Category Archives: Newsletters and E-Newsletters
Ways to Improve Your Email Marketing Open Rates
by Ashley Webb on August 17, 2010 | 2 comments
in Marketing, Measurement, Newsletters and E-Newsletters
Have you invested the time and money on an email campaign that is delivering less than extraordinary results? Racking your brain on ways to improve the open rates of your latest email marketing masterpiece? Well rest assured! I’ve put together a short list of important points that could immensely impact your campaign results. Before hitting the irreversible Send, consider the following:
1. The Subject Line:
- Have your company’s name or your connection with the recipient visible in the subject line.
- Keep the subject line concise – no more than 8 to 10 words.
- Let the recipient know there is valuable information in the message – but don’t give away all the details.
- Make it timely.
- Conduct an experiment by creating two versions of the same message and change only the subject line. Split your audience into two groups and send one subject line to one group and one to the other and see how it affects your open rates.
2. The Design:
- According to MarketingSherpa’s research, more than half of email recipients use a horizontal preview pane; therefore it is important to have the most important information in the top four inches.
- The same survey found that recipients read more of an email’s text if graphics are included near the top – this could be a custom designed stationary or branded masthead.
- Use a font and colors that are easy on the eyes. Simple, intentional font and style choices can help grab and keep your readers’ attention.
3. Distribution:
- Mailings that go out between Tuesday and Thursday typically receive better open rates and results.
- Consider your recipients’ time zone. Avoid sending the email first thing in the morning or late in the evening.
- Always personalize your message.
- Within 8 – 10 days resend the message to recipients who did not open it the first time.
Have you seen a particularly effective email campaign that’s intrigued you lately?
Also, check out some of Jessica’s latest posts about effective email marketing campaigns.
Use Your E-Newsletter Analytics
by Jessica Turner on July 13, 2010 | no comments
in Marketing, Measurement, Newsletters and E-Newsletters
Many companies have email newsletters down pat. They know that communicating through email on a regular basis is a cost-effective way to connect with their target audience.
However, few companies take email newsletters to the next level by analyzing the open and click-through rates.
Recently, I was impressed by this email I received from Red Envelope.
Every Thursday the company does a special, one-day sale.
An item that was on sale interested me and I clicked through, but opt-ed not to purchase the item.
The next day I received this email.
Clearly, they had taken the email addresses of the people who had opened the email, cross-referenced it against the accounts that had purchased from the site and sent out an appropriate follow-up.
Brilliant.
Next time your company sends an email blast, look at the analytics with a fresh perspective.
Who clicked on the links? What does this say about them? What are they interested in? How can you better target these people?
The answers may lead to new leads and bigger sales.
What can you company do to better maximize your email newsletter data?
Want an easy way to gain new customers?
by Jessica Turner on June 8, 2010 | 1 comment
in Advertising, Marketing, Newsletters and E-Newsletters
Try Groupon, a website that offers city-specific deals daily.
Businesses pay no up-front cost to Groupon – instead Groupon takes a percentage (usually 50%) of the deal. And with tens of thousands of people receiving emails from Groupon every day, the exposure is huge! (Nashville’s Groupon has more than 80,000 subscribers).
Last week we put Groupon to the test for our client, Matt McGee, DDS, PC and it was a huge success.
He offered a $99 teeth-whitening deal, regularly priced at $300 and almost 250 people purchased the deal.
That means:
250 people will come to Dr. McGee’s office for the whitening treatment.
250 people will experience Dr. McGee’s friendly and experienced staff.
250 people will likely become ambassadors for professional teeth whitening and Dr. McGee.
And many of those 250 people may consider having Dr. McGee become their regular dentist.
While Dr. McGee is doing the whitening treatment for a one-time steep discount, the long-term financial gain could be huge.
To help promote Dr. McGee’s Groupon, we utilized:
- Facebook – Dr. McGee’s fan page as well as personal pages
- Blogs – Four popular local bloggers blogged about the deal
Dr. McGee also staffed his office to handle the influx of calls about the deal and to book appointments.
The initiative was a huge success.
If your business has a product or service to offer, and you are looking to gain new customers, check out Groupon. It may be just the deal you have been looking for.
Email Newsletter Replaces Press Release Blasts
by Ashley Webb on May 20, 2009 | 1 comment
in Media Relations, Newsletters and E-Newsletters
BtoB Magazine recently highlighted the public relations efforts of OtterBox, a Colorado-based manufacturer of laptop, PDA and smartphone cases. The article, “OtterBox replaces PR releases with e-mail newsletter,” discusses the company’s reasoning behind ditching traditional press releases for the email newsletter.
At first, I questioned how replacing press releases with an email newsletter would be any different. Isn’t it the same thing — sending information to a targeted group of people simultaneously?
The answer is no.
The company’s email newsletter, “The News You Otter Know,” was designed to specifically release company news to its large database of press contacts. Kristin Golliher, the company’s public relations executive, explained the purpose of the new email newsletter:
“We’ve been launching products left and right; and we wanted to come up with a solution so we weren’t overwhelming the press with too many releases each month,” Golliher said. “The newsletter lets us bring all the announcements into one place, a bulleted list, and support them with information, case studies and photos.”
This makes total sense — compiling company news in a format easily accessible to journalists. The newsletter also includes links to the company’s blog, Facebook and Twitter sites.
So far, OtterBox is having success. The first newsletter was distributed May 6 and it caught the attention of writer Karen Bannan, landing the story in BtoB Magazine.
Do you think this will become a new trend among public relations and marketing efforts?
If you’re a member of the media, would you prefer to receive a traditional press release or interactive newsletter?
