Email Copywriting Clinic: Live, on-the-spot analysis of how to improve real-world email campaigns

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Join us for the largest vendor-neutral, research-based email marketing event.

Reserve your seat today:

MECLABS.com/emailsummit

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Today’s speaker

Dr. Flint McGlaughlin – Managing Director, MECLABS Flint McGlaughlin is the Managing Director of MECLABS Group. The organization has partnered with key market leaders including The New York Times, Microsoft Corporation, and Reuters Group. Dr. McGlaughlin also serves as the Director of Enterprise Research at the Transforming Business Institute, University of Cambridge (UK), as the Chairman of the Board of Governors for St. Stephen’s University, and as a Trustee for Westminster Theological Centre. Dr. McGlaughlin originally studied Philosophy and Theology at the University of London’s Specialist Jesuit College. Today, his primary research is focused on enterprise as transformative agent. His work has won multiple awards and has been quoted in more than 13,000 online and offline sources.

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Experiment: Background

Background: ActiveNetwork is a large event management software provider. Goal: To increase total lead inquiries (phone calls + form sign-ups) from visitors who abandoned the free trial sign-up process. Research Question: Which email tone will result in a higher rate of lead inquiries? Test Design: A/B single factor split.

Experiment ID: TP2083 Record Location: MECLABS Research Library Research Partner: ActiveNetwork

Research Notes:

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Subject Line: Your Free RegOnline Access Dear [Name], You’re just one step away from getting FREE access to RegOnline, our award winning Event Registration and Management Software. Quickly make an event website, try our event marketing tools, build a registration form template or even generate custom name badges. Click here to finish your profile and get started. Your personal profile is kept secure and we promise NEVER to sell or misuse your information. Have questions? Call us direct at 1-800-XXX-XXXX -- we can even set up your free access over the phone. Sincerely, Jon Powell Customer Service Representative RegOnline Direct: 1-800-XXX-XXXX ext. XXXX jon.powell@RegOnline.com

Hypothesis: • Our analysts

hypothesized that visitors are not converting because the copy was not engaging enough.

Treatment #1

Experiment: Treatment #1

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Experiment: Treatment #2

Subject Line: Your Free RegOnline Access Hi [First], I noticed that you started the process of getting free access to RegOnline but weren’t able to finish. Are you concerned about giving out your phone number? Are you worried about high pressure sales tactics or mandatory contracts? We believe our product sells itself, so we’re just here to provide you with whatever assistance you need in getting your event up and running - in whatever way works best for you. We promise NEVER to sell or misuse your information. Call me direct at 1-800-XXX-XXXX and I can help get you rolling. If you’d rather just try again online, use this link instead. Thank you in advance for your trust! Sincerely, [Name of Representative] Customer Service Representative RegOnline Direct: 1-800-XXX-XXXX ext. XXXX [name]@RegOnline.com

Hypothesis: • Our analysts

hypothesized that visitors are not converting because of high anxiety due to phone spam and high-pressure salesmen.

Treatment #2

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Experiment: Side-by-Side

Direct Response Tone

Treatment #1

Customer Service Tone

Treatment #2

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Experiment: Results

Design Inquiry Rate Relative Difference

Statistical Level of Confidence

Sales Tone 1.58% - -

Customer Service Tone 7.08% 349.41%

349% Increase in lead inquiry rate The customer service email increased inquiry rate by 349.41%

95%

What you need to understand: By addressing the customer’s anxiety through the tone of the email copy, the marketers at ActiveNetwork saw a 349% increase in total lead inquiries.

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What we can learn today

Key Principles

1. The goal of effective email copy is not to convince the customer to buy, but rather to serve the customer in a way that enables them to quickly make the best decision.

2. To make the best decision, a customer must be able to understand and accept a series of logical premises that lead to an ultimate conclusion – to click.

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Live Optimization

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Live Optimization: Youneverlose.com

Primary objective: To drive traffic to the website Target audience: People trying to save money by bidding on gift cards Subject Line: “Capture those summer memories!”

Live Optimization

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Live Optimization: Finance Factors

Primary objective: To show prospects how we can help with unconventional loans Target audience: Real estate professionals Subject Line: “We will help you fund your clients’ construction”

Live Optimization

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Transferrable Principles

1. The goal of a subject line is to capture the attention of the prospect with an appealing idea or offer, but it must also convert their attention into interest.

2. The area in a prospect’s inbox that displays the subject line usually has limited space, therefore subject lines tend to perform better when they are point-first.

Transferrable Principles

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Subject Line #1 [Company Name]: A New Way To Order

• This email is being sent to previous customers.

• This subject line emphasizes a “New Way To Order,” but says nothing about why or how it is better.

Experiment: Control

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Subject Line #2 [Company Name]: Now only 2-meal minimum order

• This subject line explains the benefit of the new order option.

• It effectively builds the interest of the offer.

Experiment: Treatment

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25.3% Increase in Open Rate Resulting in greater subscriptions and revenue

Email Subject line Open Rate (%)

Control: A New Way to Order 35.2%

Treatment 1: 2-meal minimum order 44.1%

Relative Difference 25.3%

Experiment: Results

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Live Optimization

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Live Optimization: Armstrong World Industries

Primary objective: To get people to enroll in classes Target audience: Architects and designers Email URL: http://bit.ly/12qokha

…continued at link.

Live Optimization

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Live Optimization: Part B News Primary objective: To drive subscriptions Target audience: Physician practices Subject Line: Special Issue: How HIPAA's "mega-rule" will impact your practice Email URL: http://bit.ly/14CpEwa

…continued at link.

Live Optimization

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Transferrable Principles

1. People don’t buy from emails, people buy from people. The body of your email should read like a letter. It should guide the customer in a conversation.

2. Your email copy must be long enough to sell the click, but no longer. Too little or too much copy damages clickthrough rate.

Transferrable Principles

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Sells the 30-minute demo in the first paragraph without explaining the value Starts selling “online tools” before explaining the benefits Asks the reader to get started when they may not be ready to start

Not this…

Experiment: Control

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Value is clearly communicated in the headline and the first paragraph Each thought carefully leads into the next, all the way through the email to the call-to-action Call-to-action and email copy effectively sell “the click”

But this…

Experiment: Treatment

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Versions Clickthrough Rate Relative difference

Control 1.55% -

Treatment 3.16% 104%

104% Increase in clickthrough rate The treatment generated a 104% higher clickthrough rate.

What you need to understand: By changing the messaging of the email to communicate enough value for a click, we were able to generate a 104% lift in clickthrough rate.

Experiment: Results

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Live Optimization

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Primary objective: Upgrade customers to QuickBooks 2013 Target audience: Small Business Owners and existing customers who need to upgrade Email URL: http://bit.ly/XKmv96

Live Optimization: Intuit Canada

Live Optimization

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Live Optimization: Wild at Work

Primary objective: Lead generation Target audience: Homeowners seeking to reduce their energy bill Email URL: http://bit.ly/WsX8sV

Live Optimization

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Transferrable Principles

1. The placement of the call-to-action is dependent upon the incremental decision level of the recipient. It should occur at the proper moment in the series of premises the email presents.

2. Our calls-to-action are often too generic and do not demonstrate the specific value of the click. Every call-to-action should clearly communicate enough value for the recipient to make the decision to click (or say “yes” to your email).

Transferrable Principles

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Not this…

Experiment Control

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But this…

Experiment: Treatment

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But this…

The call-to-action is only seen after the value has been clearly communicated

Experiment: Treatment

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Design Average Donation ($)

Relative Difference

Statistical Level of Confidence

Control $36.48 - -

Treatment $41.82 14.66%

14.66% Increase in average donation size The new email’s donation rate increased by 14.66%

95%

What you need to understand: By focusing on the value of what the organization accomplished and only then asking for the click, the treatment increased clickthrough rate by 20%, and average donation size by 14.66%.

Experiment: Results

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Transferrable Principles

1. The goal of a subject line is to capture the attention of the prospect with an appealing idea or offer, but it must also convert their attention into interest.

2. The area in a prospect’s inbox that displays the subject line usually has limited space, therefore subject lines tend to perform better when they are point-first.

3. People don’t buy from emails, people buy from people. The body of your email should read like a letter. It should guide the customer in a conversation.

4. Your email copy must be long enough to sell the click, but no longer. Too little or too much copy damages clickthrough rate.

5. The placement of the call-to-action is dependent upon the incremental decision level of the recipient. It should occur at the proper moment in the series of premises the email presents.

6. Our calls-to-action are often too generic and do not demonstrate the specific value of the click. Every call-to-action should clearly communicate enough value for the recipient to make the decision to click (or say “yes” to your email).

Summary: Putting it all together

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