EFFECTIVE MESSAGING

To help you drive the success of your e-mail marketing campaigns, Avenue A has compiled some guidelines for creating more effective e-mail messages. These insights result from the numerous Precision E-mail campaigns we've tested and managed.

How Do You Ensure That Your E-mail Message Is Opened?

1) Choose your “From” name carefully. Among all the e-mail messages your customers receive each day, which messages are they most likely to read? Probably not the ones from Mr. Solicitor or Customer Service. Therefore, make sure that your company name or service is easily identifiable when the e-mail arrives. For example, if ABCcompany is sending information on weather forecasts, the “From” line could state, “Weather Update” or simply, “ABCcompany”.

Also, note that e-mail messages sent via the Precision E-mail service use a standard domain name that includes your company name. Here’s an example of how ABCcompany’s messages might appear in the From line:

From: Weather Update [weatherupdate@ABCcompany.precision-email.com]

A recent report from Forrester Research confirms that up to 30% of recipients do not open e-mail from senders they do not recognize.  

2) Come up with a catchy subject line. Like the teasers on direct mail envelopes, the subject line should compel your customer to open your message immediately. Make sure that your subject line is clear, personal, relevant, inviting, and benefit-driven. Beware of hard sell approaches that announce themselves as “junk mail” and bring poor results.

Here are some examples of proven subject lines:

• Buy Two Products From ABCcompany Today and Get One Free

• Limited Specials for You From ABCcompany

• Gift Ideas From ABCcompany

• ABCcompany Wants to Hear From You

• Free Next-Day Shipping from ABCcompany

A January 1999 Arbitron study found that more than half of the Impulse panel research members surveyed reported having responded to an e-mail advertisement, with nearly half of those who responded buying a product or service. 

How Do You Deliver A Compelling Message?

In a sea of daily e-mails, how can you make sure that your message stands out? Deliver a message that points out the benefits of your product or service, and include a powerful call to action in the first paragraph of copy that compels the recipient to respond. 

When composing your message, consider the following:

• What have my customers asked to hear about?

• What need am I fulfilling?

• How often do my customers need to be reminded or updated about our products or service?

• What value am I providing? Am I educating, motivating, soliciting, or surveying?

• Should I be sending different messages based on specific interests?

 

1) Personalize it. Sending bulk e-mail messages is an effective way to communicate with customers. However, you can target individuals by sending personalized e-mail messages with content that speaks directly to an individual’s interests or needs. Personalization can be as simple as addressing customers by their first names or as complex as targeting offers based on customers’ demographic profiles.

A recent study of online buyers indicated that personalization and effective cross-marketing can influence their propensity to purchase. Ninety percent of the buyers indicated that personalization would increase their likelihood to purchase from a site again. Ninety-four percent said they would be more likely to respond to offers related to their purchases and interests.

 

2) Adapt to the environment. E-mail marketing gives you the opportunity to reach a customer in an environment that is, by nature, informal, personal, and friendly. The e-mail messages you send should be consistent with your brand identity, but they should also reflect this communication style.

A study by Jupiter Communications warns that marketers who fail to consistently strike the right tone and engage consumers will, over time, find their e-mail messages deleted without being read, losing any opportunity to communicate with consumers. 

3) Keep it short. What is it that people can’t seem to get enough of? Time! That’s why short, concise messages produce better results than long-winded appeals that describe a product’s bells and whistles in exhaustive detail. Edit your message until it fits on one screen. Also, place your call to action (and hyperlinks, if you have them) at the beginning of your message and throughout the message. Those who want to follow up immediately can do so without reading the entire message.

Forrester Research claims that approximately 50% of e-mail recipients read only the first few sentences of their e-mail messages before deciding whether to read on.


4) Include a strong call to action
. Use every e-mail communication as an opportunity to generate sales or capture profile information. Do you want your customers to sign up for a free trial offer? Purchase your product today? Recruit family and friends? Outline the goals of your e-mail campaign and make sure that your message content reflects them. A recent report by the market research firm E-BuyersGuide.com says that direct e-mail promotions have been the most effective method for driving buyers to e-commerce sites.  

 

How Do You Address Privacy Issues?

1) Always provide an opportunity to unsubscribe. Even though your database consists of a large number of e-mail addresses you acquired through permission, there is a chance that some individuals will not remember that they requested to receive information from you. In order to avoid confusion and prevent deletion of your message, we recommend that you include the following text in each message:

This is an ABCcompany mailing. You are receiving this message because either you signed up for this service or you indicated a preference to receive updates, product news, or special offers from ABCcompany. If you would like to unsubscribe from this service, simply visit the following URL and click the Remove button: [insert URL].

 

2) Minimize opt-outs by providing options. When an e-mail recipient chooses to opt out of your mailing list, you no longer have the right to send them messages. How can you ensure that your customers do not opt out?

Find out why the opt-out customers don’t want to hear from you. Are you e-mailing them too much? Would a different frequency (for example, weekly instead of daily) be more appropriate to this customer segment? Have their preferences or interests changed? This is valuable feedback you want to capture, use, and consider when planning future online advertising activities.

In addition, giving your customer an opportunity to complain or request changes sends the message that you care about them and are looking out for their best interests.  

According to research by IMT Strategies, leading marketers who request permission to e-mail their customers find that not only are their messages welcome, but they are greeted with response rates that far exceed other targeted marketing vehicles, such as Web advertising and direct mail, as well as unsolicited commercial e-mail.

 

3) Adhere to the law. Include an opt-out option when sending e-mail to people who have requested to receive information from you. It’s good business practice and you can protect yourself from laws governing unsolicited commercial e-mail:

• The sender’s name should appear in the “From” line.

• Routing information must be accurate.

• The subject line must not be misleading.

• Opt-out instructions, including a toll-free number and/or a return e-mail address, must be provided, and all opt-out requests should be honored within five business days.

 

How Do You Maximize the Effectiveness of Your Creative?

1) Use HTML formatting. Our experience has proven that HTML-formatted messages will almost always outperform text-only messages. 

Our technology gives us the ability to detect whether your customers have HTML, AOL, or text-only viewing capabilities. Therefore, we can deliver an HTML version of your message to HTML-enabled recipients and a text-only version to those recipients that require text-only versions.

Jupiter Communications recently completed a study in which three versions of the same e-mail message were sent: text-only, HTML-formatted, and AOL-style. According to the company, the HTML version produced a click-through rate two to 45 times higher than the average rate for the text-only message.

 

2) Incorporate interactivity and multimedia. Today, text and HTML are the two most common e-mail formats. However, there is technology available that enables voice, audio, or video e-mail messages. Giving your customers an opportunity to interact with you will enhance your relationship as well as provide you with valuable customer behavior or profile information.

Our Creative Partner Program includes several agencies that can assist you with rich media production.

Jupiter Communications reports that an interactive, multimedia e-mail campaign resulted in a 20% click-through rate.

 

3) Design effective HTML. Here are some recommendations for creating HTML-formatted messages (additional documentation is available):

• Avoid specialty fonts. Instead, choose universally supported fonts like Arial and Times New Roman. Choose colors and designs that are compatible with your site.

• Don’t restrict your click-through URL to one place in the message. Give the viewer several places to click, thereby increasing response rates.

• Be aware of browser limitations. Use universally supported HTML tags rather than tags that are recognized only by Microsoft Internet Explorer or by Netscape Navigator.

• In designing pages, use tables rather than non-breaking spaces ( ) to place elements.

• The recommended width is 600 pixels. Height should be under 600 pixels but will depend on the amount of text in the message.

• The file size should be less than 4K for optimal download time. In order to calculate the size, paste the HTML document into a text editor (such as Notepad) and save the file as text.

• Use drop-down menus, radio buttons, and check boxes to increase interactivity.

• Use JavaScript sparingly, and avoid the use of Java and Java applets when possible.

• Avoid plug-ins. Advanced graphic media such as FLASH and Shockwave that require plug-ins, or pages utilizing dynamic HTML may lower your reach due to recipient accessibility and server size restrictions.

 

Test! Test! Test!

The guidelines above are based on assumptions that are applicable to most marketers. However, every company is unique, and you will need to create e-mail campaigns that are effective for your customers and your business goals. Use every e-mail communication as an opportunity to test list source, offers, message, format, and learn more about your customers.

IMT Strategies reports that 70% of 169 marketing campaigns reviewed did not measure the performance of their e-mail marketing campaigns, despite the wide availability of measurement tools. 

Avenue A | Razorfish /www.avenuea-razorfish.com )is an interactive services firm that helps companies use the online channel as a marketing and business tool. We combine data, insight-driven design, leading technologies and rigorous optimization to build strong brands and improve relationships with customers, employees and partners.

Contact us for more help with your e-mail marketing campaigns and to learn about our other services. Our Creative Partner Program, for example, is an excellent way for finding creative agencies that meet your needs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 





 

 

 

 

 

 

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