Achieving Better Performance with Email Segmentation & PersonalizationAchieving one-to-one messaging is a great goal, but reducing our reliance on one-to-all broadcast messaging is probably a better, more realistic goal for most brands. This is where the one-to-some of segmented messaging can be very powerful.

Jen Rhee, Email Marketing Manager at online learning marketplace Udemy, knows a lot about segmentation and how it can power email marketing success. After all, 60% of Udemy’s total revenue is generated by email marketing.

At The Email Design Conference, I was able to interview Jen about how marketers can make the most of email segmentation by going beyond demographic segmentation.

“There’s thousands of different ways you can create segments,” says Jen. “You can come up with lots of different segments. It’s really important that you focus on the right ones, because we all have limited time and resources.”

>> Watch the interview on the Litmus Blog

Watch Vicky Ge discuss email metrics and cohortsOur subscribers aren’t all the same. They have different goals, which means that marketers should have different strategies for optimizing those relationships and measuring the success of those relationships.

Vicky Ge, Marketing Manager, Trade Books, at Amazon.com, is very mindful of the different audiences that the ecommerce giant serves. At The Email Design Conference, I had the opportunity to sit down and interview Vicky about how marketers can best approach measuring success across their various subscriber segments.

“We try to group out our success metrics by different customer clusters,” said Vicky, who emphasized that translates into a segmented and personalized content strategy.

“My goal is to make sure that any person is receiving the content that is most appropriate to that person,” she said. “If that person is an influencer, I want to send them the content that helps them be an influencer. If that person just likes to shop a lot, I want to send them content that they want to buy. If that person is a browser, I want to send them content they like to browse through.”

>> Watch the interview on the Litmus Blog

CMSWireWhere, when, and how to collect email addresses so that retailers are attracting high-value, low-complaint subscribers is definitely a common struggle, as I shared with Dom Nicastro of CMSWire, who was examining the results of the 2016 Yesmail Channel Report. The findings of that survey of nearly 200 Shop.org attendees found that almost half of retailers do not collect email addresses via social media or in-store, and that 17% don’t collect don’t secure website visitors’ email addresses.

The key is recognizing that while there are many email address acquisition sources available to retailers, not all sources are equally valuable. And then the challenge is identifying which sources for a particular retailer are great ones and which are poor ones. The best sources should be optimized to make them better, and the worst sources should be discontinued if they can’t be significantly improved. More sources isn’t necessarily better.

For instance, social media is not always a good place to attract email subscribers, which clearly some retailers have learned. While the volume of consumers is high on social media, and social platforms offer consumers a number of reasons to engage with a retailer, the interest and intent to purchase isn’t typically very strong, as demonstrated by Facebook’s multi-year struggle to gain traction with its ecommerce offerings.

Consumers are attracted to social media for recommendations and testimonials, to share experiences, to engage in cause- and issue-related reasons, and to complain, among other things. To be fair, there is significant interest in deals and promotions, but it’s just one of a multitude of interests.

On the other hand, visitors to a retailer’s ecommerce site are familiar with—if not already loyal to—the brand and have a strong intent to buy. Every retail website should have a prominent email subscription form on their home page—preferably, only requiring an email address, since other information can be collected post-signup or during conversion. Signup forms should appear on all product pages, and an opt-in opportunity should be a part of checkout as well.

Consumers who are visiting a retail store are similarly desirable and make excellent subscribers. The issue here is not quality, but rather logistics. A number of brands have found themselves in trouble with ISPs or Spamhaus because of their poor practices around in-store email opt-ins. Collecting email addresses via hand-written forms lead to serious transcription errors that can result in hard bounces or hitting spam traps.

Better approaches include having consumers type their email address themselves on a tablet or pen pad, or having consumers verbally communicate their email address and allowing them to visually verify that it was captured correctly. These will improve accuracy dramatically.

Retailers should consider using a confirmed or double opt-in process if quality is still an issue. This involves sending an email to the would-be subscriber and asking them to confirm their subscription by clicking a button in the email. If they don’t click, then they aren’t subscribed.

In general, email addresses are best collected closest to a point-of-purchase and customer service, because that’s where retailers’ customers and best prospects are. It’s at these touchpoints—which include ecommerce websites, stores, mobile apps, and call centers—that consumers are the most interested and engaged with a brand, which indicates they will be the most open to receiving deals, new product information, and other content.

>> Read the article on CMSWire.com

Holly Wright video interviewEmail marketing success metrics are incredibly tricky, in part because it’s very easy to fall into a mindset of evaluating campaign success instead of program or customer success. While individual campaigns are important—some being critical—the collective impact of our campaigns on the engagement of our subscribers is even more important.

It’s an easy trap to fall into, and one that we here are Litmus are occasionally guilty of tripping headfirst into. It’s partially because it’s so much simpler to measure campaigns, whereas drilling down to the subscriber level and adding the crucial element of time makes the math more complex.

While at The Email Design Conference, I had the opportunity to sit down with Holly Wright, Email Marketing Manager at marketing and ecommerce agency Phoenix Direct, to talk about email metrics, effective A/B testing, and how important the element of time is in determining true success.

>> See the interview on the Litmus Blog

The Last Word on December 2015

The Last WordA roundup of email marketing articles, posts, and tweets you might have missed last month…

Must-read articles, posts & whitepapers

New EU privacy rule could cost U.S. firms billions (USA Today)

16 Predictions for Email in 2016 (SparkPost)

Here is what 9 experts see for the future of email marketing and marketing automation (Email Vendor Selection)

The Future of Marketing 2016: New Roles, and Trends (Salesforce)

Email: Everyone’s Doing It (Direct Marketing News)

The seven deadly sins of holiday email marketing (Econsultancy)

Insightful & entertaining tweets

@M_J_Robbins: New @altomail now supports responsive email and <style> block. You can also target it with *[class^=aolmail_].class{}

@brent_walter: ‘Tis the season for “Tis the season” subject lines… And taking liberties spelling ’tis. #emailmarketing pic.twitter.com/KQ39GMpDff

@krudz: I’m not sure if Desktop Zero is a thing or not, but I’ve achieved it nonetheless.

@ryanpphelan: #emailmarketing Rule #3,976,382 – Unless you know my gender, don’t assume I am one or the other pic.twitter.com/NOPVMl7XXU

@NickBeim: The changing face of economic power: tech companies now represent 5 of global top 10 by mkt cap, up from 1 in 2005 pic.twitter.com/u7oz0Oh6s8

Noteworthy subject lines

Neiman Marcus, 12/3 — More than 100 Insta-worthy gifts for selfie experts and Pinterest fanatics!
Subway Restaurants, 12/3 — Sign up for texts. Get a FREE 6″. Yep. That Easy.
Anthropologie, 12/12 — Join ANTHRO & enjoy 25% OFF, 49 hrs only.
Walmart, 12/12 — Hurry, our best offer ever – open a Walmart Credit Card today
Petco, 12/3 — Santa Claus is coming to Petco… for a photo with your pet!
Overstock.com, 12/2 — Cyber Week + Hundreds of Doorbusters = BIG TIME SAVINGS
Hayneedle.com, 12/2 — More Cyber Week Sales … see inside.
FragranceNet.com, 12/2 — Cyber Week = 50% OFF retail prices or more!
Saks Fifth Avenue, 12/3 — Cyber Week Continues: Outerwear up to 40% OFF.
Hayneedle.com, 12/7 — Final hours for 15% OFF your order! Cyber Monday 2 ends tonight.
HP, 12/13 — Green Monday sale starts now!
Barneys New York, 12/6 — Have the Happiest Hanukkah!
Brooks Brothers, 12/6 — Happy Hanukkah
Gilt, 12/6 — Happy Hanukkah! Plus, Gifts for Him, Re-Boot, Zanerobe and More Start Today at 9pm ET
Art.com, 12/7 — Tick. Tock. Your Work Can Wait…
Uncommon Goods, 12/7 — Gifts For Your Babysitter, In-Laws, and Every Hostess in Between
Brooks Brothers, 12/7 — Gifts for wanderlust-ers.
ModCloth, 12/12 — 10 gifts they’ll never see coming.
Lowe’s, 12/10 — NEW Lowe’s Giftables are Here
ToysRUs, 12/9 — You’re Going to Need a Bigger Bow!
Lands’ End, 12/9 — As you wish! Up to 50% off everything today only, get her gifts now.
ThinkGeek, 12/6 — This is not a trap: 20-50% off ALL Star Wars ends tonight!
ThinkGeek, 12/9 — ThinkGeek’s FREE shipping tauntaun is BACK!
ToysRUs, 12/17 — These *Are* the Toys You’re Looking For! Buy 1 Get 1 40% OFF ALL Minecraft Figures
Discovery Channel Store, 12/18 — Top 10 Star Wars ™ Gifts! Order Now To Get in Time for the Holiday
Hasbro, 12/18 — We have Star Wars toys! Get them now while they last.
Target, 12/18 — New Star Wars is in theaters today! Celebrate with a sale.
Sears, 12/18 — The Star Wars Flash Sale starts…NOW!
Karmaloop, 12/18 — Gifts From The Dark Side! And, There’s Still Time… Shop Quick Ship!
Brooks Brothers, 12/17 — 8 days to go. We’re here to help.
Overstock, 12/17 — THERE’S STILL TIME! Look for the Icon to Get It by Christmas!
ThinkGeek, 12/18 — We’ve got last minute gift ideas + final shipping countdown!
Costco Wholesale, 12/18 — Gift Baskets & More – Order these items by 11:59 PM PST on 12/19 to receive on or before 12/24!
Furniture.com, 12/10 — Our Best for YOUR Guests!
Kohler, 12/13 — Ho Ho Home. Update Your Home For the Holidays
Horchow, 12/18 — Fast food: Order your Christmas dinner here & now! Time is running out!
Nike, 12/25 — Use Your Gift Card: Shop the Season’s Best
Victoria’s Secret, 12/25 — Merry Christmas! Psst… E-Gift Cards still available!
Home Depot, 12/25 — Forget a Gift? eGift Cards Have You Covered
Walgreens, 12/25 — Merry Christmas – we’re here for you. Most stores open 8am-10pm
Zulily, 12/256 — That moment when Christmas is over
FansEdge, 12/26 — 25-70% Off Clearance = Gifting Yourself What You Really Wanted
Lands’ End, 12/26 — Get what you really wanted in our Great Winter Sale!
Drs. Foster & Smith, 12/26 — Did Santa Paws Missing Something?
Uncommon Goods, 12/26 — S.A.L.E. (Santa Always Loves Extensions)
Feeding America, 12/26 — 2015 Is Ending. But Hunger Isn’t.
Lululemon, 12/17 — she’d love to get into our pants
Wine.com, 12/2 — The #1 Wine of 2015 is…
Art.com, 12/9 — Introducing Pantone’s Color Of The Year
Jetsetter, 12/9 — Why Your Passport Could Be Denied in 2016…

New posts on EmailMarketingRules.com

7 Email Marketing Predictions for 2016

Happy Holidays from My Family to Yours!

10 Email Marketing Top 10 Lists for 2015

The Future of Email Coding Standards Is Stratified

2015 Top 10 Email Marketing Stats

My Top 5 Favorite Apology Emails

The Last Word on November 2015

Read all of Chad White's Convince & Convert blog postsEmail marketing was ignored, under-resourced, and declared uncool and dead during the rise of social media. Now that leased media is morphing into paid media and paid media is morphing into blocked media, brands are returning to permission-based email marketing to find that it has new synergies, powerful new capabilities, broader integration, and fresh blood.

This is the premise of 5 predictions for email marketing in 2016 that I shared on the Convince & Convert blog:

  1. We’ll see many more positive media stories about email marketing than negative in 2016.
  2. The majority of email opens will occur on mobile devices in 2016.
  3. The majority of brands will use responsive design for their marketing emails in 2016.
  4. Another major ESP will be acquired in 2016 by a software titan.
  5. The first brands will offer checkout experiences that are fully contained within emails in 2016.

For all the details on these predictions and more on how email marketing is changing,…

>> Read the entire guest post on the Convince & Convert blog

7 Email Marketing Predictions for 2016

Read all of Chad's Marketing Land columns’Tis the season for predictions, so let’s get to it. Here are 7 email marketing predictions for 2016 that I shared in my latest Marketing Land column:

  1. There will be many more positive media stories about email marketing than negative in 2016.
  2. Another major email service provider (ESP) will be acquired in 2016.
  3. Brands will debut the first shopping experiences that are fully contained within emails.
  4. The majority of email opens will be on mobile devices in 2016.
  5. The majority of brands will use responsive design for their marketing emails in 2016.
  6. In addition to a new iPhone with a screen size similar to the 5S, Apple will release a Siri-infused headset (a la Jawbone) that syncs with iPhones and the Apple Watch.
  7. Email marketing will experience a second coming of age during 2016.

>> Read the full column on MarketingLand.com

Happy Holidays from My Family to Yours!

Whatever you celebrate, I hope your holidays are filled with family and fun.

Best wishes,

Chad

Happy Holidays!

10 Email Marketing Top 10 Lists for 2015

Top 10 Top 10 Lists from LitmusOver the past two weeks, the team here at Litmus has been boiling down the events of 2015 into 10 top 10 lists. Each covers a different aspect of email marketing. Check them all out here:

Top 10 Email Design + Marketing Litmus Blog Posts of 2015

The most popular Litmus blog posts included ones on Email Client Market Share, How to Code a Live Dynamic Twitter Feed in Email, and A First Look at Email on the Apple Watch.

Top 10 Email Marketing Stats of 2015

At the top of the list: US marketing executives believe email alone drives the same amount of revenue as their social media, website, and display ad efforts combined, according to The Relevancy Group.

Top 10 Most Popular Snippets of 2015

Code snippets help you code your emails more quickly. The most popular one? Code that removes blue links on Apple devices.

Top 10 Most Tested Email Clients in 2015

Litmus allows marketers to test the rendering of their emails in more than 40 email clients. The one that marketers tested the most often? Outlook 2013.

Top 10 Community Discussions of 2015

Of the hundreds of discussions in the Litmus Community over the past year, the most engaging ones were about hamburger menus in emails, a desktop Outlook HTML/CSS support wishlist, and a Community Contest about creative uses of ALT text.

Top 10 Email Design Podcast Episodes of 2015

The most popular Email Design Podcast episodes were about our favorite emails of 2014; our predictions for 2015; and the impact of responsive email, the new Outlook app, and Email Design Contests.

Top 10 Most Popular Email Clients of 2015

The Apple iPhone, Gmail, and Apple iPad stayed at the top of the leader board all year, but there was considerable jockeying among the other email clients.

Top 10 Best Performing Litmus Emails of 2015

There are many ways to measure the success of an email campaign and in this post we use a bunch of them to highlight our own successful campaigns.

Top 10 Email Developments of 2015

Our pick for the biggest development in email? The debut of the Apple Watch.

Top 10 Email Marketing Predictions for 2016

We end our retrospective with a look into the future. Our predictions range from the all-but-guaranteed to the “Geez, that limb is thin.”

The Future of Email Coding Standards Is StratifiedWill we ever have email coding standards? This is a tricky question and my views on the matter have definitely evolved over the years along with the evolution of the email client and device landscape. Let me start by saying I now think there will never be a single email coding standard.

However, that doesn’t mean that we’re doomed to our current highly fragmented existence. In the future, there will likely be a patchwork of common and independent rendering engines. The future of email will still be fragmented, but there will be significant areas of consolidation.

Mark Robbins of Rebelmail is right that we need a standard rendering engine, otherwise we’ll be fighting the same fight for standardization every time a major email client releases a new version. Thankfully ISPs have financial and logistical reasons to want to standardize around rendering engines as well.

This is most likely to occur first within the webmail environment, where market share is declining. This will put financial pressure on ISPs, and standardizing on a common rendering engine will be seen as a sensible solution for many ISPs.

The mobile environment, which is still growing nicely, won’t be subject to such pressures, so multiple rendering engines will continue to exist there. That said, the companies that rule most of mobile—namely, Apple and Google—will likely eventually consolidate their own mobile operations around single rendering engines to streamline development efforts. It’s just bad business for Google, for instance, to operate some many different email rendering engines. But the key word here is “eventually.”

And then there’s wearables and the internet of things. This is where things will only get messier and messier. Watches, e-readers, electronic paper, and other devices will dumb email down to plain text (perhaps HTML text at some point, if we’re lucky). Ear fobs, automobiles, etc. will read emails to us, and our replies and actions will be verbalized.

Oh, and the desktop environment (aka Microsoft Outlook) will also continue to be a mess, but it will continue to lose market share to cloud-based solutions, chiefly Google’s Gmail. And eventually—perhaps five years from now—on-premise email will be isolated to markets that only a small percentage of marketers will need to concern themselves with.

So basically, the future of email rendering is stratified, with the rending layers varying from standardized (i.e., webmail) to consolidated (i.e., mobile app mail) to, let’s say, untamed (i.e., wearables, Iot, desktop). On net, this should make the job of email designers and developers a bit easier, but only a bit.

>> Join the conversation in the Litmus Community