I just got back from MarketingSherpa's Email Summit in Miami. It was two days jam-packed with the latest email research as well as case studies from America's best email marketers. I had the wonderful opportunity to meet many experienced marketers from both coasts, and they shared many tips and good stories with me. One of my favorite quotes was, "Including a newsletter name in your subject line is wasting valuable real estate!" Very true. We plan to start testing that here.
I stayed on the B2B track for most of the breakout sessions, and while each session focused on a different topic (ranging from newsletter content creation to lead nurturing), the same theme and messaging rang true for each: relevancy rules all!
In the Research Keynote, MarketingSherpa Research Director Stefan Tornquist noted that, on average, a highly segmented list has an open rate of 40%, and a list with low segmentation has an open rate of 21%. He also, more than once, stressed the importance of landing pages in email campaigns. (I really wanted to raise my hand and mention the opportunity to segment on landing pages as well... but I didn't. Maybe next time.)
While each speaker discussed how they carefully and strategically segment their email lists, most (if any) don't segment post-click. That's a huge missed opportunity. And an opportunity most marketers miss in their other online media spends, whether paid search, banner, or affiliate marketing.
Smart marketers know the importance and power of segmentation, and what is true for email lists is also true for post-click marketing. Our clients are proof! Landing pages that segment respondents (we like to call them conversion paths) can generate anywhere from 2-10x more conversions than single, one-size-fits-all landing pages.
In online marketing, relevancy is the key to success. And a laser-sharp focus on what happens after the click will get you there. Experienced marketers know it; they just haven't placed enough focus on it (yet).
-Megan Leap
