The Data Doesn t Lie A Data-Driven Approach to Subject Line Creation

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1 The Data Doesn t Lie A Data-Driven Approach to Subject Line Creation with

2 Introduction Data-driven decisions are critical to the success of an emarketing campaign. Those decisions whether big or small can impact everything from opens to conversions, and ultimately play a major role in your return on investment. Something as minor as an s subject line might not seem like it s one of the most important pieces of the puzzle, but it s a significant part that triggers a series of events that leads to conversion. Your subject line needs to be effective. But how do you know if your subject lines resonate with subscribers and are truly effective? Data. So far this year, associations and nonprofits have A/B split tested 46 million s using Informz, compared to 40 million s from all of A/B testing is on the rise and marketers are using the data from these tests to learn about their audience and make smarter decisions about their subject lines. Over the next few pages, we ll walk you through some of the results from these 46 million s and highlight trends of the best performing subject lines. Whenever we examine large amounts of data (2014 Association Marketing Benchmark Report, we re looking at you here) the first thing we focus on are the high performers. There were a few key words or phrases that consistently generated higher open rates from these test results. Complimentary You or Your Personalization complimentary whitepaper complimentary webinar complimentary invitation just for you your invitation your input we invite you first name company name 2 The Data Doesn t Lie ~ A Data-Driven Approach to Subject Line Creation Informz, Inc. 2014

3 Best Performing Subject Line Trends Short Subject Lines Still Win Benchmark data has shown that shorter subject lines tend to perform better than longer subject lines. According to the 2014 Association Marketing Benchmark Report, subject lines with fewer than 10 characters had 49.73% open rates. One of the biggest contributors to the success of shorter subject lines is the rise of mobile usage. With 44.70% of all opens occurring on a mobile device, more readers are turning to their mobile phones to check in on their inbox than heading to their computers. Results by by Client Client Type Type 9.34% Unknown Results by Results Subject by Subject Line Length Line Length 9 and less 66.20% % 8.01% Web Client 33.49% Mobile Number of Characters % 33.47% 32.68% 35.12% % 49.16% Desktop 70 and up 27.07% Open Rate 3 The Data Doesn t Lie ~ A Data-Driven Approach to Subject Line Creation Informz, Inc. 2014

4 Best Performing Subject Line Trends The Friendly From and Subject Line are the main items that display when viewing on a mobile device. Depending on device and orientation of the screen, the subject line display length varies from 23 characters up to 50 characters. Most mobile devices will display the first 40 characters in portrait mode. A best practice is to view how the subject line will display on mobile and desktop as part of the testing and approval process. Besides their mobile-friendliness, another benefit of short subject lines is that they tend to be direct. Here are a few examples of short and direct subject lines that have outperformed their longer competitors. Now Hiring! > 29.09% open rate Further Your Career with {Company} > 21.36% open rate Two-Question Survey > 31.42% open rate Have you taken our two-question survey? > 24.08% open rate The Subject Line Thermometer is a good tool to use to gauge when your subject lines are veering out of the safe zone for mobile readers. 4 The Data Doesn t Lie ~ A Data-Driven Approach to Subject Line Creation Informz, Inc. 2014

5 Best Performing Subject Line Trends Positive Personalization Works When doing any kind of testing with your digital marketing efforts, one item that pops up over and over again is personalization. The data we examined showed that personalization, when used in a positive manner, won. Name, Get Your Medicare and Medicaid Questions Answered! > 32.32% open rate vs. Get your Medicare and Medicaid Questions Answered! > 19.51% open rate Urgency Drives Action How often is your inbox overflowing with messages that you know you can address later? Probably pretty often. Results have shown that wording that drives urgency or puts a timeframe on action has increased open rates. Here s a great example of how insistent language led to higher open rates: Renew your {organization} membership before it expires! > 39.49% open rate vs. Your {organization} membership renewal is coming up > 31.31% open rate Before it expires sounds a lot more serious than renewal is coming up, doesn t it? Recipients thought so, too. 5 The Data Doesn t Lie ~ A Data-Driven Approach to Subject Line Creation Informz, Inc. 2014

6 The Elements of a Successful A/B Split Test Are you ready to find out how your audience reacts to some of the most successful words and phrases we ve shared? Ready to find out what makes them react? It s time to start testing! Successful testing begins with a clearly defined objective. Determine what you want to learn from the test and structure your subject lines accordingly. For example how do they react to a personalized subject line? A/B testing in Informz couldn t be any easier. When setting up your , simply select the option to A/B split test your subject line and enter a Subject Line A and Subject Line B. Informz will automatically split your target group 50/50, delivering your two subject lines to your audience. Test ~ First Name Personalization: Subject Line A: Susan, welcome to our new online Community! Subject Line B: Welcome to our new online Community! The subject lines should convey the same message in two different ways. A well-structured test will ensure that you can measure the impact of the test element when compared to the standard control group. Test ~ Inclusion of Deadline Date: Subject Line A: Early bird registration ends Tuesday, November 5! Subject Line B: Early bird registration ends soon! After your mailing has been sent, review the mailing activity report to see which test won. 6 The Data Doesn t Lie ~ A Data-Driven Approach to Subject Line Creation Informz, Inc. 2014

7 The Elements of a Successful A/B Split Test Get started with some of these testing opportunities, which have had positive results so far: Inclusion of event date Using the word important Direct and concise messages Exclusion of the word free Tone and language Leverage what you have in common with your audience to play with words, tone and language. Choose content and words that reflect the beliefs, values and interests that you share with your subscribers. Incorporating your brand style and personality into the wording of your subject line promotes engagement and fosters ongoing relationship with your organization. Once you re a subject line testing expert, testing other elements of your message like send time, content, or images can help further optimize your messages for your audience. Testing all aspects of your mailing is a great way to increase engagement and conversions, but remember to only test one element at a time so you can determine what influenced subscribers to react the way they did. To Test or Not to Test Do you want to start slowly and pick up speed as you gain experience? A good first step is to target subscribers whose engagement metrics are starting to decline. Since this group has low engagement metrics, it s a great opportunity to get creative and try something new. This low-risk approach is an effective way to reengage subscribers and learn which key words and phrases resonate with your subscriber base. 7 The Data Doesn t Lie ~ A Data-Driven Approach to Subject Line Creation Informz, Inc. 2014

8 Marketing Our easy-to-use, web-based platform will help you create highly targeted, high-performing s. Professional Services Whether it s outsourced marketing services or new marketing templates you need, we can help. Mobile Event App Engage members before, during, and after an event with a premium mobile event app experience. Informz is a leading provider of digital marketing solutions that help associations and nonprofits to easily and efficiently engage their members. Over 1,100 organizations worldwide have chosen Informz and consistently rank us #1 in client satisfaction. Request a demo today to discover the power of Informz. Stay Connected! x5 experts@informz.com REQUEST A DEMO 8 The Data Doesn t Lie ~ A Data-Driven Approach to Subject Line Creation Informz, Inc. 2014