MindComet

Missing the Mark With Design

In my dreams, I have a perfectly manicured lawn, with the nicest shrubs and accent plants that leave my neighbors green (no pun intended) with envy.  The truth is, I don’t.

I recently received an email from Scotts inviting me to join the “Scotts Lawn Advisory Panel”.  I opted-in to receive messages from Scotts about a year ago.  The messages are generally targeted to my region in the country; however I receive them too infrequently to build brand loyalty.

Yesterday’s message missed the mark when it comes to design.  I was interested enough in the subject line: “You’re specially invited to join the Scotts Lawn Advisory Panel” to see what exactly I was invited to do. 

In the preview pane I was only able to see the Scotts logo four small images and the first line of text. “You’re invited to join Scotts’ exclusive new”

If I chose not to scroll down, I would have missed that by filling out the 10 minute survey, I had an opportunity to win one of ten $500 gift cards from Smith and Hawken. 

I did like that my expectations were set up front.  I knew before getting started approximately how long I would need to spend on the survey.  I also liked the link to Smith and Hawken.  If I hadn’t planned on filling out the survey before, one look at the partner site was enough to make me reconsider.

I also liked that there was an explanation of what benefits I would receive if I was selected to be a part of the advisory panel.

According to the email this includes:

Great Stuff! I hope they select me and my miserable lawn.

There were a few things that Scotts could have improved upon.

There were no links to the Scotts website.  The most logical place to add a link would be the Scotts logo that was above the fold. 

The four above the fold images were so small they were difficult to see and they weren’t clickable. These are both missed opportunity to drive traffic to their website.

The call to action – the chance to win a gift card and the explanation that taking the survey automatically enters the subscriber in the sweepstakes could have been mentioned in the subject line or at least above the fold.  With it buried deep in the message, Scotts will surely receive less conversions than if it had been more prominent.

Scotts could have improved the sweepstakes language at the bottom of message.  It ran right into the standard footer information and just looked like a jumbled mess.

There could be a lot of potential with a campaign such as Scotts.  Unfortunately, in this case, the creative design hinders driving traffic to Scotts website as well as conversions.

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Posted by MindComet on Jan. 31, 2007

How to Maximize Your Subscriber Quality

By scouring the blogs I read on a daily basis, I came across this outstanding post from the email marketing team at iMedia.  It covers all the bases in regards to improving your email lists and lowering your bounced rates.  One of the most significant aspects they covered was the inclusion of as many opportunities for opt-ins on a landing page as possible.  Give the end-user at least four opportunities on the main page to sign up for a newsletter. Making sure to include a link in the header, a link in the body (above the fold) and a clickable image near the footer and above an ad.  Being “everywhere at once” will certainly help increase the quality and amount of subscribers.

So what’s the user to do once they (inevitably) oblige to sign up?  Well, you have to ultimately sell them with your opt-in page.  Entice the user by briefly explaining the value of your newsletter, sampling user comments and incentives upon signing up.  Let the user know how often they will receive an email and clearly display your site’s privacy policy.  As far as data gathering goes, get their first name, last name, email address and format preference (HTML or Text).

If you do all of the things listed above, you’ll definitely earn all of your subscribers’ trust.

Source.

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Posted by MindComet on Jan. 30, 2007

Be Industry-Jazzy and Funky Fresh

Don’t you feel cool when you can passionately communicate all the latest 411 in the industry with your clients?  Of course, reading MindComet’s Email Marketing Voodoo blog gives you that advantage.  But there are other ways to do your homework, like subscribing to industry articles or attending trade shows and seminars.  And if you’re looking for an excuse to take a trip to Miami, Florida, then reserve a ticket for March 4th – 6th, 2007 and attend the Email Summit + Bootcamp, Expo & Awards, hosted by MarketingSherpa.  You’ll learn through training, lab tests and case studies.  And let’s not forget about the power of networking: You could meet your next client or partner.

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Posted by MindComet on Jan. 29, 2007

Making The Inbox: Improving Deliverability

What’s an email with no recipient?  A draft.  A dummy.  A disappointment.  You wouldn’t want your hard work and development of an email marketing campaign to get lost in limbo.  A case study released today, “How to Improve Email Deliverability,” tests strategies that ensure success in reaching the inboxes of all audiences. 

Be a detective: Use audits and inspections to find the right solutions.  For example, if you’re looking for a new vendor to upgrade deliverability, don’t buy in to their sales presentation alone.  Ask for specifics and proof; for show, not tell.  If you want delivery confirmations and tracking by ISP, make the vendor test the concept.  And make comparisons to other vendors until you find what you’re looking for.

If you’re going to change the dynamic of your system or server, it’s all about implementation and transitioning.  Make it smooth and easy for your employees and you. 

And please, manage your bounces.  Ed O’Neill, Director of Tech Services for Dice, categorizes bounced emails into 20 categories.  This takes off the blindfold and lets email marketers know why messages aren’t being received.  From a full mailbox to junk mail, to specific email servers like Hotmail or Gmail, O’Neill’s team is in the know. 

So take a hands-on approach to securing success. Emulate these practices and get detailed post-campaign results.

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Posted by MindComet on Jan. 26, 2007

Reviewing the Quality Control Basics

When working on home improvement projects, we are all familiar with the saying, “Measure twice, cut once.”  Believe it or not, the same principles can be applied to your email marketing campaign. It comes down to simple quality control.  It never hurts to occasionally review the basics.

Your messages should not only be tested for appearance before they are sent live, your email messages should also be checked for a wide array of issues that may arise.

Email Clients

Although Outlook is dominant in the business world, there are people who use other email clients. Check more than Outlook for rendering issues. Be sure to include Gmail, Mac Mail, and Thunderbird in your testing.  If you know that a large portion of your subscribers are using Lotus Notes, be sure to test that as well.

Proofreading

Does your copy make sense?  Review your message for spelling and grammar errors. Simply running the copy through a spell-checker is not the answer.  A spell-check application can’t tell the difference between ‘from’ and ‘form’.  They are both spelled correctly. The lessons we learned in Freshman Comp I can be of good use here.  Your mind has the ability to fill in missing words and not catch minor errors.  Consider having a fresh pair of eyes look things over to catch the mistakes you may miss.

Subject Line

Have you added anything to your subject line for testing purposes?  Re-check your subject line before the final send. This is especially important if you are using your subject line as a notes field as a part of your testing process, or if your subject line has not yet been determined.  Verify your subject line is accurate before pressing the send button.

Links

Check each link in your message.  Make sure each link takes your subscribers to the intended destination.  A link typed incorrectly has the potential to damage your brand or take your subscribers to an error page.
 
Spend a little extra time ensuring all of the elements in your message look and function correctly.  By doing so, you can be confident your message is error-free to help you achieve the results.

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Posted by MindComet on Jan. 25, 2007

Get to Know Your Audience

Unlike many mediums online, email marketing lends to the possibility of acquiring information from customers in a clear and concise manner.  For other mediums such as telemarketing, it’s unrealistic for sales reps to ask each customer where they learned about the various product or offer, especially if they have to ask hundreds upon hundreds of customers.  This can be extremely time consuming, and ultimately wouldn’t lead to the best ROI for a client.

With information gathered on each customer via an email newsletter sign up or by simply buying a product, it’s much easier to report where customers are coming from, what other websites they go to and what their general interests are.  This information can most certainly come in handy for clients looking to broaden their appeal to an audience worth captivating.

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Posted by MindComet on Jan. 24, 2007

You’re Welcome

Welcome messages can be a vital part of your email marketing strategy.  As your list grows by people signing up on your website, take the time to welcome them to the family.

If you are utilizing a double opt-in registration, consider waiting a day or two before sending your welcome message.  There is no need to inundate your new subscriber with multiple messages within minutes. Otherwise, you run the risk of aggrevating your subscribers right off the bat.

Your first communications have the best opportunity to be opened by the subscriber.  Strike while the iron is hot and introduce your brand to your recipients.  The welcome message you send will let your newly subscribed members know that you recognize them and appreciate the time they took to register to receive communication from you.

Your welcome message can serve multiple purposes.  These include:

• Make Subscribers Feel Special

Welcome messages offer a chance for subscribers to feel like they are a part of an exclusive community.  Consider offering a surprise offer in the welcome message such as a discount or free shipping. 

• Set Expectations

Let your subscribers know how often they can expect to receive communication from your brand.  Remind them why it was good idea to sign up to receive your messages and what features they can expect to see in upcoming communication.

• Collect Additional Data

Ask your subscribers to tell you a little more about themselves.  Gather data you may not have asked for during initial sign up including, address, birthday and other data that may help you better segment your list in the future. 

Remember that your subscribers have requested information from you.  Use your email marketing campaign to its fullest potential by making your new subscribers feel appreciated from the very beginning.

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Posted by MindComet on Jan. 23, 2007