Email Marketing RulesUniversal Control Groups: The Path to Digital Marketing Measurement Clarity
Posted on May 9, 2022
If you truly want to know the impact your digital marketing campaigns are having, then compare the actions of people who get them to the actions of people who wanted to get them but didn’t. That’s the logic behind universal control groups, which is a measurement approach where you exclude a small portion of your audience from campaigns to get a baseline for measuring their impact over time.
By withholding campaigns from people who would normally receive them, brands are able to control for level of interest and intent in a way that you couldn’t if you simply compared people who got the campaign to people who weren’t eligible to get them. That’s why many consider universal control groups to be the purest way to measure the lift generated by your marketing efforts.
However, implementing a universal control group involves some complexity. In this post, Oracle Marketing Consulting’s Peter Briggs and Tommy Hummel discuss the various issues so you can do one successfully.
On-Demand Webinar: How to Transform Your Customer Experience with a CDP
Posted on May 5, 2022
Brands are struggling with a myriad of forces, including disjointed omnichannel experiences, rapid consumer behavior changes, the sunsetting of third-party cookies, and Apple’s Mail Privacy Protection. Increasingly, they’re realizing that a big part of dealing with each of those challenges is to bring all their customer data together in one place—a customer data platform (CDP). However, the CDP landscape is confusing and many are not sure what the right choice is for them.
In this 49-minute on-demand webinar, Oracle Marketing Consulting’s Kaiti Gary, Patrick Maxwell, and I clear things up by:
- Discussing the pain points a CDP addresses
- Defining the four kinds of CDPs
- Explaining how to define your needs
- Sharing 7 use cases to help you assess your needs
5 Truths about Inactive Email Subscribers
Posted on May 4, 2022
“Should you email inactive subscribers who haven’t opened or clicked any of your promotional emails in a long time?” That seemingly simple question is actually fraught with nuance and complexity. But it’s critical to have a clear answer because maintaining your email engagement levels is probably the biggest factor determining your email deliverability.
Let’s decode that question by discussing five truths about inactive email subscribers.
The Last Word on April 2022
Posted on May 2, 2022
A roundup of email marketing articles, posts, and tweets you might have missed last month…
Must-read articles, posts & reports
10 Email Marketing Experts Predict the Future of Email in 2032 (Email Design Review)
How Many Email Marketers Are Actually Writing “Dark Mode” Code? (SendView)
You’re Still Being Tracked on the Internet, Just in a Different Way (The New York Times)
Insightful & entertaining tweets
The world won’t end if your email goes out after 10 am on Tuesday.
We are marketers, not life saving surgeons.
— Mark Jung (@TheMarkJung) April 4, 2022
Receiving 2-3 emails a week from a furniture/lighting/hardware brand is not “Just enough to stay in the know”. Holy shit. pic.twitter.com/yhuYsA5HPj
— Brad Frost (@brad_frost) April 12, 2022
Why play hide-and-seek with your ‘Unsubscribe’ link?
Many companies send #emails with very tiny dark unsubscribe links that you can’t easily see.#emailgeeks
— OmondiOuma™ (@OmondiOumaSnr) April 13, 2022
Some unwritten rules to consider:
1.
2.
3.
4.— Jon Henshaw (@henshaw) April 24, 2022
Many changes that clients request don’t materially degrade the effectiveness of an ad. But asking for so many pointless edits eventually degrades the morale and motivation of the people making them.
— Lee Clow’s Beard (@leeclowsbeard) April 21, 2022
Noteworthy subject lines
Michaels, 4/14 – Easter is *officially* back! You’ve unlocked savings for Easter brunch.
Applebee’s Grill & Bar, 4/5 – Kids Eat Free on Easter 🐰
Williams Sonoma, 4/23 – Are you ready for Cinco de Mayo? Let us help!
Zales, 4/30 – Mother’s Day is May 8th! Save 30% off the Perfect Gift
Uncommon Goods, 4/21 – New: Save a flower. Send chocolates to Mom.
Express, 4/30 – OOO ➡️ On vacay 🏖️
Eddie Bauer, 4/12 – 🏕️ 40% Off Fleece For Nights Around The Fire
Nordstrom Rack, 4/15 – 5 spring shoe styles you need now
Express, 4/12 – 🌼 Hit the festival circuit in Dippin’ Daisy’s 🌼
GapCash, 4/27 – Work/Blazer Balance
Burlington, 4/27 – Dresses for proms, graduations, weddings, & more!
IKEA Family, 4/8 – Your furniture’s second home should be a home
IKEA Family, 4/25 – Find your perfect, pre-loved piece in our As-Is section
Gap, 4/12 – This tank sold out 4 times
Express, 4/9 – 1,000+ 5-⭐ reviews and counting
Macy’s Star Rewards, 4/12 – Use Star Rewards to earn bonus points—pronto! 🤩
Olive Garden, 4/5 – Lasagna for One … or Everyone
Banana Republic, 4/8 – Inside The BR Baby Collection
Eddie Bauer, 4/8 – It’s Here! Eddie Bauer + Cabana Van Rentals 🚙
Eddie Bauer, 4/22 – Our First Upcycled Collection With Looptworks Is HERE
West Elm Design Services, 4/9 – Get FREE design advice! We’ll help redo your living room
Uncommon Goods, 4/13 – You can’t put their names on an air fryer
Fandango, 4/7 – Be Fast Like Sonic! 🦔💫
Patagonia, 4/22 – Our new film “Newtok”
Petco Love, 4/10 – Help us make a big impact on pet lives
New posts on EmailMarketingRules.com
Litmus: Are You Tracking the Right Email Marketing KPIs?
How to Trim Your Out-of-Control Martech Stack
Litmus: Are You Tracking the Right Email Marketing KPIs?
Posted on April 27, 2022
Marketing shifts like Apple’s Mail Privacy Protection have changed the meaning of open rates. That’s left many marketers wondering which email marketing KPIs truly offer valuable insights.
In this hour-long on-demand webinar hosted by Litmus, I join Dan Oshinsky of Inbox Collective and Bree Rostic of HubSpot to discuss:
- Whether open rates still matter
- Which metrics are the most important
- Reporting cadences
- How to get a single truth that pulls email into the broader business impact picture
- Analytic toolsets
- What should be included in a dashboard
- And more
How to Trim Your Out-of-Control Martech Stack
Posted on April 25, 2022
I couldn’t agree more with Bonnie Crater’s first prediction in her recent MarketingProfs article on the Top 3 B2B Marketing Predictions for 2022, which is that “B2B marketers will trim their tech stacks.” In her article, she says, “B2B marketers will look for opportunities to consolidate and simplify their tech stacks, paring down the number of solutions they use to more manageable levels.”
This has been a recurring theme among our discussions with our clients, especially during the pandemic, which has not only pressured companies’ bottom lines but also their ability to react quickly and coherently to changing customer behaviors and needs. What we’ve heard repeatedly is client after client wondering aloud how their sprawling martech stack got to its current state, which can best be described as a Frankenstein’s monster.
In this article, I talk about how marketers got to this point, the mounting costs of a best-of-breed approach, and the merits of a best-of-suite approach.
Second Quarter 2022 Holiday Marketing Quarterly
Posted on April 8, 2022
The holiday season doesn’t have an off-season. Having a successful holiday season means executing a successful year-round strategy. Oracle’s Holiday Marketing Quarterly gives B2C brands a quarter-by-quarter plan for how to achieve more during the critical holiday season with their email marketing and other digital marketing channels.
Our second quarter checklist is focused on finishing your review of the 2021 holiday season and then making a range of improvements to everything from subscriber acquisition to performance reporting to campaign production. In this Holiday Marketing Quarterly, we’ll cover:
- Holiday Messaging Competitive Intelligence
- Subscriber Acquisition Source Optimization
- Unsubscribe Process Optimization
- Improving Analytics & Reporting
- Experimentation & Testing
- Accelerating Campaign Build Processes
For the full checklist…
The Last Word on March 2022
Posted on April 6, 2022
A roundup of email marketing articles, posts, and tweets you might have missed last month…
Must-read articles, posts & reports
Apple’s ‘Hide My Email’ Adoption Rates and What to Do About It (FreshAddress)
4 Qualities of an Intent-Driven Marketing Automation Email Program (MarTech)
When Content Impacts Deliverability (Kickbox)
E.U. Takes Aim at Big Tech’s Power With Landmark Digital Act (New York Times)
16 Trailblazing Female Email Marketers Speak Up for International Women’s Day 2022 (Pure360)
When email goes wrong with Laura Atkins of Word to the Wise (Mailgun)
Insightful & entertaining tweets
Hot take: the promo tab is the #KonMari method for email.
Do those emails spark joy, yes. Do they live in their own special, well-organized box? YES.
Let ’em be! Stop fighting to disorganize my life!#emailgeeks #emailtweets #YesIAmAHugeFanOfMarieKondo
— Skyler H (@Holobachgirl) March 15, 2022
I hate to turn down consulting opportunities, I really do. But I honestly just can’t fix it when the “it” is “cold lead emails.” Low volumes + low interest + no permission = quagmire.
— Al Iverson’s Spam Resource (@spamresource) March 27, 2022
Noteworthy subject lines
ANA Marketing 360 A.M., 3/7 – We’re Urging Members to Support Sanctions Imposed by U.S. Against Russia
Express, 3/8 – Happy International Women’s Day ❤️
Burlington, 3/8 – Let’s Celebrate #InternationalWomensDay
Saks Fifth Avenue, 3/8 – 3 game-changing women on what International Women’s Day means to them
Lane Bryant, 3/8 – For you, on International Women’s Day 💕
ModCloth, 3/8 – 🙌 Extra 50% off for International Women’s Day! 🙌
Lane Bryant, 3/27 – And the award for BEST DEAL ENDING TONIGHT is…
The Nuts.com Family, 3/11 – Seize The Snacks For Your Next At-Home Viewing 🎥
Verizon Fios, 3/25 – Press ▶️ | Spider-Man: No Way Home is here.
Express, 3/18 – Celebrate National Confidence Day with Tan France 🎉
Banana Republic, 3/22 – It’s World Water Day
Bed Bath & Beyond, 3/30 – FREE same day delivery: save gas, we’ll drop it off today!
Eddie Bauer, 3/8 – ☀️ Fun Styles For Spring Smiles
Airbnb, 3/26 – Start dreaming about summer ☀️
Quiksilver, 3/6 – Every session, all season. The wetsuit you can trust.
West Elm, 3/17 — *These* look especially great poolside 😎
Petco, 3/30 – Your pet’s coat in full bloom 🌸 with a free 8th groom.
ModCloth, 3/11 – How to time travel.
West Elm, 3/20 – The perfect sofa does not exi-
IKEA Family, 3/10 – Create a space that’s full of personality
Target, 3/17 – Is it time for a bathroom refresh? ⏰
MoMA Design Store, 3/5 –Your Laundry Day, Transformed
Gap Friends & Family – Code FRIEND for 40% off. Rewards Members save MORE –>
Williams Sonoma, 3/16 – Calphalon Elite is BACK IN STOCK + guide to non-stick cookware
West Elm, 3/25 – Big news: The West Elm Registry app is here!
Eddie Bauer, 3/8 – Introducing Eddie Bauer Stories
Express, 3/29 – TONIGHT: Find ‘fits for every RSVP on Express Live 🎥
Macy’s, 3/22 – Own Your Style: check out our new hub for brands, inspo, and all the spring trends ✨
Inspire by Namecheap, 3/27 – UX/UI trends you must follow in 2022
New posts on EmailMarketingRules.com
Loyalty Program Liabilities: Definitions & Recommendations
5 Ways to Generate More Loyalty & Email Signups
Inboxing Podcast: Special Guest Chad White
How to Use Apple’s Auto Opens Safely
6 Ways to ‘Review and Improve’ Your Automated Emails
The Future of Email Podcast: A Conversation with Chad S. White of Oracle
The Biggest Shifts in Email Marketing Trends for 2022
How Mail Privacy Protection Is Changing How Email Marketing Performance Is Measured
Webbula: How Did the Email Industry Do During the Pandemic?
Posted on March 30, 2022
Email marketing was in heavy use during the early months of the pandemic. Webbula reached out to 9 email marketing experts, including me, to get our take on how the email industry did?
There were definitely a variety of opinions on just how we did as an industry. In my answer to the question, I focused on two things:
- The role that empathy played in brands’ email messaging, and
- How companies that were constrained in their messaging used brand building
To read my response, as well as the eight others…
Loyalty Program Liabilities: Definitions & Recommendations
Posted on March 28, 2022
When you launch a points-based loyalty program, you’re creating a micro-economy with its own currency, market dynamics, and—most importantly from a legal standpoint—liabilities. Because these points can have monetary value that’s realized at the time of redemption, companies must defer revenue to cover these costs.
In this post, Oracle CrowdTwist Senior Strategist Carly Mathews reviews key terms and definitions from the Financial Accounting Standards Board’s lengthy guidance on loyalty program accounting, including:
- Points issued
- Points burned
- Outstanding points
- Redemption rate
- Cost per point
With an understanding of all of those terms, you’re then able to calculate your loyalty program liability.
Welcome! Email Marketing Rules is your guide to understanding the best practices of this complex, often misunderstood channel as you craft the best executions for your brand. Every week, we’ll explore strategies and tactics, discuss tips and inspiration, and dig into industry news and trends.
Chad S. White
Head of Research
Oracle Digital Experience Agency
Author of Email Marketing Rules and nearly 4,000 articles about digital and email marketing
