MindComet

A Moving Target

Email Marketers are often asked, “When is the best day to send a message?” 

A new study showed that in the first quarter of 2006, Tuesday was the day with the best performing open rates with 26.4 percent.  The previous quarter (Q4 2005) pegged Friday as the day with the best open rates.  Email marketers flocked to Fridays as the “It Day” Subscribers were overwhelmed with marketing messages on Fridays.  This may explain why Friday dropped to the fourth most popular day. 

So the question remains, what is the best day to send your email marketing message to receive optimal results?  That depends on your message, subject line and creative.  If these are good, you will get good results.  If they are not, don’t expect an outstanding performance. 

Continue to test your messages and discover what day receives the best open rate.  Don’t jump on the Tuesday bandwagon because it has the highest open rate.  Rest assured that plenty of marketers will be mailing on Tuesdays. 

It is safe to assume that there will be an increase in the volume of email people will receive on Tuesdays, at least until next quarter…

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Posted by MindComet on May. 30, 2006

Shorter is Better

Your subject line could make or break your message. As your subscribers scan through their inboxes, your subject line should reach out and grab them. A study performed on subject lines showed that subject lines with zero to 49 characters experienced open rates 12.5 percent higher than subject lines with 50 characters or more. Additionally, click-through rates on zero to 49 set were 75 percent higher than the 50 character plus group.

Shorter subject lines are not only visible in whole, but people understand shorter subject lines rapidly and more effortlessly.

When planning your email marketing strategy, keep your subject lines clear, concise and short to draw your subscribers into your message.

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Posted by MindComet on May. 23, 2006

Optimize Your Messages For a Blackberry

When you are planning your email marketing campaign, think about who is receiving your message.  You can no longer assume that your message will be viewed on a desktop.  If you are sending messages to salespeople, or anyone on the go, it is imperative that your message will render on a Blackberry, if not, your message might not ever be read.

When planning your message for optimization on a Blackberry, consider these ideas to improve your message:

• Make the first 15 characters of your subject line count.  Because there is a limited area to view the subject line, you should be reaching out to grab the attention of your Blackberry users.
• If your email marketing message has a list of one or two word bullet points, write them horizontally.  This will ensure that there are more key points on the first screen of the email.
• Make your points quickly.  Remember, your message could be read on a Blackberry, because your reader is on the move; they don’t have a lot of time, and most likely will not read a long message.

By planning ahead and putting thought into how your message will appear on a Blackberry, you will increase the chance your message will be read by your subscribers.

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Posted by MindComet on May. 16, 2006

Here’s the Proof

You may feel like you have your email marketing campaign right where you want it.  You think your message looks great! 

Let’s hit send and get it out the door! 

Not so fast!

Occasionally, because we are in a rush, or because our messages “always” look good, we may not want to take the time to test our email marketing messages.

Before you send your message out to your subscribers, it is essential to send a test to yourself and other members of your team.  At least one extra pair of eyes can save you time and embarrassment by making sure that your message reads correctly and is free of grammatical and spelling errors.  It is also an opportunity to find missed changes, improper image paths and links that don’t work. Here is your chance to correct any problems you find in your message before you send to your subscribers. 

Once your team has come to agreement that all necessary changes have been made, the links work, your image paths are correct and your message would make not only Merriam Webster, but also Strunk and White proud, go ahead and send away.

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Posted by MindComet on May. 08, 2006

Getting Personal With Your Subscribers

Email communication has the ability to fit the needs of vast groups of individuals in unique ways.  “One to one” communication has been the mantra when discussing interactive technologies for several years.  Although email is not always used this way, it is the most successful online medium in reaching this objective.  The reason that more people do not respond favorably to the idea of trading info for content is that many marketers have been unable to fulfill the capability of email.  According to a study conducted last year found that in 2004 65% of consumers were willing to provide preference information in exchange for personalized content.  In 2005 that number dropped to 59%.  There has been a bigger drop in consumers willing to provide demographic information in exchange for personalized content.  The number dropped from 57% in 2004 to 46% in 2005.

While 60% of those surveyed said that they would be willing to spend more than two minutes answering questions to receive personalized content, that number may be inflated.  Internet users tend to demand instant gratification in the form of customer service and the customer experience.  If you are planning a questionnaire, try to limit it to one minute allowing for a slow expansion.  Or make it so engaging your customers won’t want to leave.

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Posted by MindComet on May. 02, 2006