This document summarizes DJ Waldow's presentation on breaking rules in email marketing. Waldow discusses how testing popups and using ALL CAPS or the word "free" in subject lines, which are considered best practices to avoid, have worked for some marketers by significantly increasing email list growth. Waldow advocates testing practices yourself rather than following rules blindly, and emphasizes building trust with your audience through permission and list management. The key lessons are to always test, understand your audience, review metrics, and question conventions rather than taking recommendations at face value.

1. Breaking the Rules of
Email Marketing
DJ Waldow
Waldow Social
Explore Dallas: February 17, 2012

2. DJ Waldow
Founder & CEO
djwaldow@waldowsocial.com
919.943.9248
djwaldow
February 17, 2012

3. Email Marketing is (NOT) Dead!

4. WSJ Article: Oct. 10, 2009

5. Most emailed article of the day!
WSJ Article: Oct. 10, 2009

6. How many of
you have ...
A little game.

7. The Value of Email.

8. FOCUS Study
Email is (still) the top performing marketing channel.

9. Email is not dead. #Explore via
@djwaldow
Agreed? Good. Now, let’s move on...

10. Title(s):
Sales Associate
Account Manager
Director of Best Practices
Mantra:
Best practices.
Best practices.
Best practices.
DJ Waldow, circa 2006
A bit of history.

11. Title:
Director of Community
Mantra:
Best practices are practices
that are best for you.
DJ Waldow, circa 2009
A bit of history.

12. Title:
Founder & CEO
Mantra:
Rules are meant to be broken.
(but be sure you test)
DJ Waldow, circa 2012
A bit of history.

13. What email best practices have you heard?
Which do you practice?
Email Marketing Best Practices

14. Thou Shall Not (shan’t?)...
1. Send ugly emails
2. Use ALL CAPS or the word
“free” in a subject line.
3. Use popups to collect email
addresses

15. Thou Shall Not (shan’t?)...
Send ugly emails

16. A
Breaking the Rules.

17. B
Breaking the Rules.

18. A B
Breaking the Rules.

19. What you’ll need: Phone or Laptop
What you’ll do: Text, Tweet, or Submit online
A B
Time to vote!

20. [Live Poll]
Time to vote!

21. Methodology:
• Sent 20% old template (A); Sent 20% new template (B)
• Subject, From Name, content & date/time of send the same
• Ran for 24 hours
Methodology

22. Results:
• Old template (A): 25.7% open rate; 4.2% click-through rate
• New template (B): 27.0% open rate; 4.7% click-through rate
A (virtual) tie. Tom?
Results

23. React.

24. You’ll just have to trust me.
Incredible results.

25. Remember:You are not necessarily your
audience #Explore via @djwaldow
Tweet this.

26. Thou Shall Not (shan’t?)...
Use popups to collect
email addresses

27. Popup
Quick test.

28. React.
Popups! Yippee!!!!

29. Popups.

30. Popups.

31. Popups.

32. Popups.

33. Popups.

34. Pre-Popup: 80-100 new emails/month
Jeff Ginsberg: The Email Guide

35. Pre-Popup: 80-100 new emails/month
Popup + Original opt-in box
• Aug 388
• Sept 478 (a 482% increase)
• Oct 413
Popup Only
• Nov 250
• Dec 162
• Jan 174
Jeff Ginsberg: The Email Guide

36. Pre-Popup: 80-100 new emails/month
Popup + Original opt-in box
• Aug 388
• Sept 478 (a 482% increase)
• Oct 413
Popup Only
• Nov 250
• Dec 162
• Jan 174
Details in this blog post
Popup accounts for 83% of list growth!
Zero complaints!
Jeff Ginsberg: The Email Guide

37. Thousands of new email
addresses added every
day.
Current list is over 1
million email addresses.
Patrick Starzan: Funny or Die

38. Thousands of new email
addresses added every
day.
Current list is over 1
million email addresses.
Popup accounts for
75-80% of list growth!
“To this day, after 4 years, I have not heard anything [negative] about it.”
- Patrick Starzan, VP of Marketing & Distribution
Patrick Starzan: Funny or Die

39. •30 signups per month prior to
popup.
•Once installed, average shot
up to 133
•As of Feb ’11, trending at 250
per month.
•733% increase in
subscribers.
Flickr: Chris Penn
Details in this blog post & as well as this follow up
Chris Penn: Awaken Your Superhero

40. Using popups to collect email addresses can
work! Test. Test. Test. #Explore via @djwaldow
Tweet this.

41. Thou Shall Not (shan’t?)...
Use ALL CAPS or the word
“free” in a subject line.

42. Email SPAM words to avoid

43. Email SPAM words to avoid

44. FREE! ALL CAPS!!!!!!!!!!
DJ’s inbox

45. DJ’s inbox

46. DJ’s spam folder

47. Content filtering hasn't been a big component of spam filtering
algorithms for nearly a decade. Sender reputation and
increasingly engagement metrics are way more important.
Any marketer with half-decent permission and list management
practices will be able to use these words and phrases without
worry.
- Chad White, Research Director at Responsys & author of Retail Email Blog
Email SPAM words to avoid

48. Breaking the Rules.

49. Breaking the Rules.

50. Using FREE & ALL CAPS in an email subject
line does not mean automatic spam.
#Explore via @djwaldow
Tweet this.

51. 1. Earn and build trust.
2. Always be testing.
3. Understand your audience.
4. Review your metrics.
5. Don’t believe everything you
read on the Internet.
5 keys to making “breaking the rules” work

52. Flickr: financialaidpodcast
February 17, 2012

53. DJ Waldow
Founder & CEO
djwaldow@waldowsocial.com
919.943.9248
djwaldow
February 17, 2012