How a Seasonal Retailer Evolved fr from Promo Emails to Year-Round - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

How a Seasonal Retailer Evolved fr from Promo Emails to Year-Round Content Marketing Mar arcia Oak Oakes Co Courtney Eck ckerle Senior Online Marketing Manager Manager of Editorial Content Calendars.com MECLABS

Session Speaker Marcia Oakes Senior Online Marketing Manager Black & White Calendars.com Headshot Marcia directs the email marketing channel for Calendars.com, an Internet Retailer Top 500 site and the largest online calendar retailer. Marcia has 15 years of marketing experience, including 11 years in B2C marketing and six years managing email and loyalty @Oakes96 programs. Prior to moving into the e-commerce arena with Calendars.com, she directed marketing efforts for several restaurant concepts and also has experience in media planning and advertising sales. 2

About Cale lendars.c .com

The Problem Ideally images have no borders or background 4

The problem Hig ighly ly se seasonal l product • Compelling promotions in off-season is a challenge • Deliverability issues from decreased engagement and inconsistent mail volume

The problem Trapped in endless “buy n ow” messaging cy cycle • All emails were promotional in nature • All emails had high revenue expectations 6

The problem Trapped in endless “buy n ow” Ideally images messaging cy cycle have no borders or background We needed a • All emails were promotional in nature new way to engage • All emails had high revenue expectations 7

Problem solv lving 8

The solu lution Create an email newsletter to deliver compelling content all year long . 9

The Challenges – Part 3 Bridging the gap 10

Defin ining obje jectiv ives • Engage subscribers in a new way • Provide interesting and relevant content all year long • Utilize our trademarked phrase: Flip Day™ 11

Defin ining Obje jectives: Promote so socia ial l media ch channels ls 12

The Challenges – Part 3 Finding our voice 13

Bein ing ourselv lves with … ign + Content Strategic Desig • No boring, traditional newsletters • Design that builds on our brand • Content that entertains and informs 14

You can’t always get what you want … and it it takes a sig signif ific icant tim time in investment to get what yo you need.

You can’t always get what you want Connecting content to consumers • Develop quality content … and it it takes a sig signif ific icant • Identify “evergreen” content you may tim time in investment to get already have available • what yo you need. Create a content calendar – make a plan for the resources and time you need

Connecting to our content 17

Connecting to our content Themed days 18

Connecting to our content Themed Real dates in days history 19

Connecting to our content Celebrity Themed days birthdays Real dates in history 20

Connecting to our content Home organization tips Themed days Real Celeb b- dates in days history 21

Connecting to our content Links directly to popular Pins Themed days Home org tips Real Celeb b- dates in days history 22

The result lts Blog traffic after Flip Day newsletter send

The result lts +71% • Newsletter produces a a pos ositiv ive ROI, despite Open low conversion rates Rate * • Good customer feedback *Other factors contributed

The result lts “You nailed it.” -Beverly +71% • Newsletter produces a a pos ositiv ive ROI, despite Open low conversion rates Rate * • Good customer feedback “BRAVO for your wonderful “I enjoy reading your Flip Day newsletter!” monthly Flip Day -Claire calendar.” -Kim *Other factors contributed

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The challe llenges In-season messaging conflicts Flip Day was developed during the of off-season to promote engagement … In In-season, it caused messaging conflicts and concerns about list fatigue First tested combining Flip Day with a promo campaign, and saw poor results 27

Solu lution In-season messaging conflicts 98% Increase in open rates Compared to Flip Day open rate during off-season months Strategically identified audience for Flip Day during high- frequency months of September through January – Recent purchasers who are typically suppressed from promos – Subscribers who have previously engaged with Flip Day 28

Current challe llenge Unsubscribe rates Subscribers opt-out at a hi higher rate e on Flip Day messages 29

Current challe llenge Unsubscribe rates Subscribers opt-out at a hi higher rate e on Flip Day When using the filtered, or strategic messages audience selection, negative impact is minimized. 30

Solu lution: Unsu subscrib ibe rates Preference Center ch changes are planned this year to provide a choice about receiving Flip Day. • Assumption is that some Current subscribers only want Preference Center: No Flip promotional messages Day option! • Adding other opt-down choices as well 31

The takeaways Don’t be afraid to try something new 1 Manage expectations for the executive team 2 Watch your metrics and adjust your strategy as needed 3 Ensure your design, content and voice work together to positively 4 reinforce your brand

Thank you to my team! Sarah Farrar Calendars.com Ashton Fasel Email Channel Calendars.com Partner-in-Crime Graphic Design Content Curation 33

Thank You Marcia Oakes Senior Online Marketing Manager Calendars.com marciao@calendars.com Courtney Eckerle Manager of Editorial Content Black & White MECLABS Headshot @CourtneyEckerle