Email Builder – Overview & Capabilities

1 – Create/Manage/Deploy Email Messages

With our email marketing suite, we have completely integrated the flow of database and email activity, creating enormous benefits in campaign setup and database recency.  On the front end, campaign setup reflects the most current data on the database, and multi-dimensional selections can be created via our powerful Audience Builder (OnQ) query tool.  In the middle, Email Builder’s extremely user friendly UI allows you to set up and send within minutes.  Most deployments with a standard frequency, i.e. newsletters, can be automated to make the sending even more efficient.  On the back end, all of the valuable behavioral data from campaigns (including sends, opens, clicks, keywords, opt-outs, and undeliverables) is automatically updated to the database, thus ensuring enhanced and up-to-date customer profiles, as well as ongoing data integrity and compliance with each country’s spam rules.  Other features include fatigue and future inventory calendars for reduced list fatigue and more effective campaign planning, and a ‘welcome & nurturing’ series of emails for nurturing and enhanced customer engagement.   Our email marketing suite includes a comprehensive reporting package, including the ability to track detailed results from any individual effort, as well as combinations of efforts. Reports can also be produced to analyze specific metrics, such as engagement over a period of time or an analysis of click activity when content is multi-purposed over multiple deployments.

2 – Content editing mechanisms (WYSIWYG/html code editor)

After loading your content, we provide a WYSIWYG editor for any revisions.  For our savvier clients, there is also the ability to edit the actual html code, too.  Original content is typically created outside of Email Builder via Dreamweaver or similar products.

3 – Header and Footer Management

Header and Footers can be stored in the Email Builder application and then ultimately defaulted within each of your deployments.  These can be as granular as you like and created for each deployment type. They can also be created at the client level.

4 – “From” display Management

The “from” line that is displayed to your recipients is totally customizable.  It can be stored at the deployment type level as a default and then automatically applied, saving your users time during the setup and testing process.

5 – Seed/Test Management

We support seeding and test lists, including varying levels of complexity based on client requirements (e.g. inserting individual names vs. lists of names, deployment types, etc.). This includes a ‘Select All’ option in a Seed list’s maintenance section that lets you adjust large and sometimes unwieldy seed lists.

6 – Newsletter opt-in forms

Any number of customized newsletter opt-in forms can be created.  These forms can be as simple as only requiring the email address and Country (to enable us to keep our clients spam compliant amongst a myriad of rules) to complete contact information and demographics.

7 – Managing email content by deployment varieties (brand and effort type)

Email Builder is designed to send any type of deployment that our clients desire (newsletters, promotions, renewals, third-party, etc.). These different types of deployments are segmented by “deployment type”, which retains the integrity of each audience list and also controls the opt-out functionality in that opt-outs are only applied at this ‘type’ level.  In addition, Email Builder has parameters built in for audited, digital issue alerts to ensure that no suppressions or de-duplication occurs in order to meet the audit requirements.  During Onboarding and setup, we work with your team to determine the actual deployment types.  Also, opt-outs can be easily selected or de-selected via our Audience Builder query tool.

8 – Image hosting options and library

We allow for the storage/management of images. Users can easily upload an image into our interface and receive a URL that can be used in any deployment.

9 – Opt-out management – (opt out by brand and/or effort type)

Email Builder allows you to handle opt-outs on as granular a level as you prefer.  Once an email address is in our ‘filter’ as an opt-out for a deployment type, the application will automatically suppress it from any future mailings for that deployment type. There is no override to this functionality, therefore eliminating any possible errors.  Any future opt-in action from the customer will override the prior opt-out, allowing our clients to have the most up-to-date database possible.

10 – “Unsubscribe from All” functions

There are two different ways that you can implement an “Unsubscribe from All” option:   1. An “Unsubscribe from All” option can be hard-coded onto the Unsubscribe page. 2. You can create a Preference page that not only displays the items that your customer is currently opted in to, but also all other products that you would like to offer.  The final option on that page is to “unsubscribe from all deployments detailed above”. Please note that these are both optional. We do not require our clients to offer an “unsubscribe from all” link.

11 – Preference center options

Within Email Builder you can create any number of preference center pages that are customized to each deployment type.  These pages will indicate which products the customer is currently subscribed to, in addition to other products that you would like to offer. Custom sign-up pages can be created by Omeda’s Form Builder Support team, or users can create custom sign-up pages via our partnership with Unbounce.

12 – List Selection/Management

Our integrated Audience Builder tool allows you to custom-create any number of audience lists based on any fields on the database, and split them into segments to meet your defined goals. The triggered functionality in Email Builder allows you to schedule a subsequent flow of emails to your customers, based on their action of either not opening, not clicking, opening, or opening and clicking in a prior email.  This allows you to push more recipients down the path to achieving your final goal for each campaign.  The list selection for standard deployments, such as newsletters, can be automated, thus saving time and eliminating any possible errors.

13 – Email search features

The ‘Search’ functionality in Email Builder allows you to search on 17 different elements.  Deployments are naturally categorized by brand and deployment type.  Further search options include date ranges, status, sending domain, etc.   There is an additional option in the “Sent As” dropdown box. By selecting this option of “All Except Recurring and OD Send API” you will see all deployments excluding Recurring, On Demand Send API generated emails, and Odyssey emails.

14 – Subscriber Look-up and Management

Subscriber data can be viewed and entered via our “Audience Search” application, where our clients access individual customer records. Users can search for individual customers via various criteria, including name, company/organization, zip code, email address, customer ID, and Audience Builder query selection. Customer records feature a multitude of contact, demographic, behavioral and transactional data, as well as valuable information on all product touch points (such as emails received, opened, clicked), to provide a comprehensive view of each customer.   Opt-in or Opt-out data can also be easily viewed in the Email Builder filter to determine the status of an email address.

15 – Welcome Series

All Omeda hosted web pages will automatically send a “thank you for registering/welcome” email when customers submit.   Omeda clients can also create any number of welcome and nurturing series of email communications to drive customer engagement based on an initial customer action. 1. You can create a series to welcome new newsletter subscribers.  The first email could be to remind them to whitelist the sending domain. The subsequent email could provide links to other valuable content, promote an upcoming webinar, and so on. 2. An automated series can be created to promote any of your trade shows or face-to-face events.  Once someone does register, they can be dropped from the promotional email flow and added to another series promoting what to look forward to at the event, for example. These are all easy and automated ways to drive engagement and to get those customers interacting on your website and with other products.

16 – Lead Nurturing

There are various tools within the Omeda user suite that can enhance lead nurturing efforts.  Our integrated Audience Builder tool allows you to custom-create any number of audience lists based on any fields on the database, and split them into segments to meet your defined goals.  Users can select on behavioral data such as opens, clicks and keywords, and any selections can be overlayed with demographic or other data in the database.  Multi-dimensional ‘Q-queries’, such as to recent leads within certain demographic categories, can be set up for easy reference and selection.   The welcome series outlined in 3.16 can be used to nurture leads such as those from videos or whitepapers, and the triggered functionality in Email Builder allows you to schedule a subsequent flow of emails to your customers, based on their action of either not opening, not clicking, opening, or opening and clicking in a prior email.  This allows you to push more recipients down the path to achieving your final goal for each campaign. Additional opportunities spring from our latest offering, Olytics, which is our web analytics service designed to track and report on website traffic for both known and unknown visitors.  Known visitors who are leads for new/additional products can be targeted for various communications.   Unknown visitors can be utilized by your CMS to access API-driven segments to drive better content and offer management.

17 – Triggered re-sends

For all of your deployments with a call to action, the Triggered functionality in Email Builder allows you to automate a series of deployments, encouraging the audience to take the desired action.  Subscription renewals can be created where a series of reminders can be automatically sent to those who do not open and/or click in the deployment to renew.  Or, a series of triggers can be created to encourage the recipients to download your latest whitepaper or attend an event.  Customer conversions can be completed with no effort on the user’s part.

18 – Open, Click and other activity metric management

The Email reporting suite has a variety of standard reports to analyze all deliverability and engagement metrics for each deployment or any combination of deployments.  All reports analyze open and click activity on both Unique and Gross counts.  Engagement reports can rapidly display the customers that have opened each newsletter deployment for the past two months (as an example) and those that have not opened any to facilitate your creation of re-engagement campaigns. Customers can also use the Summary Stats report to create their own customized report (or reports) of the key statistical data that is important to you.  Standard functionality also includes heat maps and the ability to download the actual customers that opened or clicked within each deployment.

19 – Digital Edition – Audit Reporting – SMTP logs

We regularly interface with leading digital edition vendors on behalf of our clients. In addition, for many clients we utilize our integrated Email Builder services to send the digital edition notifications, and apply the valuable behavioral data from the emails (open, clicks) into the database for enhanced analysis, data query and marketing efforts. We also maintain all digital edition deployment logs (SMTP) for audit purposes.

20 – IP address – improve delivery to the in-box

Email Builder clients have the option of entering a sending pool or deploying from your own dedicated IP address.  Clients with small volumes are encouraged to utilize the high sending reputation of a pool since that would be difficult to obtain when you have random sending cadence and small volumes. There are multiple IP addresses within each pool, which enables efficient fail-over capabilities if spam blocks do occur. Larger clients benefit from their own dedicated IP address since they can create and maintain their own high and valuable reputation.   The Omeda staff automatically will set up all feedback loops and whitelisting requests on your behalf.  In addition, the Omeda Deliverability team on a daily basis addresses any blocks that may occur to ensure the best deliverability possible. Email Builder implements all technical specifications as required by Internet protocol, and also sending and throttling recommendations from the major ISPs.  Ultimately, inbox delivery is based on the recipient’s engagement with your content.  The Omeda team also works with you in this regard to create re-engagement campaigns and to also identify and remove those unengaged customers.