The document outlines a 3-phase approach to executing successful email marketing campaigns, similar to developing a game plan in football. Phase 1 involves training, including answering questions about goals and audience, determining the type of email campaign, and considering timing and ISP warming. Proper planning in Phase 1 through audience targeting and clear goals is necessary to set up effective execution in Phase 2 and analysis in Phase 3.

2. 3
Phases
to Execute a Successful
Email Campaign
Bridgeline Digital’s
Playbook for Success
Author: Erik Gupp
Erik Gupp has spent his professional career gaining experience in fields ranging from product
marketing, public relations, lead development and digital/online marketing. Currently, he
is a Digital Specialist at Bridgeline Digital focused on helping clients improve their email
marketing efforts through strategy recommendations and implementation in order to drive
traffic and conversions. He is also responsible for increasing the SEO growth of client
websites through content strategy and adoption of industry best practices.
Co-Author: Ryan Hadfield
Ryan Hadfield has contributed to TIME, Boston.com (The Boston Globe) and has been
featured on MetaCritic for his work. He is the Editor of Bridgeline’s Digital Engagement
Blog, where he writes daily about trends in the digital world. Ryan has a Masters degree in
Journalism from Northeastern University.
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3. TABLE OF CONTENTS:
INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................................................... Pg. 1
Reports of Email Marketing’s Demise Are Grossly Exaggerated............................................................. Pg. 2
Email Survives As The Preferred Channel of Engagement..................................................................... Pg. 3
The Cost/Benefit Advantage of Email Marketing.................................................................................... Pg. 4
Cause for Concern: The Email Conundrum............................................................................................. Pg. 5
PHASE 1, TRAINING DAY.......................................................................................................................... Pg. 6
Communication is only necessary when it’s necessary......................................................................... Pg. 7
Answering the WHAT and WHO............................................................................................................... Pg. 8
Types of Email......................................................................................................................................... Pg. 9
The Challenge Flag: Losing Timeouts?................................................................................................... Pg. 10
PHASE 2, GAME DAY................................................................................................................................ Pg. 12
Subject Matter: Writing the Subject Line................................................................................................ Pg. 13
What’s in the Fold: Making a Strong First Impression............................................................................ Pg. 16
Mobile Matters........................................................................................................................................ Pg. 18
PHASE 3, FILM STUDY.............................................................................................................................. Pg. 19
Never Give Up......................................................................................................................................... Pg. 20
More Post-Execution Tactics.................................................................................................................. Pg. 22
If You’re Not Getting Better, You’re Getting Worse................................................................................... Pg. 23
To know thyself is divine – but make sure you know both your strengths and weaknesses................. Pg. 24
Winchester Hospital Case Study: Email A/B Test.................................................................................... Pg. 25
CONCLUSION............................................................................................................................................ Pg. 27
REFERENCES............................................................................................................................................ Pg. 28
ABOUT BRIDGELINE & THE iAPPS PRODUCT PLATFORM........................................................................ Pg. 29
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4. 3 PHASES TO EXECUTE a Successful Email Campaign
INTRODUCTION: PREGAME
Football and Email Marketing are more alike than you’d think.
To be successful, both require precise planning, flawless
execution & a desire to constantly improve.
This eBook is for designers that are tired of creating the same bland emails, for
content marketers who find themselves at a loss while coming up with the right
words in their subject line, and, most of all, for frustrated marketing teams that are
sick of wondering why their campaigns fail to produce the desired results.
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1
1

5. 3 PHASES TO EXECUTE a Successful Email Campaign
INTRODUCTION:
Reports of Email Marketing’s Demise Are Grossly Exaggerated
When you think about the buzz terms surrounding contemporary marketing strategies, what new
trends and channels immediately come to mind?
SEARCH
LOCATION-BASED
MOBILE
ONLINE VIDEO
EMAIL MARKETING
INBOUND
LINKS
SOCIAL MEDIA
Just like how sports analysts examine why teams rise and fall in the standings, as each new medium develops, marketers spend meeting after meeting
evaluating the potential return that each novel channel might provide. Without question, emerging marketing trends merit their own importance – but even
as these new tactics begin to lead the conversation, one fact remains the same: After all these years, Email Marketing is still the most effective and
efficient marketing method to engage with potential customers.
We’ve heard that social media is going to kill email. But, you do not need to
panic, because email is not going anywhere. Ever. 58% of adult Americans
check email first thing in the morning. We vote with our thumbs, and
58% of Americans put email first.
- Jay Baer, President, Convince & Convert
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6. 3 PHASES TO EXECUTE a Successful Email Campaign
INTRODUCTION:
Email Survives As The Preferred Channel of Engagement:
WANT TO MAXIMIZE CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT? USE EMAIL.
WANT TO ACHIEVE OPTIMAL CUSTOMER SATISFACTION? USE EMAIL.
WANT CUSTOMERS TO VISIT YOUR STORE? USE EMAIL.
In terms of customer satisfaction, email is like kicking an extra point after a touchdown. Sure, you could mix it
up and attempt a two-point conversion by running a Text Messaging or Social Media campaign, but by using
email, you’ll always score points by deploying proven best practices .
Here’s the bottom line: Customers WANT to interact with your business through email, more so than any
60%
OF CUSTOMERS
SAY THEY HAVE
GONE INTO A
STORE AS A
RESULT OF EMAIL
PROMOTION.
other channel. Nearly 80% of US online consumers say they overwhelmingly prefer email as the channel
Source: Wanderful Media Chart
businesses use to offer permission-based marketing messages.1
RANKING CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT CHANNELS
77%
of US online consumers overwhelmingly
prefer Email as the channel businesses use to
offer permission-based marketing messages –
trampling every other source. 2
9% Direct Mail
5% Text Messaging
4% Facebook
2% Telephone
1% Twitter
1% Mobile App
0% Linkedin
Source: ExactTarget’s 2012
Channel Preference Survey
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7. 3 PHASES TO EXECUTE a Successful Email Campaign
INTRODUCTION:
The Cost/Benefit Advantage of Email Marketing:
If you’re anything like us, you’re amazed at how many NFL veterans sign with teams at a discount. Value is value, and across the league team managers
look for proven assets, despite perceived wear-and-tear, because building your team with productive players at a bargain cost is a great way to budget
the salary cap.
While CMOs may not have a salary cap, they certainly understand the constraints of a budget. And due to its relative age compared to other emerging
tactics, Email Marketing doubles as a low-cost veteran free agent. Because of this businesses are choosing to invest in their email programs more than
any other channel.
• 93% of Marketers say their
Email Marketing budget will increase
or stay the same in 2014.2
• Bargain Buy: Only a mere 2% of marketers rated “leads
generated from Email Marketing” as ‘high cost,’
representing the lowest cost per lead channel.3
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8. 3 PHASES TO EXECUTE a Successful Email Campaign
INTRODUCTION:
Cause For Concern: The Email Conundrum
Despite its potential benefits, most companies are failing to properly
develop and execute email campaigns.
Open Rate
(Unique)
Mean
Median
Top Quartile
Bottom
Quartile
Overall
20.1%
15.0%
43.7%
8.0%
U.S.
19.9%
14.7%
44.1%
7.8%
EMEA
20.9%
15.4%
44.2%
8.3%
Canada
20.7%
16.4%
40.5%
MEASURE YOUR
SUCCESS
8.5%
Email open rates are slowly floundering. The 2009 version of the study displayed above found
that overall open rates stood at just 22%.4 Today, open rates float just above 20%. That is an
alarmingly low percentage. Who is satisfied with 20% of something? Looking at it from another
perspective, 80% of your entire database doesn’t even care to read what you have to say!
Poor results can be attributed to a variety of components, even something as simple as a subject
line lacking proper best practices. Regardless of the reason, there are basic ways to circumvent
these traps, improve click-thru rates, and ultimately, bolster your Email Marketing Strategy.
From developing a Game Plan to Execution to Ongoing Anaylsis, this eBook serves as a playbook
to driving customer engagement through your Email Marketing campaigns.
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5
ONLY 60% OF
MARKETERS SAY THEIR
EMAIL MARKETING
IS PRODUCING A
POSITIVE ROI.

9. 3 PHASES TO EXECUTE a Successful Email Campaign
PHASE 1, TRAINING DAY
While we marvel at incredible plays as they happen in
games, most coaches will attest that the Game Plan
developed the week before is just as important. And just
like football, Email Marketing relies on many of the same
concepts put together in a Game Plan.
In Phase 1, we examine everything that goes into a great campaign Game Plan
– from how to target customers to specific types of emails you should deliver to
meet your goals.
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6

10. 3 PHASES TO EXECUTE a Successful Email Campaign
Phase 1, Training Day
Communication is only necessary when it’s necessary.
This seems like a simple rule to live by, right? Not so fast. More often than not, marketers ignore or
break the Golden Rule of Marketing. Like a quarterback changing a play at the line of scrimmage,
you don’t want to send your customers mixed signals.
Ask yourself the 2 W’s of Email Marketing:
1. What are your goals?
RELEVANT EMAILS DRIVE
18 times
more
revenue
THAN BROADCAST EMAILS.
2. Who is your audience?
You wouldn’t believe how often marketers fail to ask themselves these questions.
Source: Jupiter Research
Maybe it’s lack of time or resources, but studies show that 55% of marketing teams send email blasts that lack proper context,
timeliness, or purpose.
Avoid these common pitfalls before you write a word of copy, create a banner image, or compile your list of recipients by answering the
2 W’s of Email Marketing.
Two-thirds of marketers are broadcasting untimely emails that lack clear purpose.
28%
Relevant email
communications sent on time to a
segmented audience with a clear
conversion goal.
35%
20%
Email campaigns sent close to the launch
date to a partially segmented audience with
a somewhat clear conversion goal.
Email messages sent after the target
date to the entire in-house subscriber list
with unclear conversion goals.
Source: Marketing Sherpa
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11. 3 PHASES TO EXECUTE a Successful Email Campaign
Phase 1, Training Day
Answering the WHAT and WHO
To be relevant to your customers, you need to understand the purpose of your email communication
and ask pertinent pre-requisite questions:
What is the focus of the email? Is the campaign part of a lead
generation program for your sales team? Are you nurturing existing
leads? Is the communication an attempt to raise brand awareness?
These are the same type of high-level questions teams ask themselves while
preparing for the NFL Draft. Are we drafting a player out of desperation or to
backfill a roster spot? This exercise may seem silly because the questions are so
basic, but identifying which of these goals you’re trying to accomplish is the first
step towards crafting a clear – and, more importantly, effective – email campaign.
Who Are You Communicating To?
In football, the NFL Draft is part of a larger process that is vital to ongoing success:
Source: Aberdeen Group
Roster Management. This is not dissimilar to organized Lead Segmentation in Email Marketing. In terms of distribution, the more targeted the email, the
more effective the medium is.
If your database segments contact distribution lists by specific criteria such as customers, prospects, verticals, and sales cycle maturity, you can easily
market the right content to the right audience on a consistent basis. This goes a long way towards reaching your marketing goals. Studies show highly
targeted email campaigns earn a substantially higher return than mass-communicated email blasts.
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12. 3 PHASES TO EXECUTE a Successful Email Campaign
Phase 1, Training Day
TYPES OF EMAIL CAMPAIGNS
Types of email
Goals, Not Messaging,
Determine Email Layout
WHAT IS IT?
Lead
Generation
Emails that increase
business growth by
attracting prospects
Lead Nurturing
Using email messaging
to develop and
cultivate a relationship
with existing,
marketing-qualified
leads in order help
convert them to salesqualified leads
EXAMPLES
•
•
•
•
Promotional limited-time offers
Introductory “Welcome” email
Product demo invitations
Content Marketing Offers
•
•
Promotional limited-time offers
Content marketing geared toward
product (eBooks, Whitepapers, etc)
Product demo invitations
Case Studies
Tone, style, and content are three aspects that go into
putting together an email campaign. But what you’re
marketing isn’t nearly as important as what you’re trying
to accomplish. The following page outlines the types of
email campaigns and their corresponding goals that your
marketing team can choose to develop.
•
•
•
Lead Gen Marketing Statistics:
• 89% of marketers said email was their primary
channel for lead generation.5
• On average, there is a 20% increase in sales
opportunities from nurtured leads versus nonnurtured leads.6
• Lead nurturing emails get 4-10 times the
response rate compared to standalone email
blasts.7
• Lead nurturing emails generate an 8% Click-Thru
Rate compared to general email sends, which
generate just a 3% CTR.8
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Brand
Awareness
Correspondence that
builds brand equity
through positive
messaging and
company news
Thought Leadership
Email that further
establishes credibility,
authority, and promotes
your company as a
Thought Leader in your
industry
Conversion-Based
Communication that
completes a contact
transition from
marketing-qualified to a
sales-qualified lead
9
•
•
•
•
•
Publicize Appearance At Industry Trade
Shows To Attract Customers
Communicate and highlight beneficial
company changes
Acquisition Announcements
Leadership Change
Customer Wins
Product Updates
Other Public Relations News
•
•
•
•
Webinar or other event promotions
Whitepaper offer
Blog newsletter
eBook promotion
•
Personalized offers based on events
(e.g. birthday, holidays, purchasing
behavior – “you may like”)
Thank you receipts
Product demo invitations
•
•
•

13. 3 PHASES TO EXECUTE a Successful Email Campaign
Phase 1, Training Day
The Challenge Flag: Losing Timeouts?
Inconclusive Evidence: Email Timing.
Worldwide Marketing Open & Click Rates by Day
We’ve all been there. The game is hanging in the balance, your team needs
Monday
a big first down, and your receiver appears to come up with a clutch catch
18.2%
... or did he? The refs rule the pass hit the ground, and your coach defiantly
4.2%
throws a challenge flag. After looking at the play from roughly 19 different
Tuesday
angles, the officiating crew determines that the ruling on the field stands
19.9%
4.6%
due to inconclusive evidence.
Wednesday
In our research, the timing of your email distribution offers the same return:
19.0%
INCONCLUSIVE EVIDENCE. On one hand, some case studies show that
4.5%
emails sent at 6 am receive the best Click-Thru Rate (CTR); however, other
Thursday
studies show that 1 pm (or any time after the lunch hour) is actually the
18.9%
optimal time to distribute email campaigns.
4.7%
Friday
However, there is data to support which specific days to run an email
19.6%
campaign. According to a study from GetResponse, when it comes to the
4.9%
percentage of email opens, consumers opened 19.9% of the marketing
Saturday
emails received on Tuesday – more than any other day in the five-day
16.9%
work week. Strangely enough, while marketers sent the fewest number of
4.4%
emails on Friday, consumers opened 19.6% of emails sent, giving the
Sunday
last day of the work week the second highest email open rate of the week.
17.1%
4.5%
The best practice here is common sense. Know where your email is going
– meaning the time zone – and the audience receiving it. Obviously any
Open Rate
time after 4 pm is not ideal for reaching the greatest number of targets in a
Source: GetResponse as cited in Company blog, Oct 7, 2013
typical workday.
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Click Rate
10

14. 3 PHASES TO EXECUTE a Successful Email Campaign
Phase 1, Training Day
The Challenge Flag: Losing Timeouts? (continued)
Final Prepping:
A Word On ISP Warming …
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) are businesses, usually telecommunication companies,
that offer back-end networking services. If you have never executed an email marketing
strategy, it is necessary to establish a reputation as a legitimate email sender in the eyes of
ISPs. If you are operating under a new or unused IP address and are suddenly sending a
massive volume of emails, your communication could easily be flagged as spam.
The process to remedy the ISP speed bump involves slowly sending out small batches of
emails to raise your reputation and ensure that future email campaigns will be delivered.
A conservative approach to ISP Warming is dividing your estimated total monthly email
volume by 30, and then spreading out your distribution evenly over the first 30 days, based
on that calculation.
6am
& 1pm
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ARE OPTIMAL TIMES TO RECIEVE
THE BEST CLICK-THRU RATES (CTR)
11
ISP WARMING RAISES
YOUR REPUTATION AND
ENSURES THAT FUTURE
EMAIL CAMPAIGNS
WILL BE DELIVERED.

15. 3 PHASES TO EXECUTE a Successful Email Campaign
PHASE 2, GAME DAY
You put the time into the prerequisite planning and have a
strategy and set goals in place – now it’s time to execute.
But one fumble or misplaced word can mean the difference
between winning and converting or losing the game.
In Phase 2, we discuss everything that makes an email great – from design to
content, all the way to delivery.
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12
12

16. 3 PHASES TO EXECUTE a Successful Email Campaign
Phase 2, Game Day
Subject Matter: Writing the Subject Line
“Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.”
– Benjamin Franklin
A subject line is like the quarterback position: It’s the most important part of an email campaign, but it’s also the most difficult aspect to develop. Think of it this way: you can have a great
Call To Action (defense) and fantastic content (special teams), but a subject line (quarterback) is
ultimately what will either lead you to the promised land or leave you annoyed and scratching your
head in disbelief.
Down & Distance: Subject Line Length
• Open Rates are 12.5% higher when subject lines contain less than 49 characters compared to subject lines with 50 characters or more.9
• Click-Thru Rates are 75% higher for shorter subject lines.9
Open Rates were
12.5% higher
WHEN SUBJECT LINES CONTAINED
LESS THAN 49 CHARACTERS
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13
Source: Adestra

17. 3 PHASES TO EXECUTE a Successful Email Campaign
Phase 2, Game Day
Subject Matter: Writing the Subject Line (continued)
The Ecommerce Sector
Open % vs.
Avg.
Word Choice Is Your Most Important Decision
Overall
Click % vs.
Avg.
Open to open
% vs. Avg.
-4.9%
Free
61.7%
53.8%
Sale
62.7%
101.7%
23.9%
Save
41.5%
-18.0%
-42.1%
campaigns across six different sectors. For illustration purposes,
Half price
44.2%
44.7%
0.3%
let’s analyze their findings from the eCommerce sector. The study pins
% off
61.5%
99.1%
23.3%
these words and phrases against the average rate of key email metrics.
voucher
27.5%
-24.7%
-41.0%
coupon
Word Choice will make (or break) the success of your email campaign.
Adestra analyzed nearly one billion emails from more than 40,000
• The slightest misstep in your Word Choice could spell disaster
›› Even synonyms are volatile in effectiveness -·· For instance, “Coupon” and “Voucher” lack impact, but
add differentiation and create better attentiveness from your
audience.
next" is always better than what is here. Case in point:
·· There is no other feature or word to attract an audience
51.7%
75.5%
15.7%
-1.6%
-19.1%
-17.8%
Essential
41.5%
52.7%
7.9%
-58.4%
-47.1%
27.2%
-70.7%
-51.6%
65.0%
51.3%
-46.2%
-64.5%
85.9%
88.9%
1.6%
90.9%
104.1%
6.9%
£
34.5%
5.0%
-22.0%
$
33.9%
23.1%
-8.1%
€
43.1%
11.2%
-22.3%
Personalisation
First Name
45.5%
31.6%
-9.6%
Other
Application
-70.4%
-49.5%
70.6%
Enclosed
-68.9%
-46.4%
72.6%
like “New” (88.9% better than average Click-Thru Rate!)
and “Everything” (104.1% better than average Click-Thru Rate).
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-22.4%
Everything
›› Customers value the idea of "novelty." The promise of "what’s
-35.9%
6.5%
New
Money
-12.3%
37.4%
Next day delivery
worthwhile – however, seasonal emails (e.g. “Summer Sale!”)
36.7%
Available
›› Extreme personalization, like birthday offers, may still be
Birthday
Party
“Sale” and “% Off” show better rates.
-26.5%
Summer
Benefits
-68.1%
-8.2%
Christmas
Events
-85.8%
24.9%
Advance
Play Calling: Key Takeaways from Word Choice Anaylsis:
-55.6%
only
14

18. 3 PHASES TO EXECUTE a Successful Email Campaign
Phase 2, Game Day
Subject Matter: Writing the Subject Line (continued)
Let’s briefly discuss the name that goes next to your subject line. Unfortunately, there is no
secret sauce to determine who your email should come from. Best practices are dependent on a
variety of factors. For example, a well known brand, like Apple, will certainly experience different results
than a start-up would when sending an email from the company name.
Examine analytics to see if the name of a high profile individual, company name or brand, or email
address works best for your audience – this is where A/B testing can be extremely useful. We’ll
discuss A/B testing in detail later. However, it should shed light in terms of from whom your database
prefers to receive your emails.
3 & OUT – FINAL ANALYSIS OF SUBJECT LINE WRITING
1. Wise Word Choice is pivotal – and sensitive – to reaching your audience.
2. Concision is your best friend. Write a subject line that is compelling, clear, short and to the point.
3. Offering limited-time sales – either by season, event, or personalized dates – is a proven engagement technique.
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19. 3 PHASES TO EXECUTE a Successful Email Campaign
Phase 2, Game Day
What’s in the Fold: Making a Strong First Impression
Most email programs give their users the option of using a Preview Pane. This functionality
offers a glimpse of the content coming from an email so users don’t have to read each
email, one by one, before deleting. The view of a Preview Pane typically provides users is
of email content that fits above the fold – meaning users will not see content that requires
them to scroll down.
Consequently, like the subject line, what content is seen above the fold is critical to
successful email campaigns. In fact, your viewers may never see beyond the preview pane.
Also like your subject line, the imagery and content above the fold should be engaging,
brief, and feature a gripping Call To Action (CTA) that draws customers to whatever you are
promoting in the email (e.g. Webinar, Sale, etc.).
But before tapping into your design resources, you should first ask yourself if an image is
necessary to include in your communication. Not all email types need visual stimulants. If
included, make sure not to size your banner image too large – the more space the image
takes up, the more content real estate is sacrificed.
Finding the right balance is challenging. Per a HubSpot study, 65% of consumers prefer
emails that contain mostly images versus 35% who prefer mostly text.
84%
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OF 18-34 YEAR-OLDS USE AN EMAIL
PREVIEW PANE
Source: MarketingProfs
16

20. 3 PHASES TO EXECUTE a Successful Email Campaign
Phase 2, Game Day
What’s in the Fold: Making a Strong First Impression (continued)
HTML vs Plain Text:
HTML Email
A "safety" is when a quarterback is tackled in his own end zone. The
play results in the defensive team scoring two points and earning a
subsequent possession. It’s a rare occurrence; there are typically less
than 10 safetys throughout the course of an entire NFL season.
The same can be said for Plain Text emails. While only 12% of readers
prefer to receive them, it’s important to be SAFE (see what I did
there?) and send both a text and HTML version of your email (this is an
out of the box feature in just about every email automation platform).10
This ensures that the recipient obtains the right messaging, regardless of
whether their device can view HTML or not.
Social Buttons:
The importance of Social Media cannot be overstated. It’s changing the
Plain Text Eemail
way businesses operate. There is a conversation going on out there and,
at the very least, your email header should include links to your Social
Media accounts.
46%
OF ONLINE USERS COUNT ON SOCIAL
MEDIA WHEN MAKING A PURCHASE
DECISION.
Source: Nielsen
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21. 3 PHASES TO EXECUTE a Successful Email Campaign
Phase 2, Game Day
Mobile Matters
In recent years, more emphasis has been placed on the importance of
developing a mobile quarterback — one who can scramble to manufacture plays
with his legs as well as his arm.
Email Marketing too has seen a rise in mobile use. In the second half of 2012,
41% of commercial emails were opened on mobile devices— up from
27% a year earlier.11
50%
MORE THAN HALF OF ALL EMAIL
MARKETERS AREN’T DESIGNING
THEIR EMAILS WITH MOBILE
DEVICES IN MIND
OF COMMERCIAL EMAILS WILL BE
OPENED ON MOBILE DEVICES BY THE
END OF 2013.
Source: Knotice
Super Bowl XLV Champion Aaron Rodgers is known for his mobility
Don’t Get Caught Scrambling:
For reasons that remain unclear, digital marketers have not adjusted with their audience.
Marketing Sherpa’s 2013 Email Marketing Benchmark Report concluded that more than half of all email marketers aren’t designing their emails
with mobile devices in mind. Having a mobile-friendly email is critical. This is not a trend. Smart device adoption rates are soaring. Optimizing your web
assets to cater to the Mobile User Experience is no longer an option, it’s expected.
A solution to adjusting to the Mobile Revolution is creating Responsively Designed emails. Responsive Design is coding technology that detects the screen
size of the device accessing your email and automatically triggers content to adjust accordingly. This way, if a prospective customer is reading your email with
an iPad, Android, or traditional desktop, your message will correctly appear, delivering the right experience to the right device.
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22. 3 PHASES TO EXECUTE a Successful Email Campaign
PHASE 3, FILM STUDY
Win or lose, there is always room for improvement. Just
because the email is in your outbox doesn’t mean our work
is done here.
In Phase 3, we review the tape to figure out what went right, what went wrong
and how we can nurture and retain our loyal fan base.
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19

23. 3 PHASES TO EXECUTE a Successful Email Campaign
Phase 3, Film Study
Never Give Up
Forget football for a second. In any sport – gymnastics,
Chart: Most popular automated email messages
hockey, baseball, golf – what’s the accusation that pains
players the most? That they gave up. Whether it’s on one
play, a game, a match, or the entire season, quitting in sports is
63%
Welcome
blasphemous. You just don’t do it.
54%
Thank you
Your attitude about your organization’s marketing goals should be the
same. This is where Email Marketing can play a role in embracing a
48%
Transactional (e.g. bills, reciepts)
"NEVER SAY NEVER" mindset.
32%
Post purchase (e.g. product reviews)
The chart to the right shows a list of popular triggered emails that
companies deploy to improve customer engagement and conversion
rates:
Deploying automated emails based on customer actions either in an
email campaign or through your website is a vital tactic to achieving
17%
Win back / Reengagement
16%
Event Countdown
Triggered based on website behavior
Receipts) are standard ways to humanize the online consumer
experience.
22%
Date triggered
optimal ROI.
Most of these Auto-responders (Welcomes, Thank You’s, and
24%
Activation (e.g. how to)
Re-engage with Auto-responders:
Shopping cart abandonment
What we’re interested in here are Customer Re-Engagement
13%
11%
Source: Marketing Sherpa
messaging techniques – Upsells (26%), Re-Engagements (17%),
and most importantly … Shopping Cart Abandonments (11%).
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26%
Upsell (e.g. product recommendations)
20

24. 3 PHASES TO EXECUTE a Successful Email Campaign
Phase 3, Film Study
Never Give Up (continued)
Despite easily being able to do so, it is mystifying that only 11% of companies send
automated emails to prospective customers who abandon shopping carts before checking out.
Before brushing off the tactic, consider the following:
• 21% of Shopping Cart Abandoners that receive the auto-responder, re-engage and
buy. That’s huge.12
• And even better news. Sometimes, good things do come to those who wait: Converted
abandoners spend 55% more on purchases than non-abandoners.12
Let’s review the tape one more time for good measure: A fifth of customers who abandon a
purchase before check out will reconsider if you send an AUTOMATED email? Yes, AUTOMATED
-- as in it requires no work on your end other than the initial set-up. Moreover, over half of those
customers spend more than the typical customer who never abandoned in the first place.
The reward for perseverance speaks for itself. But this shouldn’t necessarily come across
as shocking. The customer is clearly interested – they took the time to pick out a product
and bowed out right before purchase – why not try to re-engage? Yet, all told, even with
overwhelming proof of better ROI, according to eConsultancy, the usage of automated
emails related to customer events still stands relatively low at 30%.
Abandoners spend
55%
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Source: Marketing Sherpa
MORE ON
PURCHASES
THAN NON-ABANDONERS.
21
21% OF SHOPPING CART
ABANDONERS THAT RECEIVE
THE AUTO-RESPONDER,
RE-ENGAGE AND BUY.

25. 3 PHASES TO EXECUTE a Successful Email Campaign
Phase 3, Film Study
More Post-Execution Tactics
Time-Based Follow Ups:
Secondary emails can be sent on a different time schedule based on how a recipient interacted
with your initial email campaign.
For instance, if a customer opened the email, clicked a link, but failed to complete the desired
action, then you can send the next email faster than a user who just opened the email or didn’t
open it at all.
Content-Based Follow Ups:
Beyond the Auto-responders we already highlighted, you can set up a variety of different follow-up
emails based on what the user interacts with in an initial email.
Let’s say a recipient clicked a link leading to a social site, a follow-up email that focuses on your
social media presence (maybe including special deals for “followers” or “friends") would be wise.
Or, if they clicked a link to a webinar you offered, then set a second email to talk about upcoming
webinar topics.
These drilled down methods of communication will key in on what a user is interested in, and
ultimately gain more engagement in future campaigns which might lead to more conversions.
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THE USAGE OF
AUTOMATED EMAILS
RELATED TO CUSTOMER
EVENTS STILL STANDS
RELATIVELY LOW AT 30%

26. 3 PHASES TO EXECUTE a Successful Email Campaign
Phase 3, Film Study
If You’re Not Getting Better, You’re Getting Worse
X & O’s: It’s as easy as A/B Testing
Every email is an opportunity to improve on the previous effort. A/B Testing measures
the impact of a variable change with regard to a goal achievement (click, validation, web form completion, etc.).
Unlike diagramming a play in football, the A/B process itself is simple. Once you have your email designed, create a duplicate version and change a small element of it.
For instance, an A/B test can be used to test two subject lines for the same eMail by observing
Open and Click Rates, or maybe removing or changing the image in your banner. Doing so will allow
you to split the distribution of each version and test which version drove readers to respond more effectively.
74%
OF COMPANIES WHO A/B TEST THEIR
EMAIL REPORT ‘EXCELLENT’ OR
‘GOOD’ ROI FROM EMAIL MARKETING
Source: eConsultancy
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27. 3 PHASES TO EXECUTE a Successful Email Campaign
Phase 3, Film Study
To know thyself is divine – but make sure you know both your strengths
and weaknesses
In the world of email Marketing, you’re only as good as your last email. Learning from your mistakes or successes can be accomplished through analytics.
Identifying what works and what doesn’t is made more efficient through A/B Testing. For instance, you can juxtapose the metrics of an email with the same
content but use different subject lines to gain insight into your database. What is resonating? What isn’t?
EXPLAINING THE BIG THREE EMAIL MARKETING STATISTICS
WHAT IS IT?
WHAT IT MEANS?
Email that is returned to the sender because it
cannot be delivered due to an invalid address.
Hmm. Does your database or CRM need to be cleaned
up? High bounce volume could mean email accounts in
your database are no longer active.
Open Rate
Simple, the percentage of recipients who
opened your email.
• On the peripheral, a bad open rate immediately suggests either the subject line lacked impact, or that the
email sender (e.g. a salesperson or company) could be
an issue.
• A bad open rate may also indicate poor lead segmenting and distribution list management.
Click-Thru Rate (CTR)
The metric that analyzes the effectiveness of
an email campaign based on the number of
users that clicked on a specific link.
Unlike the Open Rate, the CTR gives validation of the million dollar question(s): Were recipients engaged with your
email? Did the CTA gain traffic? Was the copy compelling?
In short, DID THE CAMPAIGN SUCCEED?
Bouncebacks
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28. 3 PHASES TO EXECUTE a Successful Email Campaign
Phase 3, Film Study
Winchester Hospital Case Study: Email A/B Test
Purpose
Winchester Hospital wanted to increase attendance at their “Finding Dr. Right” event. In this A/B test, they wanted to see what type of copy would better
pique reader interest and generate higher registration. The copy in Email (A) was straightforward and directly states the purpose of the event. Meanwhile, the
copy in Email (B) was far more provocative, teasing the event as a remedy (pun intended) for common patient issues.
Email (A) - Formal Tone
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Email (B) - Informal Tone
25

29. 3 PHASES TO EXECUTE a Successful Email Campaign
Phase 3, Film Study
Winchester Hospital Case Study:
Email A/B Test (continued)
Results- Email (B) Wins!!
Takeaways
• A/B testing showed that the informal tone used in Email (B) resulted in more engagement with the CTA.
• Adjusted Click Through Rate (Clicks to Unique Opens) was 4% higher with Email (B)
• Note: The Open Rate was similar (18-19%) as email distribution list was randomized while From/Subject line name was kept the same
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30. 3 PHASES TO EXECUTE a Successful Email Campaign
Final Thoughts
Email Marketing is not an exact science. Like anything else, the goal is to
improve upon each subsequent campaign. But it starts with using the right
tools, metrics, and methodology.
According to eConsultancy’s
Email Marketing
Industry 2013 Census:
Take Your Email Marketing the Distance
An Email Service Provider is software that includes the functionality discussed in this playbook
for success. In short, you cannot execute a successful email campaign without a top-tier Email
Service Provider that integrates with other critical Digital Marketing and CRM solutions.
At Bridgeline Digital, the award-winning, end-to-end digital marketing platform, iAPPS, features
iAPPS Marketier -- our Email Marketing software that allows marketers to easily execute highly
targeted email campaigns and optimize ROI. Best of all, iAPPS Marketier shares the same data
points as our Analytics, Commerce, Social Media and Content Management solutions and
integrates with other CRM programs (like Salesforce.com).
If your company is looking for a new ESP or your software is lacking much of the functionality
discussed in our eBook, please visit BridgelineDigital.com or contact a Business Development
Executive to request a demo of the iAPPS platform, including iAPPS Marketier.
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• Only a fifth (20%) of company
respondents report their ESP
as being ‘well integrated’ with
their Customer Relationship
Management solution (like
Salesforce.com) or customer
databases.
• Meanwhile, 28% said there was
‘no integration’ whatsoever.

31. 3 PHASES TO EXECUTE a Successful Email Campaign
References
1. ExactTarget’s 2012 Channel Preference Survey
2. 2013 MarketingSherpa SEO Marketing Benchmark Survey
3. Software Advice Survey
4. Silverpop 2012 Email Marketing Metrics Benchmark Study
5. Forrester Research
6. DemandGen Report
7. SilverPop/DemandGen Report
8. HubSpot
9. 2012 Adestra Subject Line Analysis Report
10. HubSpot
11. Knotice: Mobile Emails Open Report
12. 2012 Marketing Sherpa Benchmark Report: Email Marketing
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32. ABOUT BRIDGELINE DIGITAL
THE DIGITAL ENGAGEMENT COMPANY
the digital engagement company
Learn more about Bridgeline Digital’s integrated iAPPS Platform:
Bridgeline’s iAPPS® platform deeply integrates Web Content Management, eCommerce, eMarketing, Social Media Management
and Web Analytics to help marketers deliver online experiences that attract, engage and convert their customers across all digital
channels. Bridgeline provides end-to-end Digital Engagement solutions and boasts an award-winning team of interactive services
professionals across our 11 offices worldwide.
Stay up-to-date with trends and new
blog.bridgelinedigital.com
bridgelinedigital.com
Award Winning iAPPS Product Platform
Contact Bridgeline Digital
info@blinedigital.com
1-800-603-9936
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