MarketingSherpa';s 2008 Email Summit Top 5 Takeaways

Ryan Austin, director of email marketing at Blue Tent, recently made the trip to Miami, Florida at the end of February to attend MarketingSherpa's 3rd Annual Email Summit. Following are his "Top 5 Takeaways" from the conference:

The biggest takeaway was winning Gold for Best Postcard-Style Campaign (B-to-B). With over 300 entries from companies around the world and only 40 winners broken down into 10 categories we were psyched. Here are the other top 5 that really stood out for me.

1) Pay close attention to landing pages.

Don't forget to "message match" the main thrust of your email campaign with your landing page. This helps to reinforce the message with the end user. Also, having a direct call to action on the lading page created some of the highest conversion rates. Such as buy now, book now or to request more information.

2) One of the most important landing pages is the welcome page.

This is page the user is redirected to after subscribing. This welcome message gives you the chance to make a great first impression and is used as the first marketing draw in the campaign.

3) Increase use of personalization and interest profiles.

The ability to update profiles and give information to trusted companies has grown. Which also allows you to give your subscribers better targeted and relevant information, which in turn leads to highter conversions.

4) Segment your list for better results.

Using the advantage of interest profiles to segment your list has proven some of the highest results. Even the simplest segmentations created higher open and click thru rates.

5) Test, test and test again.

Always be testing to find out what works and what doesn't. Test your subject lines, creative and landing pages. But don't over do it and always remember your goal.

6) The Cuban Sandwiches and the Cuban Coffee at Casa Del Marinero on 114 Ne 3rd Ave Miami FL are incredible.

I found myself there everyday.

– Ryan