Email4Thought

Long Time No Send?

The beauty about email newsletters is that due to their regularity in your subscribers' inbox, they lend themselves greatly to allowing you to build a good, sturdy and steady relationship with your subscriber.

When it all goes well, it's a beautiful thing - but unless you're committed to the process it can fall down.

This week I received 2 emails from companies who I signed up to recieve monthly newsletters from over 2 years ago. How many emails have I recieved from them in the past 2 years? From Company A - none at all and Company B - 2 in the first year and none in this past year.

And what did their opening sentences say? "It's been awhile since you last heard from us" or " Missed us?" - no - nothing at all about the absence of newsletters in my inbox from themselves...

The problem with this type of lack of re-introductions as such, is that most of the time you've forgotten that you signed up and so they appear to be unwanted and unrequested emails. So, if this situation happens to your newsletter, then you need to bite the bullet and 'fess up'. Additionally, if it has been longer than 6 months since you contacted them OR you have been collecting addresses via your subscription form on your website but never actually sent out a newsletter,it would be advisable to ask the subscriber to re-subscribe.

Of course avoiding the problem from happening in the first is the preferred option, and this can be easily achieved by planning a schedule in advance. When creating a newsletter schedule I find it easiest to work backwards so ask yourself the following questions:

1: What date/day of the month do I want to send out? Do you want to send every 3rd Tuesday of the month? When do your competitors end their newsletters out? If at all possible, try and avoid these times so you're not sharing the inbox with your competitors.

2: How long will it take to create the newsletter once I/my agency/my ESP has all the information? This will determine the start date for creating the newsletter. If you are doing it inhouse, don't forget you need to include time for testing and approval.

3: The above 2 questions will determine the 'due by date' for your newsletter content. If other people are providing all or some of it, then give yourself some room to breathe and ask them to deliver the content a couple of days (or more!) before the due by date.

4: Organise the content schedule at least 6 months in advance and remember to include relevant dates such as your Company events, Christmas, major Trade Shows etc in your schedule so you can incorporate these in your newsletter if relevent. For example you may want to do an interview of a presenter at one of your Company events or an Industry Tradeshow. Or if you're in retail then the holiday periods will all be relevant to your newsletter. Of course if you're about to release a product or service then this also needs to be planned into the schedule.

Also  when organising your newsletter schedule, don't forget to involve other internal departments who  send out marketing or sales information either by email or mail. You don't want your subscriber/client to be swamped by communications by your company all in the same week -try and space them out.

The main idea is to be as regular and as prepared as possible. Newsletters don't just happen overnight (unfortunately) - they need planning and committment ....but they're worth it!

Originally Posted: DMA Email Blog

If you send it - they may reply

Today I recieved an email from - no, I won't name and shame - but basically the from address was:  'noreply@nameofcompany.com'.

It recalled to mind Seth's blog post: "If you don't want to get email...Don't send email"

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2008/07/if-you-dont-wan.html

I love Seth Godin's blog - who doesn't? He has the ability to remind us not to accept the things we sometimes blindly accept.

How long have we all been sitting back and accepting 'donotreply' emails from our service providers, retail vendors, utility providers etc etc?

Worst still - how many of us implement this tactic within our own email campaigns?....

Read the Full Post here: http://www.b2bemailmarketing.com/2008/09/why-limit-your.html

Know your subscribers...and let them know that you know them

I recieve emails from an networking event company informing me of their continual array of excellent events and high quality speakers. However, when I opened their email this morning I was disappointed to see the words 'Were you there?'.  The email read as follows:

"Were you there?

The fabulous atmosphere at our September event was electric to say the least! Were you there?"

As it happens, I wasn't there (mainly because I was in London, UK and the event is in Sydney, Australia) - but if I had attended, I would have been even more disapointed to know that whether I was there or not meant so little to them that they couldn't be bothered to segment attendees from non-attendees and send them different versions.

What I would have prefered to see would be something along these lines:

Email to Attendees:

"The fabulous atmosphere at our September event was electric to say the least! It was great to have you there and this month we have ......"

Email to Non-Attendees:

 "The fabulous atmosphere at our September event was electric to say the least! We missed you - but hopefully you're able to come along to next month's event with guest speaker....."

Simple...not a huge amount of extra work, but a little bit of personalisation and segmentation (and dare I say it...relevancy) lends so much to the relationship with your subscriber....and goes towards building loyalty.

If it is absolutely impossible for you to know who attended and who didn't -then don't advertise the fact that you don't know and leave out obvious lines such as 'Were you there?'

Successful Email is Like a Good Marriage

Originally Posted: Be Relevant

While I was on holiday recently with friends, they found out how long I've been married and immediately began quizzing me on the keys to a successful marriage.

Naturally, being the email-marketing person I am, I realised as I was talking that the foundations of a good email relationship with your customer are quite like those of a solid marriage

No, I won't tell you how long I've been married, but I'll gladly share my marriage theories with you and how they parallel with your email relationships

1. Marriage is something you must work hard at every day and make a priority in your life. You can't take it for granted or let it fall into a series of dull routines.

The email equivalent: Email marketing needs to be continually worked on. The rules for good emailing are changing constantly, as are your subscribers' needs and interests. If you send out the same old offers in the same tired format time after time, you shouldn't be surprised if your subscribers get bored and look for that old zing somewhere else. 

2. Marriage is a giving relationship, in which you place the other person's needs above your own.

Always focus on your subscribers, what they want and expect. Don't just guess at what they want. Watch their behavior – where are they clicking on your emails? Are they clicking at all? Ask them what they want and give it to them, as much as you can within your own business model. In return, they will reward you with loyalty and a healthy ROI.

3. Maintain respect for each other. If you respect your spouse, you can't help but treat him or her well.

You absolutely must respect your subscribers. Honour their preferences for content, frequency and format. Don't abuse the relationship by sending messages they didn't ask for, by sending more email than they expect or sharing their data with others unless they say you can.

Maintaining high quality is another way you show respect for your subscribers. No email should ever go out with broken links, spelling errors or format problems.

4. Dolphins mate for life.

OK…so maybe this has more to do with the fact when I said this I had just been swimming with Dolphins, than any email marketing correlation! In fact, one of the oddities of good emailing is that you make it easy for your subscribers to leave rather than try to hang on to them

However, if you apply the other three precepts I outlined here, you will build a stronger tie with your subscribers, one that will stand the test of time and bring you the kind of rewards not possible with a constantly changing cast of partners

Making Good On Your Mistake

Here's what I found in just one day's worth of email messages recently:

1. Wrong landing page
2. Spelling mistake in the subject line
3. Test subject line not removed
4. Email sent to the wrong company division list
5. Personalisation code showing instead of name
6. 2007 copyright date
7. Broken link to Web version
8. Images failed to load even when enabled
9. Brand name misspelled

Yes, everyone makes mistakes. But how you recover from them will either save your reputation and business or make readers think you're unprofessional and untrustworthy.

A good recovery isn't enough, though. Know where your greatest vulnerabilities are in your email program and what you have to do to make sure errors either don't happen or get caught before you click "send."

First Rule: Don't Panic!

Don't rush out an immediate email correction. Sending a second email to your entire list right after the first one can make you look like a spammer to ISPs if your list has too undeliverable email addresses. You look like you're pounding on addresses that don't exist, belong to closed accounts, have become inactive or are temporarily unavailable.

If the mistake doesn't involve an email function – broken or wrong links, wrong price, incorrect image, wrong copy -- or won't mislead your readers, don't send out a follow-up to the whole list. Instead, include a short apology in your next regular email.

Second Rule: Fix the Mistake

You must correct the mistake if it could mislead readers or if it breaks the email's functionality. Also, if you are sending the email on an advertiser's or partner's behalf, you have to make good. However, it's still not time to rush out a correction email to your entire list.

If the mistake involves your Web site –- the landing-page link is broken, or you published the wrong link or the wrong offer –- post a note on the page with an apology and a link to the correct page. Post a similar note on your front page, again with a link to the correct page.

How to send follow-up emails:

1. Send a follow-up email only to those who either opened or clicked within 24 hours. This is a typical watch period for most ISPs and spares you from hitting all those inactive or undeliverable addresses again.

2. Send a follow-up email after 24 hours to your list if you can't segment out your openers and clickers. If you email more often than weekly, wait until your next regular email, then including an apology and the correct information.

Yes, you could lose some sales, but that will motivate you to make sure your emails are correct before they go out,

Third Rule: Apologise the Right Way

What not to say: "Ooops! We goofed!" or "Did ya ever have one of those days when nothing goes right?" if you mail to a business list. It looks unprofessional.

Better: "We apologize for the mistake and the inconvenience. Here is the correct link/information/price." Imagine what your typical reader would say, and match your apology to that.

Fourth Rule: Look for List Churn

Scrutinise your list metrics for higher unsubscribes and changes in open or click rates. Also, watch for more spam complaints and act on those immediately.

Fifth Rule: Step Up Your Quality Control

These steps can help you spot mistakes better without adding too much time to your publishing schedule:

1. Create a checklist that includes all relevant information for the email, including deadlines, who's responsible for it and who signs off that the information is correct. Include the offer, price, images, graphics/design, lists/sublists/segments the email will go to and any other relevant information.

2. Create a fresh email message every time, using an error-proofed template. You won't forget to change the subject line or placeholder copy or images.

3. Create a test message before it goes live. Spelling and format mistakes will stand out. Unlike the test you use to try out subject lines and offers, this test goes only to a few people inside your company.

4. Have others review this message in different Web browsers, on different platforms (Mac, PC, smartphone and not just iPhone) and in different email clients (desktop, Web client and smartphone).

5. View message without images and in preview pane. Then, turn on images and open message, view content and click all links.

6. Watch all mailboxes to spot bounces or customer complaints about mistakes as soon as the message goes out.

Sixth Rule: Know the Traps

1. Content:

• Old/placeholder subject line left in final mailing
• Wrong/placeholder pictures
• Old content retained in reused message (headlines, head shots, graphics)
• Spelling/grammar/punctuation errors 
• Wrong offer in mailing (old, not approved by client or sales team, etc.)
• Outdated contact information

2. Format:

• Errors in links
• Coding incompatibility resulting in unreadable or broken formats in different browsers or on different platforms

3. Landing page:

• Page not updated to reflect offer or before articles are uploaded
• Link error redirects to homepage or an interior page
• Page taken down too soon

4. Mailing list:

• Mailed to the wrong list
• Mailed test message to entire list
• Mailed general message to single segment
• Wrong segments identified for targeted mailing
• Mailed live message to do-not-email database or to unsubscribe database

Here's what I found in just one day's worth of email messages recently:

1. Wrong landing page
2. Spelling mistake in the subject line
3. Test subject line not removed
4. Email sent to the wrong company division list
5. Personalisation code showing instead of name
6. 2007 copyright date
7. Broken link to Web version
8. Images failed to load even when enabled
9. Brand name misspelled

Yes, everyone makes mistakes. But how you recover from them will either save your reputation and business or make readers think you're unprofessional and untrustworthy.

A good recovery isn't enough, though. Know where your greatest vulnerabilities are in your email program and what you have to do to make sure errors either don't happen or get caught before you click "send."

First Rule: Don't Panic!

Don't rush out an immediate email correction. Sending a second email to your entire list right after the first one can make you look like a spammer to ISPs if your list has too undeliverable email addresses. You look like you're pounding on addresses that don't exist, belong to closed accounts, have become inactive or are temporarily unavailable.

If the mistake doesn't involve an email function – broken or wrong links, wrong price, incorrect image, wrong copy -- or won't mislead your readers, don't send out a follow-up to the whole list. Instead, include a short apology in your next regular email.

Second Rule: Fix the Mistake

You must correct the mistake if it could mislead readers or if it breaks the email's functionality. Also, if you are sending the email on an advertiser's or partner's behalf, you have to make good. However, it's still not time to rush out a correction email to your entire list.

If the mistake involves your Web site –- the landing-page link is broken, or you published the wrong link or the wrong offer –- post a note on the page with an apology and a link to the correct page. Post a similar note on your front page, again with a link to the correct page.

How to send follow-up emails:

1. Send a follow-up email only to those who either opened or clicked within 24 hours. This is a typical watch period for most ISPs and spares you from hitting all those inactive or undeliverable addresses again.

2. Send a follow-up email after 24 hours to your list if you can't segment out your openers and clickers. If you email more often than weekly, wait until your next regular email, then including an apology and the correct information.

Yes, you could lose some sales, but that will motivate you to make sure your emails are correct before they go out,

Third Rule: Apologise the Right Way

What not to say: "Ooops! We goofed!" or "Did ya ever have one of those days when nothing goes right?" if you mail to a business list. It looks unprofessional.

Better: "We apologize for the mistake and the inconvenience. Here is the correct link/information/price." Imagine what your typical reader would say, and match your apology to that.

Fourth Rule: Look for List Churn

Scrutinise your list metrics for higher unsubscribes and changes in open or click rates. Also, watch for more spam complaints and act on those immediately.

Fifth Rule: Step Up Your Quality Control

These steps can help you spot mistakes better without adding too much time to your publishing schedule:

1. Create a checklist that includes all relevant information for the email, including deadlines, who's responsible for it and who signs off that the information is correct. Include the offer, price, images, graphics/design, lists/sublists/segments the email will go to and any other relevant information.

2. Create a fresh email message every time, using an error-proofed template. You won't forget to change the subject line or placeholder copy or images.

3. Create a test message before it goes live. Spelling and format mistakes will stand out. Unlike the test you use to try out subject lines and offers, this test goes only to a few people inside your company.

4. Have others review this message in different Web browsers, on different platforms (Mac, PC, smartphone and not just iPhone) and in different email clients (desktop, Web client and smartphone).

5. View message without images and in preview pane. Then, turn on images and open message, view content and click all links.

6. Watch all mailboxes to spot bounces or customer complaints about mistakes as soon as the message goes out.

Sixth Rule: Know the Traps

1. Content:

• Old/placeholder subject line left in final mailing
• Wrong/placeholder pictures
• Old content retained in reused message (headlines, head shots, graphics)
• Spelling/grammar/punctuation errors 
• Wrong offer in mailing (old, not approved by client or sales team, etc.)
• Outdated contact information

2. Format:

• Errors in links
• Coding incompatibility resulting in unreadable or broken formats in different browsers or on different platforms

3. Landing page:

• Page not updated to reflect offer or before articles are uploaded
• Link error redirects to homepage or an interior page
• Page taken down too soon

4. Mailing list:

• Mailed to the wrong list
• Mailed test message to entire list
• Mailed general message to single segment
• Wrong segments identified for targeted mailing
• Mailed live message to do-not-email database or to unsubscribe database

The Greenhouse Effect

In his Mediapost article last week, Loren McDonald yet again provided us with some 'what not to do's' and encouraged we email marketer's to pick up our acts, saying: "Email is a global village. Marketers who do stupid things mess it up for everyone". Additionally, Jordan Ayer posted this blog which is very much along the lines of a DMA blog I wrote awhile back. Jordan ends his blog with: "Irresponsible mailing could easily kill the Golden Goose, and along with it many legitimate mailers who are using the medium responsibly." This is a song I've been singing for awhile now, however I tend to view it as being like the Greenhouse Effect....the things we do or don't do today, ARE going to affect the future of email marketing. Now I'm not a pessimist - far from it, and currently email marketing is a very healthy and profitable channel. But if we were to all to implement Best Practices for email marketing within our own email marketing programs, then we will all be doing our best to ensure it stays the wonderful, high ROI channel it is well into the future. Originally Posted: Be Relevant

Labels: best practices

Subscriber Forms - Best Practise

I've been compiling some information on Best Practices for the DMA Email Council, for a whitepaper they're going to release. I've included below the subscriber forms I created as examples - both good and bad as well as some tips of what to do and what not to do. Good Example 1 • If you're not going to sell/rent the data, obviously state this as a disclaimer • Include a link to the Privacy Policy • Make it as simple and as easy as possible to sign up • You can always ask for more information at a later stage Good Example 2 • If you ask more questions- make it optional • For Opt in to receive Third Party Offers request - use an un-ticked tick box to collect permission • Explain to the subscribers what you will do with their information. Reassure them. • Only ask for information which is relevant to creating a good subscriber experience for them Bad Example 1 • Don't use a pre-ticked tick boxes • Don't use confusing language so the subscriber is unsure whether they need to un-tick or tick the box (and thereby 'trick them' ) • Don't use a combination of pre-ticked and un-ticked boxes • Don't offer some boxes as being opt out and some as being op-tin. • Link to the Privacy Policy Bad Example 2 • Don't ask them for information which will assist you (e.g. your market research) but will not enhance their experience. • Don't make the extra information fields a requirement. • If you're going to send the subscriber third party offers, don't hide the fact in the Terms and Conditions. Be clear and obvious about it. You'll end up with a large list - but not an active or responsive list.

Labels: Subscriber Forms

Subscriber Focused Articles and Blogs

Here is a list of some (there's plenty more, and I plan to keep adding to them) articles/blogs which talk about subscribers and how we, as marketers, should be focusing on our subscribers and their needs and not on ourselves and our needs. http://dmaemailblog.typepad.com/dma_email_marketing_counc/2008/06/email-marketing.html http://www.b2bemailmarketing.com/2008/06/subscribers-rul.html http://dmaemailblog.typepad.com/dma_email_marketing_counc/2008/06/making-the-case.html http://blogs.mediapost.com/email_insider/?p=658 http://www.b2bemailmarketing.com/2008/04/offering-value.html http://www.b2bemailmarketing.com/2008/04/why-you-need-to.html

Labels: subscriber focused

Subscribers Rule!

I was excited to see the Subscribers Rule! presentation given by Chip House at the Email Insiders Summit, as the subject is very dear to my heart. In fact, ExactTarget is so committed to subscribers being in charge that they have launched a website (www.subscribersrule.com) and printed "Subscribers Rule!" t-shirts and stickers. Alas, I failed to pick up a t-shirt for me to wear when speaking on this very subject at the Inbox/Outbox Conference in London later this month - but regardless of not achieving a new item for my wardrobe, Chip made some great points regarding subscribers and the 4 levels of permission:

• Opt-in
• Content
• Frequency
• Channel

Morgan Stewart also wrote a great Media Post column this week about subscribers and their preferences and I encourage you to read it.

I think we are all in agreeance that one of the main things which need to be done is education of the marketer (yep -that's us). We, the marketers, need to understand that lists are people. The subscriber already knows that the future of email marketing is in their hands and they're telling us what they want and what they don't want - it's up to us to listen.

I believe we're at the stage in email marketing's evolution where we as marketers actually need to stop and simply change our perspective from being marketer focused to being subscriber focused… which is coincidently the name of the UK DMA's Conference being held this week at the London Zoo - "Customer Focused Emails: Marketing to people not lists."

If you're interested in learning more about this then I encourage you to come to the Conference this Thursday the 5th June. To find out more please go to http://www.dma.org.uk/content/Evt-Article.asp?id=4300 or call Catherine Gibbon on +44 (0) 20 7291 3355.

Originally Posted: Be Relevant

Labels: subscriber focused