The old police saying; to assume makes an ass of you and me. I think it was Oscar Wilde originally. No Matter.
In email, sender assumption is the cause of lower open rates, lower reaction rates, and higher unsubscribe rates.
Sender assumption, that is, that the recipient will mirror the sender - in terms of interest, knowledge, understanding and enthusiasm.
To a degree, this can be overcome by dumbing down - creating your email with the lowest common denominator in mind.
Make sure you sender ID clearly identifies you. Make sure your subject line is informative and engaging. Make sure that your call to action is the focal point of your email. Make sure that your desired transaction is simple and obvious.
Too often , marketing minds used to the subtlety of other media make the mistake of copying their tactics for email.
Time is not on your side. You have seconds to compete with a crowded inbox. So keep it simple, and never assume that the recipient is sitting there, waiting eagerly for your email, and has hours to devote to deciphering what it is you want them to do.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Thursday, March 13, 2008
So when should I send out my newsletter?
Since email time immemorial there has been great debate about timing. What day to send, what time to send?
Statistics are studied, theories evolved. Results change, and consequently so do timings.
Timing strategies often depend upon your database; is it primarily composed of business users, or weekend users?
Some rules do apply to all deployments – from Friday lunchtime through to Monday lunchtime, don’t bother sending – unless your message is time sensitive and critical to an event during that period. After hours emails in midweek are usually a waste of time, as well.
I believe that the most important timing rule is consistency. By deploying at the same time of the same day each week or month, you can gradually create an event – one that will be anticipated, and also that can be teed up by previous send outs, and on your website.
This can only help opening rates and audience engagement.
Statistics are studied, theories evolved. Results change, and consequently so do timings.
Timing strategies often depend upon your database; is it primarily composed of business users, or weekend users?
Some rules do apply to all deployments – from Friday lunchtime through to Monday lunchtime, don’t bother sending – unless your message is time sensitive and critical to an event during that period. After hours emails in midweek are usually a waste of time, as well.
I believe that the most important timing rule is consistency. By deploying at the same time of the same day each week or month, you can gradually create an event – one that will be anticipated, and also that can be teed up by previous send outs, and on your website.
This can only help opening rates and audience engagement.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Too many links spoil the broth
I am currently challenging conventional wisdom in email. This week, my subject is links. Most people agree that a high degree of consistency between web design and email design is important. One area where that often carries through is in site navigation – boxes of links to part of a website appear in the email template.
3 years ago we conducted a survey on user behaviour. One of the most interesting results was that the more links that existed in an email, the more people clicked them. The novelty of receiving email newsletters, and following their links was still high. This trend has now reversed. The best results, in terms of click-throughs, come from fewer links.
In fact, I would suggest that if the purpose of your email is to get recipients to click through a particular link, then you would be best served by having only that link, and by focussing the direction of both layout and content towards it. Anything else is a red herring.
So when designing an email template, think about links. Yes, have one through to your home page, but do not replicate the navigation menu of your site, as you may lose people who might otherwise have clicked through your key message link.
3 years ago we conducted a survey on user behaviour. One of the most interesting results was that the more links that existed in an email, the more people clicked them. The novelty of receiving email newsletters, and following their links was still high. This trend has now reversed. The best results, in terms of click-throughs, come from fewer links.
In fact, I would suggest that if the purpose of your email is to get recipients to click through a particular link, then you would be best served by having only that link, and by focussing the direction of both layout and content towards it. Anything else is a red herring.
So when designing an email template, think about links. Yes, have one through to your home page, but do not replicate the navigation menu of your site, as you may lose people who might otherwise have clicked through your key message link.
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Don't let branding hide your key impact message
Just as all websites began life with headline banners that covered the width of the site to brand and identify the site, so most Html newsletters did the same.
Again, as with last week’s post, this is valuable real estate, and if you are communicating with an audience who are not brand new, is it the best use of that space?
What is your key intent in the email – is it reinforcing your branding, or perhaps the delivery of a message which hopes to stimulate action and response?
If it is the latter, then you should consider split headlining – reduce your branding to 30% of the headline banner, and replace it with rich text – headline news, calls to action which work in conjunction with your subject line and new top text headline (see last week’s post).
This is unlikely to diminish your brand or identity impact – remember that is already enforced through your sender ID.
It may not look quite as slick initially, but it will improve impact – especially in the preview pane.
Again, as with last week’s post, this is valuable real estate, and if you are communicating with an audience who are not brand new, is it the best use of that space?
What is your key intent in the email – is it reinforcing your branding, or perhaps the delivery of a message which hopes to stimulate action and response?
If it is the latter, then you should consider split headlining – reduce your branding to 30% of the headline banner, and replace it with rich text – headline news, calls to action which work in conjunction with your subject line and new top text headline (see last week’s post).
This is unlikely to diminish your brand or identity impact – remember that is already enforced through your sender ID.
It may not look quite as slick initially, but it will improve impact – especially in the preview pane.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Sudden Impact!
Early Html email was quite a basic proposition, but senders soon discovered rendering incompatibilities between browser types. Code disintegration, blocked images etc made a good chunk of volume unreadable.
The solution, which was quickly adopted as standard, was to offer a link to a web version at the very top of the email.
As inbox competition intensifies, and preview pane decisions are commonplace, perhaps this valuable piece of real estate can be put to better use.
Most marketing emails and email newsletters have a principal headline – either an attention grabbing news story, or a tag line designed to entice the recipient to read on and complete whatever transaction the email requires.
Try putting it at the very top, in bold, and in a standout colour, with a line separating it from the subsequent, standard text.
The impact this has, being the very first thing seen, may cause a marginal increment in readers.
It should complement, rather than replicate, the subject line. The two can work together.
I predict that before every long, this will become a new standard.
The solution, which was quickly adopted as standard, was to offer a link to a web version at the very top of the email.
As inbox competition intensifies, and preview pane decisions are commonplace, perhaps this valuable piece of real estate can be put to better use.
Most marketing emails and email newsletters have a principal headline – either an attention grabbing news story, or a tag line designed to entice the recipient to read on and complete whatever transaction the email requires.
Try putting it at the very top, in bold, and in a standout colour, with a line separating it from the subsequent, standard text.
The impact this has, being the very first thing seen, may cause a marginal increment in readers.
It should complement, rather than replicate, the subject line. The two can work together.
I predict that before every long, this will become a new standard.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Time for email marketers to challenge conventional wisdom?
In the increasingly crowded and noisy place that is our inbox, it is getting ever harder to gain entry and get heard.
Smart email marketers will recognise that if they are not going forward, they will be going backwards in terms of email impact. There can be no standing still.
Like websites, marketing emails, as part of their evolution, have, to a degree, become standardised in format. Conventional wisdom exists.
Perhaps, in order to stand out from the crowd, it is time to challenge those standards. To look at what is considered acceptable and necessary and wonder if there might be a better way of doing it. Such is the process of evolution.
Over the next few weeks I plan to examine those standards one by one and see if I can think of any changes or developments which will benefit the goals of the sender, whilst at the same time remembering the needs and requirements of the reader.
I’ll share my thoughts with you, and look forward to your comments.
Smart email marketers will recognise that if they are not going forward, they will be going backwards in terms of email impact. There can be no standing still.
Like websites, marketing emails, as part of their evolution, have, to a degree, become standardised in format. Conventional wisdom exists.
Perhaps, in order to stand out from the crowd, it is time to challenge those standards. To look at what is considered acceptable and necessary and wonder if there might be a better way of doing it. Such is the process of evolution.
Over the next few weeks I plan to examine those standards one by one and see if I can think of any changes or developments which will benefit the goals of the sender, whilst at the same time remembering the needs and requirements of the reader.
I’ll share my thoughts with you, and look forward to your comments.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
No.8 Wire not suitable for email
NZ is rightly proud of its ability to produce cheap, innovative solutions. But sometimes it is just not appropriate.
To kick off 2008, I want to quote 2 key points in the new year message from Al DiGuido, one of America's foremost email thinkers:
Outsource smartly. Some people still believe effective e-mail deployment and execution can be accomplished with internal IT staff and deploying on your own servers. Not a chance. The last thing you want to worry about these days are the technical underpinnings of the infrastructure that deploys interactive messaging.Instead, use that time to leverage the capabilities available to you to increase customer acquisition and retention and to upsell. Stop listening to IT folks who claim they're the only ones on Earth who can build what you need. Great technology is in the market. Establish a demanding list of features and functionality, then find a vendor that can serve your needs.
Demand great customer service. In the old days, e-mail provider customer service was measured by the speed and flawless nature of message delivery. We all remember how painful it was when mistakes were made, campaign delivery lagged, or IP addresses were blocked. We took partners to task for lack of service. We created huge service level agreements with all types of penalty grids for violations.Customer service must to be much more these days. If your provider isn't proactively offering tangible insight into your campaigns and how to improve effectiveness, it's time to start asking why not. Stop thinking about e-mail as print production or direct mail blasts. Your provider and the people who work for the company must provide value-added insight as part of their agreement to serve you.
To kick off 2008, I want to quote 2 key points in the new year message from Al DiGuido, one of America's foremost email thinkers:
Outsource smartly. Some people still believe effective e-mail deployment and execution can be accomplished with internal IT staff and deploying on your own servers. Not a chance. The last thing you want to worry about these days are the technical underpinnings of the infrastructure that deploys interactive messaging.Instead, use that time to leverage the capabilities available to you to increase customer acquisition and retention and to upsell. Stop listening to IT folks who claim they're the only ones on Earth who can build what you need. Great technology is in the market. Establish a demanding list of features and functionality, then find a vendor that can serve your needs.
Demand great customer service. In the old days, e-mail provider customer service was measured by the speed and flawless nature of message delivery. We all remember how painful it was when mistakes were made, campaign delivery lagged, or IP addresses were blocked. We took partners to task for lack of service. We created huge service level agreements with all types of penalty grids for violations.Customer service must to be much more these days. If your provider isn't proactively offering tangible insight into your campaigns and how to improve effectiveness, it's time to start asking why not. Stop thinking about e-mail as print production or direct mail blasts. Your provider and the people who work for the company must provide value-added insight as part of their agreement to serve you.
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