LogoMotive January 2007

Email Marketing Strategy

By: Diana Kathryn Wolfe

Wolfe Technologies, Inc.

Brand It. According to a recent study, when asked how they define spam, 95.5% of respondents said, "emails from senders that are unknown to me." So, make sure your email conveys who you are. Do this by incorporating your brand into the Subject line, especially if the 'from' field does not make this clear.
 

Keep it Short. The typical email Subject line window has room for between 30 and 40 characters including spaces. The recipient will decide whether to open or delete your email in 3 seconds or less. And if the Subject line is too long to fit in the window, the recipient is likely to delete your email. Make up for your lack of space with solid words that offer value.

Spell Out the Benefits Not the Features. Let the reader know what's in it for him, before he even opens the email. State a clear benefit; let the recipient know how your offer or content will save him money, time, or otherwise improve his life.

Make it Urgent. If appropriate, give the recipient a reason to open the email right away, such as a limited time offer.

Easy on the Punctuation. In many cases, you can eliminate punctuation altogether. Subject lines don't even need to end in a period. And by all means, stay away from exclamation points. These are highly likely to get your email filtered. Unless your Subject line is a question (and therefore needs a question mark), it's best to stay away from punctuation.

DON'T USE ALL CAPITAL LETTERS. Subject lines rendered in all caps are a one-way ticket to "filterville" or at least the bulk mail folder. If your email does make it through, all caps have become a signal to recipients that an email may be spam -- a rap that will send yours straight to the recycle bin.

Proofread. Check your Subject line for errors before you hit the 'send' button. Run it through spell check, and have someone you trust give it a read as well. Nothing can undermine someone's credibility like incorrect grammar or misspelled words.

Articles in this edition of LogoMotive:

Conductor

Resolved     Tax Planning

Marketing