Emails
Driving engagement & sales
I've worked on sophisticated email campaigns for travel, healthcare, entertainment, and education. Not only does a copywriter need to know how to work with design and analytics to create effective emails, but they must also be well versed in the their technical underpinnings to unleash that power. And sometimes, they have to abandon everything they know to succeed...
Design Differently
In 2013, UCLA's Admissions Department faced a daunting new situation. The California State Legislature had drastically reduced funding and the school needed to meet the shortfall. One strategy they chose was to attract as many out of state and international students as possible. They had purchased a blind list of 270,000 domestic and international high school junior names with emails, which we used liberally for A/B testing.
Rising to the Challenge
Using Silverpop, I and our new CRM Director tested subject lines. We found personalization was the most powerful opener. We then designed a series of emails that boldly defied the conventional wisdom of "keep it short." Instead, we played into the scrolling habits of high school students.
Record-Setting Results
That fall, UCLA received a record-breaking number of 105,800 applications -- almost 6,000 more than the year before.
2014 Out of State Students, Total Applicants: Up from 15.20% to 22.11%
2014 International Students, Total Applicants: Up from 15.44% to 16.39%
For More Information
The UCLA campaign included emails about affordability, as well. These PDFs include the entire email series: