This document summarizes a discussion on email marketing best practices for startups. It provides takeaways in the following areas: 1. Why startups should have an email strategy - it is inexpensive, provides great ROI and engagement, builds relationships, and people prefer email. 2. The most important emails startups should send - transactional, onboarding, product updates, and newsletters. 3. Key elements of high-performing campaigns - table-based HTML, good subscriber experience, strong subject lines, clear calls-to-action, and relevant messages. 4. Email tools startups should use - transactional services, newsletter services, and testing tools. 5. How

1. CUSTOMER-CENTRIC
EMAIL MARKETING
By Justine, Ros and Colin
#v2vemail

2. ROSCAMPAIGN MONITOR
COLINCUSTOMER.IO
JUSTINELITMUS
I DO:
"Guide to CSS Support in Email Clients"
and other great email design resources
I DO:
Organize the Email Design
Conference; manage our content
and community.
I DO:
Copywriting education, deciding
what our product should do,
helping customers send better
emails.
@yarrcat
@campaignmonitor @meladorri
@litmusapp @alphacolin
@customerio
Slides, feedback and resources:
http://litmus.com/lp/v2vemail

3. Why Should My
Startup Have An
Email Strategy?

4. Why Should My Startup Have an Email Strategy?
• Inexpensive
• Great ROI
• Increase engagement
• Build relationships
• People prefer to receive email
…

5. EVERY EMAIL NEEDS
A PURPOSE
“SPECIAL DELIVERY!”

6. • WHO are you sending to?
• WHAT are you trying to communicate?
• WHEN is it appropriate to send the message?
• WHERE will the recipient read it?
• WHY are you sending this message?
• HOW does the recipient take action?
The Five W's

7. How do I not look like a spammer?
Permission is...
• Opt-in
• Not implied
• Not purchased
• Not forever
…

8. How do I not look like a spammer?
CAN-SPAM requires…
• A Physical Mailing Address
• An Unsubscribe Mechanism
• No Account Login
• That Unsubscribes are Fulfilled
in 10 days
…

9. "you recently created a
Litmus account…"
"you recently downloaded
our templates…"
"you recently ran a test…"
Permission Reminders

10. How do I not look like a spammer?
Emails are not
weapons of mass
destruction

11. What are the Most
Important Emails a
Startup Should Be
Sending Now?

12. • Transactional
• Onboarding Emails
• Product Updates
• Newsletter
What are the Most Important Emails a Startup Should Be Sending Now?
…

13. Transactional

14. Cart/Signup Abandonment

15. Welcome Emails

16. Welcome Emails

17. Onboarding Series to Influence User Behavior

18. Don’t stop after people pay!
Email to:
Prevent Churn!
Help People Become Experts
Tell your team to do things

19. Newsletter
"G’day. I’m back in the hood.
!
I was away for 2 solid weeks in the mega cities…that’s the longest
stint I’ve been separated from my muses…being waves and surfing.
!
Oh man…I love traveling but home is pretty darn good."
- Aquabumps

20. Newsletter
"Phew! I've been waiting for you to sign up, Ros! It's great to have
you along. Let me know what you think, OK?"
- Balthazar

21. NEWSLETTERS HAVE
INTIMACY

22. 74%
People who say that email is their preferred channel

23. … so why send boring email campaigns?

26. What Are The Key
Elements in High
Performing Campaigns?

27. What are the Key Elements in High Performing Campaigns?
…
• Table-based HTML
• Good subscriber experience
• Strong subject line
• Clear CTAs
• Relevant messages

28. Table-based HTML + Inline CSS
check out Ros’ killer guide: campaignmonitor.com/css

29. From name Subject line Preheader
Inbox
25% from name
25% subject line
50% preheader text

30. From name Subject line Preheader Open Tap/click
Inbox Email body
25% from name
25% subject line
50% preheader text

31. From name Subject line Preheader Open Tap/click
Inbox Email body
25% from name
25% subject line
50% preheader text
Page/site
Page/site

32. Hey

33. Hey = $2.6million

34. A GOOD CALL TO ACTION CAN
MAKE OR BREAK
A CAMPAIGN

35. CALL TO ACTION
Free Trial See plans and pricing

36. CALL TO ACTION
Free Trial See plans and pricing
200% increase in signups

38. CALL TO ACTION
Start testing Read our overview

39. CALL TO ACTION
Start testing Read our overview
2x clicks

40. Test a hypothesis
Content vs product
High vs low commitment

41. Single CTA Emails FTW
21% of opens clicked 40% of opens clicked

42. +30% clicks
VS

44. Relevancy:
Personalization/Geolocation
• Boston: 1,200 subscribers
• London: 2,500 subscribers
• San Fran: 1,100 subscribers
• General: 46,000 subscribers
!

45. Relevancy:
Targeting using multiple data sources

46. Which Email Tools
Should Every
Startup Be Using?

47. • Transactional services
• Newsletter services
• Testing
…
Which Email Tools Should Every Startup Be Using?

48. NEWSLETTER TESTINGTRANSACTIONAL

49. How Do I Measure
The Success of My
Email Campaigns?

50. • Go Beyond The Click
• Conversions, Buzz, Enquiries
…
How Do I Measure The Success of my Email Campaigns?

51. Conversions

53. Those spikes? Thanks, email.
Pageviews
Twitter mentions

54. Thinking beyond clicks, opens, conversions
•Twitter mentions
•Unsolicited comments
•Endorsements
•Web visits
•Blog comments
•Anecdotal evidence
•Interest from mainstream journalists

55. It's time to
optimize!

56. Takeaways: Why should my startup have an email strategy?
• Inexpensive
• Great ROI
• Increase engagement
• Build relationships
• People prefer to receive email

57. Takeaways: What are the most important emails a startup should be sending now?
• Transactional
• Onboarding Emails
• Product Updates
• Newsletter

58. Takeaways: What are the key elements in high-performing email campaigns?
• Table-based HTML
• Good subscriber experience
• Strong subject line
• Clear CTAs
• Relevant messages

59. Takeaways: Which email tools should every startup be using?
• Transactional services
• Newsletter services
• Testing

60. Takeaways: How Do I Measure The Success of my Email Campaigns?
• Go Beyond The Click
• Conversions, Buzz, Enquiries

61. ROSCAMPAIGN MONITOR
@yarrcat
@campaignmonitor
@meladorri
@litmusapp
COLINCUSTOMER.IO
@alphacolin
@customerio
Resources: http://litmus.com/lp/v2vemail
We'll be at TEDC! http://litmus.com/conference
JUSTINELITMUS
Thank you!