How To Improve the Value of Your List

Transcription

1 How To Improve the Value of Your List Based on research by MarketingSherpa Sponsored by:

2 Introductions W. Jeffrey Rice Senior Research Analyst, MarketingSherpa Meghan Lockwood Research Analyst, MarketingSherpa

3 Join the conversation on Twitter

4 Presentation slides Attendees will receive a link of today s slide presentation after the event

5 A research-based webinar

6 Annual research-based process leads to improving marketing performance Benchmark Report - Find what really works for thousands of marketers Handbook - Identify best practices and formulate a methodology Knowledge transfer - Teach marketers how to apply best practices

7 Benchmark Research Library since 2008 The collective wisdom of more than 48,000 marketers Nearly 5,000 pages of analytical commentary and marketer insights More than 6,000 charts and data tables to validate what s working and what s not in marketing today

8 Today s agenda I. The state of list growth II. III. IV. 3 key findings about marketing from research with 2,735 organizations Case study showcasing the use of mobile ads to selectively and affordably target new opt-ins Top takeaways and questions

9 Research background 2,735 organizations surveyed on: Challenges and goals for marketing programs in tactics, list growth, relevancy, deliverability, and metrics Testing and optimization methods for charts and tables

10 Poll question: Which statement best describes your organization's list growth trend for the past 12 months? Our list is rapidly growing Our list is slowly growing The gains balance out the losses Our list is slowly shrinking Our list is rapidly shrinking

11 Chart: list growth continues positive trend Reassuring to find 57% of lists growing slowly Very positive, our list is rapidly growing Somewhat positive, our list is slowly growing 17% 57% The size of the list is secondary to the quality Neutral, the gains balance out the losses Somewhat negative, our list is slowly shrinking 5% 18% Very negative, our list is rapidly shrinking 1% Source: 2011 MarketingSherpa Marketing Benchmark Survey Methodology: Fielded July 2011, N=2,735

12 Walking away The Experience Council reports that each year corporations lose roughly 1/3 of their addresses

13 What amount of new subscribers do you need to overcome attrition? Share results at #SherpaWebinar

14 Beware of rising expectations Engaging Relevant Permissible The definition of spam is no longer shouldered solely by the permissibility of sender; rather the message itself has a responsibility An unwanted or untimely communication can be condemned as spam Permission is the foundation and relevancy is the low water mark

15 Return Path s findings in North America 20% of goes undelivered 7% is classified as junk 13% goes missing Spam folder placement jumped 19% to 7.4% in the second half 2011, and missing, or blocked , increased a whopping 38% (13.3% missing rate) during the same time frame. - The Global Deliverability Benchmark Report, 2H 2011.

16 Address the problem How do I develop and maintain an list that meets the stringent delivery requirements of my subscribers and ISPs? #SherpaWebinar

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18 Top 5 priorities for 2012 Growing and retaining subscribers Delivering highly relevant content Achieving or increasing measurable ROI Increasing engagement metrics 41% 38% 71% 69% Growing subscriber base through content distribution. Firm has strong belief in the long-term, long-tail value of a subscriber list and is putting resources towards building that aspect of our sales funnel. Integrating with other marketing tactics 35% Survey participant Source: 2011 MarketingSherpa Marketing Benchmark Survey Methodology: Fielded July 2011, N=2,735

19 Three cornerstones to building quality lists Exclusivity Uniqueness Humility

20 Exclusivity is essential The game theory pushes us into one of two directions: either be better at pump and dump than anyone else, get your numbers into the millions, out mass those that choose to use mass and always dance at the edge of spam, or Relentlessly focus. Prune your message and your list and build a reputation that's worth owning and an audience that cares. Only one of these strategies builds an asset of value. Seth Godin

21 Relevancy is more than a buzzword Content Relevancy Segmentation Time Send the right message to the right person at the right time

22 Think and act different Offer subscribers something they cannot get anywhere else Think how your brand s personality or expertise can be a differentiator in a cluttered in box

23 Reality check Have a slice of humble pie Keep your promise to deliver exactly what the subscriber requested and nothing more messages should contain valuable information, not endless self-promotion

24 Be selective in who you empower to become brand evangelists

25 Case Study Mobile Adverting The Company: Paper Hat Press The Marketplace: Publishing The Product: Personalized children's books The Channel: , Mobile The Campaign Objective: Develop a relationship with each customer and facilitate the buying process through interactive channels

26 Step #1 - Go to your target market Mobile marketing offered two important features: 1. It allowed them to target their ideal customer - mothers 2. The company could use mobile platforms to complete sales

27 Step #2. Build a relationship with the customer Required access to their addresses for a database and knowledge about where and how these customers were opting-in to the relationship

28 Step #3. Use the mobile channel to drive relevant list building Mobile sign-up ads process A mobile user launches a third-party app Before the app fully launches, the user is presented a screen to sign up for relevant lists Whether or not any lists are signed-up for, the app launches as normal

29 Transparent opt-in Allowed Paper Hat Press to engage with its audience on the mobile channel while collecting contact information Mobile users aren't required to completely leave their chosen app to interact with Paper Hat Press Paper Hat is able to grow its list with relevant and opted-in members

30 Step #4. Plan and deploy the mobile ad Send an auto-response with a code to claim the discount Paper Hat Press appreciated its access to a potential customer who has clearly optedin to the offer in the ad

31 Results Controlled costs by only paying for qualified, new sign-ups Quadrupled database, reaching 13,597 members. Learned more about its target segment of mothers mobile habits News and entertainment 35% Health and fitness 19% Games 19% Music 14%

32 Exercise: Plot new opt-in tactics High Cost/ Less Authentic High Cost/ More Authentic Example: Boston Celtics 3 Point Play Available Resources Low Cost/ Less Authentic Example: NYC Library Transactional Low Cost/ More Authentic Example: Paper Hat Press Mobile Ad Brand Authenticity

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34 Chart: The accuracy of subscriber data Approximately what percentage of your marketing subscriber data is correct and current?

35 Maintain quality relationships Promote preference center Offer opt-down subscriptions Make it easy to unsubscribe

36 Offer a preference center Update subscriptions, content and frequency, and set expectations Offer alternative communication channels; RSS, social media Be proactive. Ask to update frequently Only ask for what you need. Unused information is disingenuous

37 Encourage opt- downs or pause subscriptions Give options to opt-down vs. opt-out Reduce frequency, change formats, content or channel Give option to pause subscription or press snooze with delivery stop and restart dates

38 Make it easy to unsubscribe 47% of recipients click the spam button in their client rather than looking for the unsubscribe link Don t hide your unsubscribe link Have a simple unsubscribing process

39 Ask why

40 Audience Question: What are some of the ways to reengage subscribers to an list that has waned in viewership in the last year? - Rebecca Thomas

41 Case Study - How Cutting a House List 95% Helped Double Sales: 4 steps The Company: Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra The Marketplace: Arts and Entertainment The Product: Classical music concerts The Channel: The Campaign Objective: Improve list quality and response rate

42 Step #1: Launch re-engagement campaign Ask every subscriber to declare they want to continue receiving s from the Orchestra Have each subscriber specify the type of content they wanted to receive Those who did not reply were removed from the database.

43 Step #2. Plan new content strategy Establish two-week delivery schedule Create new segments with targeted content: Classical Pops Family Yuletide Outdoor summer series Happy hour (for young professionals) Educational and community activities

44 Step #3. Send re-engagement to mostactive subscribers Offer: Free ticket to a performance Subject line: " never sounded so good with Symphon ! Confirm Now! Big "Yes" and No" buttons Click "no" and automatically removed Click "yes" and brought to an account preferences page

45 Step #4. Send re-engagement to other subscribers 6 months later Second sent to subscribers who had not yet received the re-engagement , and those who did not respond to the first 12 months later Third and final send targeted the remaining subscribers who had not received the reengagement , as well as those subscribers who had not responded to previous sends Those who did not respond were removed from the database

46 Step #5. Respect and grow the list Online sales Customers buying tickets online were asked for their addresses and to opt-in to one of the newsletters Ticket giveaways Contestants were asked to fill out an entry slip with their name, contact information and address. Winners announced via with opt-in request. Phone calls Callers into the box office were asked if they would like to provide an address and opt-in to receive a newsletter

47 Results: The sound of sweet success List initially cut 95.9% in size List grew by more than 500% afterward Online sales more than doubled to 35% of all purchases 40% of subscribers have purchased tickets

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49 Audience Question: What frequency do you market to your lists, how much is too much and how much is not enough? - Jeff Linton

50 Establish explicit expectations WHAT - Clearly state what type of content you will be sending WHEN - Identify how often you will be sending communications WHY - Spell out the features and benefits to crystallize your value proposition WANE WORRY- Add a link to your privacy policy

51 Review registration page design A consistent brand image, language and tone will cause the potential subscriber to find comfort in knowing he or she landed on the correct page

52 Review registration page design Similar to homepage, sets expectations Single minded focus to capture address No distractions, only reinforcement of the value proposition Testimonials and thirdparty endorsements reduce anxiety

53 Chart: Marketers asking for more than an address What is the average number of fields your organization asks a new subscriber to complete in order to register for your program? Long form/ Full preference center Short form (1-5) address only 0% 12% 11% 6% 6% 19% 24% 38% 59% 75% 60% 78% Retail or E-commerce Professional or Financial Services Software or Software as a Service Education or Healthcare Source: 2011 MarketingSherpa Marketing Benchmark Survey Methodology: Fielded July 2011, N=2,735

54 Confirm registration with welcome Thank you and welcome s confirm the opt-in Continue to set content expectations Subscribers know what to look for in their inboxes

55 Ask for more And finally, to nurture our Friendship, I m keen to hear what offers and events you d like to be invited to. Please take 2 minutes of your time to tell me what you d like to see.

56 Research summary

57 Our research indicates marketers extract the greatest value from their lists when they Keep lists exclusive Maintain quality lists Establish explicit expectations

58 Automatically receive new Bronto white papers, blog posts, case studies and webinar invites by subscribing to the monthly Tips & Tricks newsletter. Sign-up at: bronto.com/resources

59 This benchmark report includes: 170 charts and tables 2,735 companies surveyed Top marketing challenges for 2012 Special sections on tactics, list growth, relevancy, deliverability, and metrics Testing and optimization methods for 2012 and much more Get your copy for an additional $100 off Visit MECLABS.com/100-bronto and use the promo code 226-BM-4006

60 Thank you! W. Jeffrey Rice Senior Research Analyst, MarketingSherpa Meghan Lockwood Research Analyst, MarketingSherpa