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1. Email Messaging:
How overcoming 3 common errors increased clickthrough
104%

2. Join the conversation on Twitter
#webclinic
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3. Today’s team
Dr. Flint McGlaughlin Gaby Paez
Managing Director Associate Director
of Research
Adam Lapp
Associate Director,
Optimization and Strategy
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4. Background and Test Design
 Experiment ID: Email Messaging Test
Location: MarketingExperiments Research Library
Research Notes:
Background: Largest physician-only social network which offers its knowledge
base to pharmaceutical companies.
Goal: To increase email clickthrough from rented list to landing page.
Primary research question: Which email will generate the highest
clickthrough rate?
Approach: Multifactor sequential (year-to-year) test.
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5. Experiment: Email control
Company
Value is buried in second
paragraph and at top above the
eye-path.
Offer in email is for a 30-
minute demo.
Call-to-action requires a
relatively high commitment.
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6. Experiment: Email treatment
Company Name Number
Name
Value is clearly
communicated in headline Name
and first paragraph. Name
Less commitment required
in offer and call-to-action.
Name
Name
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7. Experiment: Side-by-side
Control Treatment
Company Company Name Number
Nam
e
Name
Name
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8. Experiment: Results
104% increase in conversion
The treatment generated a 104% higher clickthrough rate.
Versions Clickthrough Rate Relative difference
Control 1.55% -
Treatment 3.16% 104%
 What you needvalue proposition, we were able to generateof the emailin
reflect Sermo’s
to understand: By changing the messaging
a 104% lift
to
clickthrough rate.
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9. 3 Common errors in email messaging
Today, we will walk through THREE of the most common
errors in email messaging, and apply these key insights live
to audience-submitted campaigns.
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10. Error #1: Macro Distortion
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11. ERROR #1: Macro Distortion
The Model is Broken
$
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12. ERROR #1: Macro Distortion
The Micro-Decision Funnel
DVP
CVP
g = 9.81 m/s2
DVP
DVP
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13. ERROR #1: Macro Distortion
The Macro Conversion
Compa
ny
Name
Num
ber
Company Name
Number
N
a
m
e
N
a
m
e
N
a
m
e
N
a
m
e
N
a
m
e
N
a
m
e
Nam
e
Email Landing Page
(CTR) (CVR)
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14. ERROR #1: Macro Distortion
The Micro Conversions
Compa
ny
Name
Num
ber
Company Name
Number
N
a
m
e
N
a
m
e
N
a
m
e
N
a
m
e
N
a
m
e
N
a
m
e
Nam
e
Subject Line Headline
Headline Sub-headline
First Paragraph First Paragraph
Body Body
Call-to-action Call-to-action
Email Landing Page
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15. ERROR #1: Macro Distortion
The Micro Conversions
Email
Subject Line Company Name Number
Name
Name
Name
Name
Name
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16. ERROR #1: Macro Distortion
The Micro Conversions
Email
Subject Line Company Name Number
Name
Headline
Name
Name
Name
Name
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17. ERROR #1: Macro Distortion
The Micro Conversions
Email
Subject Line Company Name Number
Name
Headline
Name
Name
First Two
Inches
Name
Name
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18. ERROR #1: Macro Distortion
The Micro Conversions
Email
Subject Line Company Name Number
Name
Headline
Name
Name
First Two
Inches
Body
Name
Name
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19. ERROR #1: Macro Distortion
The Micro Conversions
Landing Page
Company
Name Number
Headline
Name
Name
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20. ERROR #1: Macro Distortion
The Micro Conversions
Landing Page
Company
Name Number
Headline
Name
First Two
Inches
Name
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21. ERROR #1: Macro Distortion
The Micro Conversions
Landing Page
Company
Name Number
Headline
Name
First Two
Inches
Name
Body
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22. ERROR #1: Macro Distortion
The Micro Conversions
Landing Page
Company
Name Number
Headline
Name
First Two
Inches
Name
Body
CTA
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23. ERROR #1: Macro Distortion
The Micro Conversions
Email LP
Subject Line Headline
Headline Sub-headline
First First
Paragraph Paragraph
Body Body
CTA CTA
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24. Error #2: Conflated Objectives
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25. ERROR #2: Conflated Objectives
Conflated Objectives
Email
Subject Line LP
Headline
Headline
Note: At each stage in
First Two
the email journey, you
Inches
should only sell the next First Two
micro-conversion. Inches
Body
Body
CTA
CTA
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26. ERROR #2: Conflated Objectives
Conflated Objectives: Example
Not This But This
Email Email
Subject Line Landing Page Subject Line Landing Page
Headline Headline
Headline Headline
First Two First Two Inches
Inches
First Two First Two Inches
Inches
Body Body
Body
Body
CTA
CTA
CTA
CTA
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27. ERROR #2: Conflated Objectives
Conflated Objectives: Example
Not This
Instances of Conflation: Company
• IOC #1: Sells the 30-
minute demo in first
paragraph.
• IOC #2: Starts selling
“online tools” before
explaining benefits.
• IOC #3: Asks reader to
get started when they
may not be ready to
start.
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28. ERROR #2: Conflated Objectives
Conflated Objectives: Example
But This
Company Name Number
Name
• Each section of the
page guides the reader Name
through a logical series Name
of micro-conversions.
Name
Name
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29. ERROR #2: Conflated Objectives
Conflated Objectives: Example
Not This
• Little to no value in
headline and first two
inches.
• At least two competing
calls-to-action.
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30. ERROR #2: Conflated Objectives
Conflated Objectives: Example
But This
Re: The Research Results You Requested
Dear MarketingExperiments Subscriber,
As the Director of MECLABS Group, I felt it was important to personally
inform you regarding one of the most significant breakthroughs in the
history of our paid search experimentation.
• Each section of the In this study, we were able to reduce cost by 35% and yet increase
page guides the reader conversion by 300%. You can find out more by clicking here.
through a logical series Perhaps this breakthrough will help you improve your paid search ROI.
of micro-conversions.
Dr. Flint McGlaughlin
Director
MECLABS Group
P.S. This link will only be active for 24 hours; we are trying to get this
information to our subscribers before it reaches the media.
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31. ERROR #2: Conflated Objectives
Your Email Might Be Conflated If…
Your email says exactly what’s on the landing page.
Your email takes more than 30 seconds to read from beginning
to end.
Your email looks and feels just like a webpage.
Your email looks and feels like a magazine.
Your email has more than one central call-to-action.
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32. Error #3: Assumed Value
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33. ERROR #3: Assumed Value
The Value Exchange Fulcrum
Note: At each micro-
conversion in the email
journey, there is a value Perceived Cost
Perceived Value
exchange.
For each micro-
conversion, we must
calculate and deliver the
needed perceived value
for the prospect to move
to the next micro-
conversion.
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34. ERROR #3: Assumed Value
Derivative Value Propositions
The Value Proposition Spectrum
PROCESS-LEVEL
Question: Why should your ideal prospect buy
PRODUCT-LEVEL from you rather than any of your competitors?
PRODUCT
PRODUCT
#1 #1
Question: Why should [PROSPECT A] buy from
PRODUCT PRODUCT
#2 #2 you rather than any of your competitors?
PROSPECT-LEVEL
Question: Why should [PROSPECT A] buy this
PRODUCT
PRODUCT
#3 product rather than any other product?
#3
Central
Value
Proposition Question: Why should [PROSPECT A] click
PRODUCT
PRODUCT this PPC ad rather than any other PPC ad?
#4
#4
Prospect B
PRODUCT
PRODUCT #4
#1
1
PRODUCT PRODUCT
#2 #3
2
3 Conversion steps
associated with a
specific product.
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35. ERROR #3: Assumed Value
Assumed Value: Example
Not This
Company
• Where’s the value?
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36. ERROR #3: Assumed Value
Assumed Value: Example
But This
Company Name Number
Name
• Each micro-conversion
Name
step provides just
Name
enough value to move
the prospect to the
next one.
Name
Name
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37. Live Optimization
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38. Submission #1
Audience:
Nonprofit professionals in
fund-
raising, marketing, social
media and development
Objective:
To get registrants for a
paid Webinar
http://bit.ly/copwebinar
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39. Submission #2
Audience:
Anyone who uses Google
AdWords to promote their
own company (not agencies)
Objective:
To fill out the lead form (on
the landing page) to get their
custom AdWords
Performance Report
http://bit.ly/awreport
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40. Submission #3
Audience:
People who have
expressed interest in our
products in the past
(both on/off-line sources)
Objective:
Drive traffic to our
on-line store
http://bit.ly/nutramax
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41. Submission #4
Audience:
Consumer boaters
Objective:
Engage audience/
Clickthroughs
http://bit.ly/discoverboating
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42. View the original presentation free
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presentation in its entirety
for free at
MarketingExperiments.com
View the original presentation >>
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