Retail Solutions Expo Email Marketing Bootcamp Phoenix 2012

1. Retail Solutions ExpoEmail Marketing BootcampPhoenix 2012 By Dr. Michael Stachiw

2. This presentation, along with a large library of marketing resources are available electronically at: www.feeddealer.com/library

3. Who is FeedDealer.Com? Marketing Co-Op Group • Send out over 750K e-mails/month from no fewer than 50 clients • Vary in complexity, length and content • “Open Rates” vary between 17% and 99% depending on the campaign

4. Who is FeedDealer.Com?Marketing Co-Op Group • Customers vary from Land O’Lakes Purina Feed to independent dealerships to non-profits to artists • Number of recipients for any one e-mail piece varies from a 200 to 180K+

5. Who is FeedDealer.Com? Marketing Co-Op Group • Grand openings, events, specials, individualized coupon drops • More complex e-mails are actually “table of contents” for a larger magazine hosted on a web server

6. Web/Internet & Traditional Marketing Web/Internet marketing need never forget its linkage to more traditional marketing methodologies, or your efforts will surely fail, or at the very least be rendered ineffective. -– Dr. Mike Stachiw

7. Leverage Your Marketing $ and Efforts

8. Leveraging Your Marketing $ and Efforts • Leveraging : • Multiplying the application of $/energy/resources/ through the use of technology AND synergistic events to maximize the applied impact. • Using a long stick to move a heavy object • Applying the correct tools, at the correct time, to safely solve an insurmountable problem

9. Leveraging Your Marketing $ and Efforts • Coordinate e-mail marketing with seasonal events (i.e., Valentines day, St Patties day, 4th of July) • Coordinate e-mail marketing with the 17 “Business Builder” events, take advantage of corporate advertising at the same time • Use existing E-mail lists (Corporate available) to augment your own lists.

10. Leveraging Your Marketing $ and Efforts In order to maximize effectiveness of your leverage, you also need to first lay a strong foundation of other web and traditional marketing techniques

11. Web/Internet & Traditional Marketing Have a website (more later) Add your email address & web site address on all traditional correspondence (bill of ladings, bills, business cards, etc.) Add your web address (& possibly e-mail address) on delivery trucks, buildings, front door & similar “billboards” Don’t forget placement yellow page ads, newspaper ads, etc.

13. Thirst teaches the value of water. -- Old Russian saying Water, taken in moderation, cannot hurt anybody. --Mark Twain

14. We know why you should consider e-mail marketing in your overall marketing plan (cost and effectiveness) Implement this technique as though the cost is exactly the same as the more traditional methods you employ on a regular basis. The value & effectiveness is similar to traditional methods, but done poorly . . . It’s a waste of time and money.

15. A slip of the foot you may soon recover, but a slip of the tongue you may never get over. --Benjamin Franklin

16. How do we make an e-mail marketing campaign successful?

17. Effective Marketing Management(aka “the circle of life”) Task Plan of Attack Post Mortem/ Evaluation Mission/TaskPerformed

18. Where do we start? • Determine target audience & purpose of the e-mail campaign • Collect e-mail addresses • Development of e-mail (eblast) content • Decide how will we send the e-mail • Take the time to evaluate the e-mail campaign

19. Effective E-Mail Management E-MailCampaign Post Send Evaluation/Post Mortem Aquiree-mail list, develop e-zinecontent Sending of E-Mail to Prospects/Customers

20. Preparing the Email 3 Most Important Things to go in an E-Mail 1: Content 2: Content 3: Content

21. Preparing the Email The 2nd most important thing in constructing an e-mail . . . Subject Line

22. Preparing the Email From a SPAM, advertising/marketing and legal viewpoints -- the subject line matches the content! Well written subject line increases email open rate. Subject line should be relevant, with your company or event name in it. True newsletters (or e-zines) should have the newsletter name in the subject line.

23. Preparing the Email Good Subject Lines Valley Park Elevator – Grand Opening – Jan 6 Important Notice About AG2Ag Reminder -- Rio Lima Tack & Feed Sale – Jan. 14 Feed-N-Time Feeds – Honor Show Feed & Livestock Seminar – Jan. 25

24. Preparing the Email • Bad Subject Lines: • Free Stuff – Win Big! • Goat Newsletter – Udder Ligaments & Milk Production • MIKE AND RITAS FEED BARN – BIG SAVINGS!!! • RE: • $ave B*I*G on FEED Today!

25. Preparing the Email Should I create my newsletter with HTML or Plain text? HTML – colors, fonts and images are supported as well as links to websites. More complex to construct. Text - Simple to construct, very spam/firewall friendly, but very plain in appearance. Images, links, color, fonts etc not supported.

26. Preparing the Email • Note/Warning: • HTML when used in e-mails, is a sub-set of the HTML tools available when constructing websites. Layouts need to be simple with very limited CSS (Cascading Style Sheets). Flash, ActiveX, Movies, and JavaScript will not work. • If you want/need to use advanced techniques and/or very large images, please consider using a two part e-mail technique, where the e-mail is a simple/skinny message with links to a hosted page were all the advanced stuff is located (called a landing page).

27. Preparing the Email • Note/Warning: • Remember that rural America, still has dial-up lines with old version of web/e-Mail clients. Keep the e-mail as “skinny” as possible. How skinny will depend on your design intentions AND the design tool used to create the e-mail. • There is no simpler, more complete way to p--- people off than to send extremely large messages, with attachments that clog up their dial-up e-mail connection!

28. Preparing the Email • Note/Warning: • Be advised in advance that your e-mail will look different on different web/e-mail clients. Web based email systems like Gmail, Hotmail and the like will look dramatically different than dedicated mail clients like Outlook, Lotus Notes, Pegasus, etc.. • You will never have absolute control over the e-mails appearance.

29. Preparing the Email • DIY • Web-Based Self-Construction • Turn-Key Vendors

30. Preparing the Email • Web-based Self-Construction • Constant Contact • Contact Monkey • MailChimp • SwiftPage

31. Preparing the Email • Doing it Yourself - • Desktop Publishing tools • Microsoft Word • FrontPage • Expressions • Tools needed to create, convert & resize images & PDFs

32. Preparing the Email • Not for the timid, weak or infirmed. The amount of knowledge and skill required is directly proportional to the quality/complexity of the e-mail to be send. All can be overcome, but it takes time, energy and $ • Start simple & work up in complexity

33. Preparing the Email Must Dos • Provide Un-Subscribe mechanism, preferably a “click here” button • Provide link to your un-subscribe policy statement on your website

34. Preparing the Email Must Do’s • Provide a link to your privacy policy statement on your website • Include your physical address, PO Box is not regarded as a physical address

35. Preparing the Email Should Dos • It’s a good idea, but not mandatory, “You are receiving this e-mail because you signed up for it” • Consider “printer friendly” link for complex flyers What is not good for the hive is not good for the bee. --Marcus Aurelius

36. Samples of Good Practices

37. Bottom of E-Blast : • Printer friendly link • Unsubscribe link • Unsubscribe policy link • Physical address

38. Unsubscribe Policy Statement – Hosted on our web site

39. Example of Subject line matching content

41. Sample E-Zines