Tag: email marketing

Subject Lines Don’t Need To Be Personalised

Patrick Griffin Leave a comment

Subject Lines

Sometimes people agonize over whether they should personalize their email subject lines.

I am not sure that adding the recipient’s name to the subject line generally adds very much value, if any at all.

Of course it is good to add the name to the main body of the email but do you really want to do so in the subject line as well?

The danger of adding a name so the subject line is that makes the email have too much of a marketing feel to it.

It can put the thought in the recipient’s mind: “I am going to get pitched here. I don’t want to know,” and that is is exactly the opposite effect you want it to have.

Remember that the only purpose of the subject line is to get your email opened in the first place, so spend your time in making it captivating and engaging instead.

But if you really want to personalize a subject line then go ahead and try it. Do some split testing and chart the results to see how your open rates are effected.

 

Learn From Others When Sending Email Newsletters

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Sending Email Newsletters

It might be that you are sending email newsletters to your list of subscribers.

If you do this, as already mentioned in a previous blog post, you must be certain that you have enough content to make this work.

There is absolutely no point in promising a monthly newsletter if you only have enough content for two months and then it all fizzles out.

So if you are starting a newsletter then you could start out by being ultra conservative.

Maybe start off with a three-monthly newsletter to begin with.

This would not eat into too much of your time and it would not give you a massive headache of having to find acres of content to fill it. (If you can’t find enough content for a three monthly newsletter, then you should not really be considering writing an email newsletter at all.)

If you are considering sending out your own newsletter then you might like to check out this resource – newsletterarchive.org – where you will find a huge archive of newsletters from a wide and varied group of organisations.

Even if you are not considering sending out your own newsletter it is certainly worth taking a look at the different styles of newsletters people are already sending out.

Basically you should take every chance you can get to see how other people communicate with their customers and subscribers.

 

Email subject lines – six more real life examples

Patrick Griffin 2 Comments

Subject line tips

Subject line tips: Continuing our look at real examples of email subject lines, we discuss a new batch of emails.

Remember it is the job of RocketResponder to get your emails delivered but it is your job to get them opened.

Use a good subject line and you will get your emails opened and read.

Here are six more real life subject lines:

  • Almost like having an ATM at home… – This is one that I wouldn’t open because the suggestion is that it is promoting a program where you don’t really have to do anything to get lots of cash. Look, earning a living requires time and effort. I can see why many people would open this email though so I would not be surprised if it didn’t get a decent open rate.
  • Famous program. – I can’t help thinking that absolutely no thought has gone into this subject line at all. If the subject line reads like a crossword clue than I am not going to waste my time trying to work out what it might mean. (On the other hand if you make your subject line deliberately look like a crossword clue then you will certainly get my attention.) “Famous program” just does not do it for me though I am afraid.
  • BRAIN ABUNDANCE presents BRAIN FUEL PLUS – Every word is in capitals except for one. Why? What is brain fuel plus? How would it be different to brain fuel?  What even is brain fuel anyway and who or what is brain abundance? A subject line which prompts you to ask questions is generally good. The trouble here is that I have no desire to know the answers to any of these questions.
  • Command Control Cash In… – Alliteration works. Using the same letter to start each word can capture the reader’s attention so well. I would have used a commas to separate the words (Command, Control, Cash In…) but that is just a minor point. Great subject line.
  • Dont Be Ordinary Be Awesome – Yay for being awesome. I would open this just to find out what is in the email. The subject line has sparked my curiosity enough to open and read it and that is all it ever has to do. Awesome.
  • Do NOT build an email list – I hate random capital letters in subject lines but I love this subject line. Why? Because the use of capitals for the word “NOT” is both deliberate and highly effective. It is not just a random capital word thrown in for effect. This is a subject line which would stop a lot of people in their tracks…including me. Already opened. Best of the bunch this month.

Look out for more subject lines next month.

Never Send An Email When You Have Nothing To Say

Patrick Griffin Leave a comment

Marketing email tips

Marketing email tips: There is only one thing worse than failing to communicate with your subscribers…and that is talking to them too much.

So here is one of my golden rules which you ignore at your peril:

  • Never, ever, send out an email to your list when you don’t have something useful to communicate.

This can be a mistake if you commit to send out weekly (or heaven forbid daily) emails to your subscribers so that takes us on to our second golden rule:

  • Never make promises that you are unable to keep.

So, therefore, don’t ever promise to send a weekly newsletter unless you know, for absolute certain, that you will have enough information to provide that content.

Your subscribers are fickle. Just because they have signed up does not mean they are yours for life. Far from it. It is good to assume that every time you send an email you may potentially lose a segment of your list – those that don’t like what you have to say and who can be bothered to hit the ‘unsubscribe’ button.

So even if you have written an email don’t automatically send it.

Read over it first and ask yourself this question: “Does this email contain useful information which would be of value to my subscribers?”

If the answer is “no” then don’t send it. Either rewrite it so that it does contain some information of value or just don’t send it at all.

 

Email Subscribers Value Information Especially Insider Information

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Subscribers Value Information

I recently watched a television program about an upmarket London department store and the way sales staff treated their highest spending clients. Learn how email subscribers value information.

The part that stood out for me was that the top sales people had their own lists of clients and they would contact them whenever something new came into the shop.

Now the point is that they did not contact just when any old stock item was updated, but when something they knew their clients would like came into the store.

The upshot was that the customers loved to be “in the know” with the very latest information and many of them could not wait to come into the store and buy the items which were recommended to them.

This can work brilliantly with your email marketing campaigns too.

For the very best chance of getting the best results you will need to:

  • know exactly what your subscribers want to know
  • have timely, up to date information that your subscribers value
  • be seen as authoritative and, above all, trusted by your subscribers and
  • have goods or services that you can recommend and sell to your list.

Tell people what’s new, what they will love and where they can get it and use your RocketResponder account to do just that.