The industry sure has been atwitter lately with talk of the subscriber experience.  I recently blogged about one company that had impressed me with their subscription process.  Today, I’d like to start a two-part blog series about how you can improve your own process.  We’ll start with your opt-in page, and will continue with your welcome email next week.

Not to toot our own horn, but for both subjects, I’m going to refer to Blue Sky Factory’s new process.  We’ve just redesigned our website, and with that came an improved subscription process.  The opt-in form and welcome email were both set up through Publicaster, so Publicaster users will be able to mimic our process very easily.  You can check out our new subscription form here.  Notice that we’ve kept it simple, only requiring First Name, Last Name and Email.  Also, we’ve given four different email types in the subscription offerings, which cover the various content options available to subscribers.

To give your own opt-in page a revamp, you’ll first need to create a new opt-in form.  We’ve created a “how to” document for the Publicaster opt-in form builder.  This feature is found under the Account Manager section in Publicaster and is a simple three-step process.  The “how to” document will lead you through these three steps.  Once complete, Publicaster will give you HTML code for your new opt-in form, which you can simply paste onto your subscription page within your website.  Then, anyone that subscribes to your emails via this form will be automatically added to your specified mailing list within your Publicaster account.  How easy is that?!?  If you need help with the opt-in form builder, email us.

While integral, the form itself is just one part of the subscription page.  You’ll also need to include information about your emails and process on this page and throughout your site.  Here’s a list of best practices you should follow when creating your new subscription page:

• Put the form or a link to the form on every page of your website for maximum email capture.  Notice we have a link to our subscription page in the upper right-hand corner of every page throughout our website.

• Keep the form short and sweet.  Only ask for the information that you will really use in your email program.  Think of what information you might use later down the line to segment with.  Some choose to only ask for basics up front (email, first name, last name, zip), and then follow up later with an email asking for more information.  You can test different form lengths, but general opinion is to keep the initial form short and easy so you don’t get drop-offs.

• On the opt-in page, tell the subscriber what they can expect from your emails.  Include a content summary, promises of special offers and the frequency they can expect.  Setting expectations upfront and sticking to those will help keep your subscribers happy.  Also tell them the benefits of signing up for the email program … think “What’s in it for me (the subscriber)?”  You may also want to include a screenshot of a sample email so subscribers will know what to expect.  Check out the “What am I signing up for?” section to the left of our subscription form.  Subscribers can click on any of the four email screenshots to get an overview of the email content and frequency.

• When building the opt-in form in Publicaster, be sure to choose the Email Validation check so that the subscriber must enter an email address in the name@domain.com format.  This will prevent people from making a mistake or entering nonsense just to gain access to a sweepstakes, free whitepaper, etc.

• Set up your opt-in form to be a Notified opt-in form, whereby the subscriber will receive an automatic welcome email.  (This can also be set up through a Publicaster auto-response campaign, which is what we did.  More on this next week.)  This will also help to validate the email address, and will make your subscribers feel “welcomed” by your company.  In the welcome email, give them instructions on whitelisting your email address.  Feel free to link to our how-to whitelist page that we created for our clients to use. 

This should get you started on building your new opt-in form.  As always, feel free to contact us if you need help with anything.  Next week, we’ll go over the welcome email, and I’ll dive into the specifics of how we set ours up.  Check out the image to the right for a preview of our new welcome email.

We hear all the time about how email marketing works to drive revenue streams and how it is one of the most cost effective ways an organization can market.  All true, but have you ever thought about using email marketing as a communication tool amongst volunteers within a very small organization to be more efficient?

I know of one such organization that wasn’t sure if email marketing was for them. Their existing database was very small and they were not sure if they could benefit from the services.  In the end they decided to take the plunge and to give it a “try”.

The organization began gathering emails just like any customer does and before they knew it, they had built the database to over 200 volunteers.  Being able to reach over 200 contacts with one keystoke and sending an email did wonders to promote this volunteer organization and meet it’s needs.  The results have been tremendous.  One email was sent to the list of volunteers requesting specific items to fulfill a specific need.  The cost of the combined items was approximately $1000, a lot of money to ask volunteers to secure when there is no budget to buy these items.  I’m told that the email was sent on a Wednesday and that the items arrived at the organization on Sunday.  Pretty powerful way to communicate.

If you are passionate about a cause that you work with and have a relationship with an ESP, it might be worth a call to see if they are able to offer you a discounted rate on an account dedicated to your cause, or some other creative partnership option. Not only does email marketing work in the business world but it works in the volunteer world of extremely small email databases.  It may not provide large monetary revenues but it provides rewards that are just as big.

We have written a lot recently on the importance of giving subscribers the option to update their preferences and settings for emails.  Email users are savvy and they want the ability to control what they receive and when.  Many ESPs give emailers the option to set up a Subscriber Preferences center for their recipients, and that feature should be, and often is, utilized immediately.

So because of this, I’ve been shocked to find that recently my preferences have gone unnoticed by several companies that send me email.  There is a particular retailer who sends emails every day.  While I do enjoy hearing about their sales, the frequency is too high for me.  Rather than unsubscribe, I chose to receive one email per week on their Subscriber Preferences center.  I was thrilled to learn that I could still get their emails, but that they wouldn’t be clogging my inbox all week. 

Unfortunately after making this change, they have continued to send emails to my address almost every day.  In fact, this week I received an email from them 4 out of 5 days.  This obvious oversight is especially troubling since they took the time to ask me what I preferred, but then chose not to use that information.

It sounds like a simple rule but it’s a detail that can easily be overlooked: if you ask subscribers what they want, you must deliver on that promise.  If I weren’t such a sucker for email, I would have opted out from their emails long ago.  Most subscribers will take that route rather than put up with something they don’t want.  If you value your subscribers, take the time to ask, listen, and then make good on your promise. 

Hello marketers, tech junkies, bloggers, tweeters, and everyone else familiar with Blue Sky Factory and or email marketing!  It’s been a few months in the making, but thanks to Keith and Noah, Blue Sky’s dynamic design duo, our new website (www.blueskyfactory.com) has finally been launched.  While we have stayed true to the Blue Sky Factory brand, there are some upgrades that make the site more streamlined and clean.

Let’s start from the very beginning.  We’ve pretty much completely redesigned the look and feel of the homepage.  By bringing our blog to the forefront of www.blueskyfactory.com, we hope to help visitors have real-time easy access to information about industry trends, best practices and everything and anything else email marketing related.   Other sections on the homepage include a rotating banner, listing some of our customers, information and links about upcoming events we are involved with as well as resources and white papers we provide, and a section featuring links to different subscription centers throughout our site.  Basically, the homepage creates a more user-friendly platform linking you directly to the popular features of our website.

 The team and creative services pages are two other noteworthy changes to the site.  The new and improved team page will let you get to know your friendly neighborhood Blue Sky Factory employees a little better.  Bigger more colorful photographs along with questionnaire answers from the employees themselves, give visitors to the site a more in depth, personalized look at the Blue Sky team.  The creative services page is also redesigned, allowing for a more organized look at the work our design team has created for our customers.

I could ramble on some more, but the best way to experience and learn about the new features is to actually get online and see it yourself!  Visit www.blueskyfactory.com  and let us know what you think.

What makes an email legitimate?  The answer is many things, but most importantly permission.  Email users have naturally become wary of keeping their inboxes clean of SPAM, but unfortunately with the constant influx of unsolicited messages, more email is considered SPAM every day. 

eMarketer recently featured a chart that shows how adults in North America determine if an email is legitimate (at right.)  Not surprisingly, the number one aspect of an email that makes it legitimate to subscribers is that they asked for it in the first place.  We say this a lot, but I want to stress that it is imperative to your sending reputation that you only send emails to true opt-in subscribers.  But this is just the first step.

The second most important factor in this study was a tie between the email address and the from name of the sender.  If subscribers don’t recognize who the email is from they are highly likely to delete the email or send it to Junk.  Unless you work for Orville Redenbacher or Walt Disney, avoid using an individual’s name for the from address and name.  Use the name of your company or organization for the best recognition.

Third place goes to the fact that they have received your email before.  The easiest way to legitimacy here is to send them a welcome email immediately after they sign up so they know to expect more in the near future.  Then follow up with consistent launches to keep with their expectations.

Of course all of these tricks won’t help if you’re not sending relevant emails to your subscribers.  The content is still very important, so make sure that you’re keeping your content in line with what you promised them from the beginning.  If your click rates start to lag, survey the subscribers to see what they would like to see more or less in the content.  Engaged subscribers are happy subscribers and as long as you keep it relevant, your path will be golden.

There’s been a lot of talk lately about the subscriber experience and what a poor one it is.  A recent study by Return Path showed that 60% of the companies surveyed did not send a welcome email to new subscribers.  While 88% of those that did send a welcome email sent it within 24 hours of the subscription, this still isn’t good enough in these days of instant gratification and messaging.

With all this bad news circulating the industry, I wanted to showcase a company that got it right.  I recently signed up to receive emails from Thrillist, a company that promises daily emails about special events or promotions going on in your city of choice.  The emails are quirky, fun and relevant to me as I learn about city life in my new home. 

First of all, let me praise their subscription process.  Right in the middle of their homepage, they have a “Join Up” form, which asks only for your email address.  This form is repeated across several other pages in their site.  Once you’ve entered your email address, you’re taken to another page where you can enter additional information.  All this information is optional, and this is clearly stated.  I love that you are given the option to choose your “Email Type” (either HTML or Text).  Also on this page you can choose which other city edition(s), if any, you’d like to subscribe to.

What they could have done better:  I would have liked to see a sample of their emails, so I would know what to look out for in my Inbox.  In addition, they could have taken this opportunity to tell me what email address I should whitelist to ensure delivery.  Also, I will point out now that some of their email content is a little racy.  While this seems to work for their target audience, a warning may have been nice.  Before going this route for your own emails, make sure it works for your own target audience.

I signed up to receive the daily emails on a Sunday night.  Within minutes, I had a welcome email in my Inbox.  The email was casual and fun, thus setting the mood for future emails.  The email told me what kind of emails to expect and how often.  It also gave me lots of good information, like the email address to add to my Safe Sender List and several links, including those to their Privacy Policy, Subscriber Preferences and Opt-out pages.  The image-to-text ratio was good, including only a simple logo at the top of the email.  This ensured that the email was branded appropriately but also that the message got across to readers without relying on images.

Starting the next day, I fell right into rotation, receiving a funny and informative email every day.  Then, after about 10 days of receiving emails, came something surprising … a subscriber survey!  These people are on the ball!  Again, the email was fun, simple and intriguing.  Sending it to me so early in the game ensured that I was still engaged in their email campaigns and willing to comment.  The witty copy and funny images made me want to click through to the survey.  And in case I needed an extra push, an alcohol-related contest was introduced for those that completed the survey.  Again, this works for their target audience, but double check your readership before using this in your own emails.

What they could have done better:  The survey itself was way too long.  Four pages!  When surveying subscribers, remember to keep it short and sweet, and only ask for the information you really need.

As the title states, I’m absolutely “thrilled” by Thrillist, both from an email marketer and a consumer perspective.  In a short amount of time, they’ve managed to capture my interest to the point where I’m looking forward to their email every day.  How many emails can you say that about?

 The results are in from our Mobile Device Survey:
* 70% of you use a mobile device to view emails
* 41% of you receive HTML emails with images on these devices?
* 64% of you save emails on your mobile device to view later on your PC
* 62% of you use the view in browser link on your mobile device

Social Media’s growth and influence on the web continues to explode. We’re interested to see what kind of tools you use! Click here to share your thoughts, and look our for the results in the near future.

Most email marketers agree that their subscribers can sometimes be impulsive and unpredictable. Often at times they ignore messages or respond at large to a particular email. A lot of us don’t have a clear cut understanding of why one subscriber may take action differently than another subscriber.

 Let’s face it: the interest of your subscribers are d ifferent. If you don’t recoginize the differences you may be in danger of losing the value of your message and the attention of your subscribers. To read tips on giving your subscribers, click here.

 Don’t miss another issue of Factory Direct, our monthly newsletter. Click here to sign up.

Have you ever wondered why people are opting out of your emails? Don’t be afraid to ask! You could learn some very valuable information from sending a simple survey to your unsubscribers.

This information could help you improve your email program and retain more subscribers in the future. To learn how to stop beating yourself up about your opt-out rate and use the unsubscribers as a learning tool, read our latest article from our monthly newsletter, Factory Direct.

Segmentation and personalization have become a way of life for the savvy email marketer.  Many of us personalize emails with names, addresses, and customer IDs.  We often segment based on geographic location, email type preference, and even open/click rates.  But there is one type of segmentation that has been seriously under-utilized: segmentations based on website click traffic.

Campaigns that target based on website user click-stream data generate conversion rates that outperform untargeted broadcast campaigns by nearly 4 to 1, according to Jupiter Research.  Most (if not all) Internet retailers track click data on their websites, however despite having this extremely valuable data in-hand, many retailers still do not use email segmentations to target website visitors. 

I am on the email list for a particular online retailer and I happened to be browsing their site the other day.  The very next day I received an email with the subject line “Where did you go? Come on back!”  The content of the email said that they noticed that I had visited their site but left before making a purchase, so as an incentive to do so they offered me free shipping.  Simple, personal, and enticing.  Check out part of the email in the image on the right.

With all of this data at our fingertips, it is truly a waste to not take advantage.   If you know your subscribers are browsing your site, reach out to them with email.  If possible, offer them an incentive to return.  It can really mean the difference between casual browsing and conversions!