6 WAYS TO INCREASE PARTICIPATION THROUGH . Datis Mohsenipour

Transcription

1 6 WAYS TO INCREASE PARTICIPATION THROUGH Datis Mohsenipour 1

2 ABOUT ME MY ACTIVE IS Kickboxing Snowboarding Travel Friends Family 2

3 3 MY EXPERIENCE

4 4

5 DO YOU RECEIVE DO S YOU ON OWN YOUR A SMART PHONE? PHONE? 5

6 77% of consumers over the age of 15 prefer receiving promotional messages to their inbox over direct mail, text messages and Facebook. Source: Marketing Charts 6

7 BENEFITS OF marketing: Is easy to use Can reach thousands of people Helps highlight individual programs, program categories and special events Communicates updates about facilities and community happenings Drives traffic directly to your website or registration portal 7

8 FOUNDATION Understanding the purpose of your + list segmenting 8

9 FOUNDATION Ask yourself two questions: 1. What is the purpose of your ? 2. Who is the audience? 9

10 YOUR S PURPOSE What is it? To inform customers about 1. Closures & holidays 2. Upcoming events 3. Facility improvements 4. Upcoming programs 5. Program registration and deadlines 10

11 11 Limit the focus of your to one topic Don t drown your customers in information!

12 12

13 13

14 LIST HYGIENE More contacts doesn t always = more opens Ask your self the following questions: 1. Is the general enough for it to relate to everyone on your list 2. Is the focus on specific program categories 3. Is your list actually interested in your ? Segmenting your customers into lists is a fundamental step in marketing. 14

15 LIST HYGIENE Why create lists? 1. Makes content more relevant to the recipients 2. Helps increase open/click through rates 3. Shortens lengthy s by allowing you to focus on less topics 4. Reduces number of unsubscribes Connect the right people with the right content and you will find greater success in your marketing initiatives. 15

16 LIST BUILDING Segmenting Your Lists Broad Top-level categories: Fitness, Aquatics, Arts & Crafts Age: Children, Youth, Adult, Senior Medium Age + Broad Category: Youth Fitness, Seniors Aquatics etc. Program categories: Baseball, Tae Kwon Do, Zumba 16

17 LIST BUILDING Segmenting Your Lists Detailed Program Categories + age group: Kids soccer, Adult co-ed football, Teen Swimming Instructor/staff Keep your instructors/staff in the loop by forwarding them copies of your outbound s 17

18 LIST EXAMPLES Filter by Age Groups Children Youth Adult Senior Filter by Activity Categories Arts & Crafts Aquatics Fitness Outdoor Camps Special Events Technology 18

19 19 CONTENT IS KING

20 64% OF USERS OPEN 247 S BILLION BASED S ON THE ARE SENT SUBJECT EACH LINE DAY (RADICATI GROUP) (HUBSPOT) 20

21 21 Your s subject line is a critical component as it is the first and possibly the last impression your customer will get of your .

22 SUBJECT LINES Good or bad? 6 programs to get you fit this summer Summer time is here! Did you hear about our new fall programs? Only 2 spots left in our amazing fall fitness programs - register TODAY!!! Reserve your spot for these exciting new programs 22

23 SUBJECT LINES What you should be doing: Ensure subject line is relevant to content Keep subject lines below 59 characters Include CTAs (calls to action) Add quantifiable measures in subject line 23

24 INCLUDE COMPANY 73% NAME OF IN USERS FROM FIELD OPEN S BASED ON THE SENDER (HUBSPOT) Datis ACTIVE Network 24

25 SUBJECT LINES Things you shouldn t be doing: Adding unnecessary p.u.n.c.t.u.a.t.i.o.n Using spammy terms such as act now, amazing, call now, free offer etc Create vague subject lines 25

26 SO THEY VE OPENED IT NOW WHAT? 26

27 CONTENT Text, images & buttons - Avoid multi-column formats - Keep s short & sweet - Never forget about the topic at hand - Your first paragraph should highlight the most important points of your - Try to include a text link CTA as well as a button CTA in top portion of your 27

28 CONTENT Text, images & buttons - Make the button one of the first things seen when the is opened - Avoid using button as images - most clients will block them by default - Instead use table cell with a different colored background and larger text - Include CTA in multiple locations throughout the 28

29 CONTENT Images Follow this rule: 75% text 25% images Images don t appear by default on most clients. Avoid placing large images at the top of your Don t rely on imagery to get your point across 29

30 CONTENT Get Personal! Use merge fields to add a touch of personalization to your Hi [First Name], Dear [Title] [Last Name], etc.. If using ACTIVE Net Application Login Name merge field can be used to remind users about their credentials 30

31 OPTIMIZING FOR PREVIEW PANE Outlook preview pane - Outlook users can set their preview pane in 2 default settings - Horizontal - Vertical 31

32 OPTIMIZING FOR PREVIEW PANE Outlook preview pane - 53% of viewers first see your s in the preview pane 32

33 33

34 34 MOBILE OPTIMIZATION

35 80% OF USERS READ S ON A MOBILE DEVICE Source: Hubspot 35

36 MOBILE OPTIMIZATION Design Single and Double column designs work best with mobile Don t include too many links side-by-side (makes it difficult to click on mobile) Avoid including lots of images All phones except ios phones block images by default Want to know how it looks? Test it! 36

37 CHECK CHECK TESTING CHECK!!! CONTENT 37

38 TESTING ALWAYS TEST BEFORE SENDING One of the most crucial steps in any marketing campaign Always send a copy to yourself to ensure everything is tip top Try sending to multiple clients as well (Outlook, Gmail, Yahoo Mail) ( Test all links ( times) 38

39 TESTING Testing in ACTIVE Net 1. Create test list that includes your Outlook & personal 2. Create template 3. Once complete, save template 39

40 TESTING Testing in ACTIVE Net 4. Send to your test list 5. Go through the with a fine tooth comb 6. If everything looks good, reopen and send to desired list 40

41 41 SPAM

42 CAN-SPAM ACT - Only send s to people who opt in to receiving s - Your HAS TO have an unsubscribe option on it. It s the law! - Include your physical mailing address - Never, ever, ever someone who has unsubscribed from your list 42

43 You can be fined up to $300 per and could face criminal charges 43

44 SPAM FILTERS Refresher Subject lines are crucial : avoid exclamation marks, unnecessary punctuation & all caps Avoid spammy terms such as: act now, amazing, call now, free offer, Dear Friend, Weight Loss, Affordable, Save $ Symbols in general Topic in subject line must match content of 44

45 SPAM FILTERS Other things to keep in mind Never send mass s by copying lists into your mail clients BCC or CC Avoid purchasing customer lists Be careful never to use white fonts on white backgrounds 45

46 SPAM FILTERS Other things to keep in mind Use spell check! Avoid including attachments Don t bombard people 46

47 47 CHECK OUT

48 48 LINK TRACKING

49 ANALYZING RESULTS Stats Matter! Paid third-party applications such as MailChimp, Constant Contact & Vertical Response give you analytics such as: Open rate (percentage of people who opened your ) Clickthrough rate (percentage of people that clicked on a link) Bounce rate (percentage of s that did not receive the ) Unsubscribe rate 49

50 INDUSTRY BENCHMARK MailChimp Industry benchmarks for Government sector: 45.8% open rate 3.6% click through rate 0.139% unsubcribe rate 50

51 ANALYZING RESULTS ACTIVE Net App Use to track links within the ACTIVE Net application Bit.ly is a Free URL shortener that allows you to track click through rates and sources Determines if the source was through , social channels, website etc. Can tell you location of person who clicked and other great information 51

52 52 WRAP-UP

53 All successful campaigns begin with a solid foundation 53

54 54 Content is King!

55 Cater to the mobile world 55

56 56 Always Test your content

57 57 Don t be a spammer!

58 Measure your success! 58

59 59 THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME!

60 ONLINE SERVICES TEAM We re here to help! The Online Services Team is dedicated to helping you fill your classes and increase your revenue using the latest marketing best practices for Parks & Recreation Organizations. This is a free service available to all Hosted Class users and ACTIVEnet users. This complimentary service includes: 1 on 1 consultations Website reviews Free marketing materials campaign planning & more Contact OnlineServicesTeam@ActiveNetwork.com and book your meeting today! 60

61 I m here for the remainder of the conference If you would like to discuss or review any of your strategies in-person 61

62 LEARN. CONNECT. GROW. 3 CLOSING THOUGHTS 1. Ask us questions 2. Schedule a 1:1 3. Let us know what you think! 62

63 63 THANK YOU!