include screen shots of a quote, document, newsletter or whatever it is that you're offering to spark people's interest. It gives the feeling that this item is just 'one click away'.

Finally, we made sure that the landing page repeated the call to action and provided a clearly visible link, making it easy for people to click through.

Conclusion

Paying attention to detail, and questioning the purpose of each aspect of the test email, created results that anyone would be thrilled to achieve. The numbers don't lie - though an 1833% improvement may be difficult to duplicate, we're confident that following online marketing best practices will improve your success.

About the Author:
Jeremiah Desmarais, vice president of marketing at Norvax, is the recipient of 9 awards for his marketing and design initiatives online. These include 2 from the Web Marketing Association, 1 from the Interactive Marketing Association, 1 from Marketing Sherpa, and 6 from the American In House Design Awards. He is author of several white papers and has been a contributor to the Agent's Sales Journal, Health Insurance Underwriter as well as a guest speaker at various carrier events and workshops. He is a member of the Society of Industry Leaders. Reach out at jdesmarais@norvax.com.

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