Email Marketing Action Plan

As you progress through each step in the Right Now Marketing System, you will answer questions and fill in information worksheets related to your email marketing campaign. This is your Action Plan, so be sure to use it!

Contents
Step 1. Overview: Timeline & Goals pp. 2 Step 2. Your Marketing Plan pp. 3 Step 3. Research pp. 4-5 Step 4. E-mail Checklist pp. 6 Step 5. Test Media pp. 7-9 Includes sample email campaign worksheets. Step 6. Check Your Numbers pp. 10-11

2004 Dunn Direct LLC * dunndirectgroup.com * (530-897-0758) * info@dunndirectgroup.com * p. 1

Step 1. Overview: Timeline & Projected Goals

Project Exercise: Create a 1-page marketing action plan for your email campaign. First answer these questions to understand the customers point of view, then fill in the plan on the following page. Your Customer-Centered Marketing Strategy: Start Creating the Right Offer and Target Where You Will Market to Maximize Your Profits 1. What are the three major problems facing people interested in what you are offering? (Guess if you have to, but the better you know them, the better you know how to market to them.) 1. 2. 3.

2. What are 3 important goals they would like to achieve with what you offer? How will this improve or better what they are doing now? 1. 2. 3.

3. What would your customers be interested in learning about through email that is related to what you are offering (news, finance, travel, etc.) 1. 2. 3.

4. Who are the top competitors to your offer on the Internet? Note down the 3 best you know, or leave it blank. Just make sure to watch your competition, because your customers do. 1. 2. 3.

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Step 2. Your Marketing Action Plan

Be sure to accurately answer each question; your Performance depends on it. A SIMPLE OVERVIEW: APPLY TO EITHER PRODUCTS OR SERVICES 1. PROJECTED GOALS: How will you ultimately measure success for your email campaign (acquired customers, sales, open rate, clickthrough?) What is your ultimate goal for this campaign? __________________________________________________________________ 2. P R O J E C T E D R E S P O N S E : Calculate or estimate a number of email messages. Estimate the open rates, clickthrough, and conversion rates that would make your campaign a success. What numbers will you need to reach to make your campaign work? __________________________________________________________________ 3. YOUR EXPERIENCE: Is this a tested campaign, or a new campaign? Do you have experience in email marketing or is this your first effort? Set your goals slightly lower if you have not managed 3 or more email marketing campaigns. If you are experienced, share how you would like to apply that experience to the specific email campaign. __________________________________________________________________ 4. YOUR CREATIVE: Do you have someone in-house to handle creative development, or will you use an outside designer/agency? Who will develop the e-mail creative (your ad)? _____________________________________________________ 5. YOUR OFFER: What makes your offer special? Write 2 to 3 headlines of your best offers right now. If you dont know any, look at your competitors and enter the 3 best you saw. __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ 6. STRATEGIC FACTORS: Does your offer have any special strategic factors, like seasonal factors, to it? What seasonal or competitive factors will impact your customers perception of your offer? __________________________________________________________________
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Step 3. Research Develop Your Target Customer Profile

Objective: Write your Target Customer Profile What are the key characteristics, or information, you would like to know about your customers? A. Name and Contact Info: where do they live? B. Are there any areas where more of your prospects live so you can target regionally? C. Email address; this is crucial to your follow up. D. Special Interests E. Related Products and Services to what you offer F. Age G. Sex H. Income I. Do they have children? J. Do they own their own home? K. Have they given permission to you to send opt in email to them? L. Frequency of using your products; is this a one time deal or multiple uses? M. What Web Sites do they visit the most? Who gets the most traffic? N. What are the best places for your customer to discuss issues, socialize, and meet like minded people interested in your product/service?

Target Customer Profile

What is the age group of your target customer? __________________________________________________________________ What geographic areas do they live in? __________________________________________________________________ What income level are you targeting? __________________________________________________________________ What email lists will you contact your target customers through? __________________________________________________________________
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Remember the A-B Test: Test Control (A) against your Test (B)
Testing is the key to success. Anytime you test an e-mail, test the subject line, your ad, and the list. The best way to do this is through an A-B test. A is your control, the e-mail you hopefully have sent and know the results from. If you dont know, then just use A as a test against B, the alternative. If you continually practice this, you will see improvement. Its not rocket science, its plain simple common sense. Remember to test 10-20% of your overall list that you are targeting with your test (10% A and 10% B is best, then send the winning e-mail to the remaining 80%). What you are testing is called a variable; for example, if you test two different email ads, then the creative is the variable, i.e., what differs between the two emails. Its that simple. What variables will you test? Subject Line Where the Links are Placed Ad copy effectiveness Headlines

Pick out just a few variables from this list. Write down the most important variables to test for you: __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ Sample Test Spreadsheet With Variables Campaign Scheduled Send Date What is tested? Email 1 Email 2 12/18/0? 12/18/0? List Test Size

Open 54,552 Subject Line 1 Rate Open 49,068 Subject Line 2 Rate

Subject Line Control subject line Test Subject Line

What is being tested?

Target List Response Size

Test justification

Your First Subject Line Your Second Subject Line

20% Open 33% Open

Same Subject line each month, except for date Using a topic/theme from the e-mail may lift open rates, not as generic

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Step 4. E-mail Development Checklist

Objective: Develop an e-mail using the following checklist as a guide. You have 5 seconds to interest people in your email. Be sure to: Use bullets and links to quickly move reader through copy Blue link on top and bottom of email for maximum effectiveness Designed like a postcard, with limited information Excellent headline that gets them to move from the email to a web page Copy is focused on specific benefits for the customer Checked for grammar and spell checking, so it is written at the write grade level Remove request at bottom of email, including company information

Error Checking 1st 2nd Email directs to correct landing page. Email links work. . Links are above the fold, on the top part of the email Email gives opt out language. Email uses effective practices in Subject, and Copy. Tester 1st ____________________ Tester 2nd __________________

Now that you have seen the three examples, compare them to what you have created. Make sure that your emails are short, to the point, have links at the top, and include a good from line and subject line. Focus on HTML email if possible, testing against Text E-mail.

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Step 5. Test
Objective: Set Up Your Test Campaign with this Sample Testing Form Email Campaign Check List Manager: Campaign Name: Date Started: Date Completed: ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________

Email Copy Review Copy is short and easy to scan. Use no more than 50% of text you would use in print. Use bullets and hyperlinks to quickly move reader through copy. Starts with a short introductory sentence and develops around a primary benefit. Use bolds to emphasize information. Present one idea per paragraph, and try to use 2-3 sentences per paragraph. No more than 2 to 3 printed pages in length. Text and AOL emails are no longer than 60 characters per line. Ends with P.S. repeating the primary benefit. Text and AOL emails URL links (i.e., http://www.yourwebsite.com) are shorter than 60 characters. If not, upload a redirect page if possible. Copy is focused on specific benefits for the customer. Check for grammar and spell checking, so it is written at the right (7-9) grade level. Error Checking 1st 2nd Email directs to correct landing page. Email links work. Links are above the fold, on the top part of the email. Email adheres to all opt out language used by your company. Email uses effective practices in From line, Subject Line, and Copy. Email has been approved in AOL, text, and HTML format All design is consistent with that of the site. Landing page is checked in different browsers, 800x600 minimum. Email is checked for spelling and grammar. Tester 1st ____________________ Tester 2nd __________________

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Email Campaign Final Testing Checklist Start date of email campaign; make sure that creative is delivered. Check stats at tracking system quickly to see results. If testing campaign, measure results of both control and test within 72 hours. Enter results in Spreadsheet within 72 hours and evaluate campaign. Get exact numbers of email, AOL, and HTML email delivered. With external vendors this can be a tricky proposition, be sure to request this. Note percentage of HTML emails; if possible, always get more HTML emails because they perform better. EXTRA BONUS: Checklist Forms The following checklist forms are not mandatory. They are included as references to use.

Newsletter Email Checklist

Todays Date:
(Month, date, YYYY)

Date of Newsletter Launch:

(Month, date, YYYY)

Title of Newsletter: Newsletter Frequency: online : Will offline version be discontinued for Subscribers? Newsletter Description and Purpose: (e.g. Product this will be associated with)

Business case: Expected results Open rate CTR Total Sales

Conversion Rate

Business case: Newsletter better than competitors? Describe how the newsletter will be differentiated from any other newsletter going to the same target audience

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Opt-Out Language of the 3rd party partner: Opt-out Language and Link to Opt-Out Email Policy Page

Rented Email Checklist

Todays Date: Date of Launch: Phone: Title of Program:

(Month, date, YYYY)

(Month, date, YYYY)

Submitted By: Department:

Program Information List Broker (Name/Address): Third Party (Name/Address): Language: Opt-Out

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Step 6. Check Your Numbers: Evaluate your Plan and Next Steps
The final step is to summarize your findings. 1. 2. 3. 4. What are the top 3 findings from this campaign? What worked? What didnt work? What email best practices could be added to make this work better next time?

This analysis is your final evaluation step and should be submitted for evaluation. Your Objective: Write a two page executive summary of your email.

Email Campaign Analysis

Summary and recommendations Overview Discuss your campaign background including: 1. What were the objectives of this email? 2. When did the campaign start? 3. When was it scheduled to finish? 4. Who was the email targeted to? 5. What email lists were used? 6. How were the results evaluated in terms of ROI? (ROI=Return on Investment; Revenue-Costs=ROI) Key Findings List your key findings here. This is where your tests of email campaigns, focusing on variables like a subject line, can be helpful. A key finding is evidence supporting your test, or invalidating it. Limit yourself to 3 to 5 key findings. What is it that you learned that will help this email perform better later on? Include open rates, clickthroughs, conversion rates, response rates, and other relevant numbers in your key findings, compare them to your initial goals, and evaluate how you could improve them next time.

2004 Dunn Direct LLC * dunndirectgroup.com * (530-897-0758) * info@dunndirectgroup.com * p. 10

EMAIL MARKETING - CONVERSION FORMULA FOR ECOMMERCE ENTER SAMPLE DATA YOUR Distributed DATA ** Number mailed 50,000 ** Number of bounces 6000 ** Bounce rate 12% ** Emails delivered 44,000 Click-Throughs ** Unique Click-Throughs ** Click-Through Rate Conversions ** Number of purchases ** Conversion rate Transaction Costs ** Total revenues ** Average revenue per transaction ** Campaign costs ** Cost per transaction ROI ** Gross margins ** Profit ** ROI 3000 6.82% 120 4.00% $12,000.00 $ 100.00 $ 1,500.00 $ 12.50 30% $ 2,100.00 140%

$ 00.00

2004 Dunn Direct LLC * dunndirectgroup.com * (530-897-0758) * info@dunndirectgroup.com * p. 11