We wanted to provide you with an easy-to-read cheat sheet that you can reference when planning your email programs. Learn how much time your peers spend strategizing, what marketers are testing most in their emails, the perfect time to send, and why marketers should design emails that are optimized for smart phones.

1. CHEATSHEET
By far, brands still prefer to communicate via email. In a recent survey, 77% of consumers said they
prefer to receive permission-based marketing communications through email. Further, all age groups
named email as their preferred source for communication. Below is some interesting data on taking
your email strategy to the next level.

2. SPEND TIME ON STRATEGY
AVERAGE PERFORMERS
23%
22%
20%
18% 17%
12% 13%
CREATIVE
TOP PERFORMERS
SEGMENTATION
& TARGETING
14%
10%
STRATEGY
EMAIL LAYOUT
& PROCESSING
13%
REPORTING
Strategy is the key to reaping email marketing results. Top email
performers—those seeing the best results from their email campaigns —
spend more time on strategy than their counterparts.

3. TEST, TEST, TEST
SUBJECT LINE
MESSAGE / CONTENT
LAYOUT & IMAGES / CALL TO ACTION
DAY OF THE WEEK SENT
TIME OF DAY SENT
PERSONALIZATION
LANDING PAGE
TARGET AUDIENCE
“FROM” LINE
MOBILE LAYOUT & IMAGES
Historically, the subject line has
been the most tested element in
marketing emails; however, many
other elements also contribute to
your email’s success.
15%
26%
72%
30%
32%
What Should I Be Testing?
The data to the right shows the
percentage of email marketers
currently testing each category.
34%
61%
39%
50%
46%

4. SEND AT THE RIGHT TIME
OPEN RATE BASED ON
TIME SCHEDULED
TIME OF DAY WHEN THE EMAIL
WAS ACTUALLY OPENED
20%
Determining the best time of
day to send is vital to your
email’s success. Traditionally,
marketers have assumed
that sending emails during
peak open-rate hours is the
best option.
15%
10%
5%
Schedule your emails earlier or later in the day, so
your recipients will be more
likely to open them during
work hours. Once you
choose a time to send, stick
with it for consistency.
0%
12AM
6AM
12PM
6PM

5. DESIGN FOR MOBILE
75% of smartphone owners say they are highly likely to delete emails they
can’t read on their phones. Don’t let yours end up in the trash.
Make sure your emails are mobile-friendly!
100%
2010
Q3/Q4
2011
Q1/Q2
2011
Q3/Q4
2012
Q1/Q2
2012
Q3/Q4
MOBILE
2013
Q1/Q2
2013
Q3/Q4
PC
80%
60%
40%
20%
0
The number of commercial emails opened on mobile devices is set
to surpass PC-based emails by the end of 2013.

6. FINAL TAKEAWAY
YOUR EMAIL CAMPAIGN’S OVERALL SUCCESS IS DETERMINED BY THE
PERCEIVED VALUE YOU DELIVER IN EACH EMAIL. THAT’S WHY
UNDERSTANDING THE IMPORTANCE OF EACH ASPECT OF ITS
CREATION—FROM SUBJECT LINE TO SEND TIME—IS KEY TO MAXIMIZING
YOUR EFFECTIVENESS.