The content needs to work for both digest and the one-offs.
Each headline needs to work together or at the very least, not contradict each other.
the digest emails will have a lot of content. The user should know what to get from the headline quickly.
This experiment required alignment from all marketers within QuickBooks. Before I wrote a single line of copy, I sat down with each marketer and explained the project and the vision for the content.
I created a Google Doc for each segment. This allowed the marketer to only see what they needed to see. Streamlining this process allowed for focused collaboration.
I also collaborated with all other marketing Content Designers working in each segment. This ensured we had a consistent voice and tone, and the messaging was on point.
Since I was working with more than a dozen stakeholders at any given time, I worked with the program manager to ensure I didn’t have any blockers and we were all on the same page.
When I started on the project, there wasn’t a single point of view on what makes for a good subject line for QuickBooks. So I took a look at all the data to make sense of it all.
I took approximately 1,500 subject lines and ran them through Readable.io. I measured the content for readability, word count, tone, and sentiment, and measured that against open and click through rates.
While I wasn’t able to find a definite “QuickBooks” subject line, I was able to find qualities of the content that could signal what works and what doesn't work. Since each segment had a unique user base, these signals would be different for each segment.
When we launched the control emails, we found the subject lines, using the signals from the audit, performed well above average. The test email subject line didn’t perform well. In the June edition, we launched the test emails with similar subject lines from the leading content in the email.
At the top of each email digest, we needed a main headline and subhead to tie all the content together. In this alt, we acknowledged we sent users way to many emails. Ending on “we pinky promise” gave the email some levity.
In the email we launched with, we decided to go with something a little straightforward. The headline is a nod to an accounting term that refers to how business owners make decisions.
With the one off emails, we kept the content simple and concise. We also had to use the same content that would be included in the email digest.
With the one off emails, we kept the content simple and concise. We also had to use the same content that would be included in the email digest.
The one-off emails (the control) outperformed the email digest (the test). As a result, the team felt that sending customers more focused emails proved to be more valuable to the business and our users, and the team continued to find other ways of personalizing email campaigns.
As a result, the team didn’t move forward with making the email digest a part of the QuickBooks core marketing strategy.