Three seconds. Thirty Characters. Those are the restraints to capture a person sifting through an inbox. How do you not filter out as spam? Contrary to common belief, creating a successful subject line is quite simple.
The headline should merely describe its contents. Subscribers have a tendency to trash hard-selling subject lines automatically. Lines such as "30% discount! Open now!" deter the majority. Even though clients signed up for promotional offers, gimmicks and puns are not necessary. If the content encloses a promotional offer "10% e-coupon inside" suffices.
Another technique is sending out newsletters as soft-sell. The email content slowly can passively sell products without imposing the reader. Newsletters build relationships with clients, instilling trust in the company brand. If the subject matter is a newsletter, title with the month or issue number. Do not confuse newsletter with promotions.
In addition to creating a fitting subject line is distributing to its respective parties. One common mistake is sending out emails to the entire server list. Those interested only in updates through newsletters should not be receiving advertisements. The list should be separated between those interested current sales. Even more so, the list ought to be further divided into focus groups. Grouping customers with similar interests help avoid sending out unwanted emails. For example, men should not be receiving the latest women’s spring fashion tips and purse discounts.
Dressing up the subject line as a catch phrase is unnecessary. Simply title the email according to its contents. Send emails to respective clientele. And you have yourself a working subject line!
2009-06-11
You can classify the email marketer pretty easily. There are the email marketers who are good responsible people who only send emails to people who subscribe to them. There are the spammers who try to send to as many people as possible regardless if they want to receive the email or not. Then there is the majority who fall into the middle category, those who want to be good responsible email marketers but who haphazardly use techniques and practices that place them in the spammer category. This article is to help those who want to be good responsible email marketers and to avoid the pitfalls of becoming a spammer.
Get your subscribers the right way
Generating a subscriber list legitimately is hard and time consuming. Buying an email list sounds like a shortcut, but in the long run hurts you more than it helps you. A list of subscribers who are genuinely interested in your product provide much better business than a random group of people that you are trying to trick into gaining interest in your product. Aside from the violation of their privacy more than likely you are wasting your resources on them. Only send to people who have directly contacted you about your service. They are the ones you want to target with your product.
Don't email people that do not want your emails!
Do not, I repeat, do not ever send to people that did not explicitly state that they want to receive email from you. Just because you bought a list of emails from some website that guarantees that they are "100% willing" does not mean that they are. Don't be a spammer. Only send emails to people who have directly subscribed to you either through your website or requesting directly from you to send to them. Any list that you get from a friend or another website will only be a list of people that do not want to open your email. Why go through the hassle of spending money to have people reject your emails? In addition you run the risk of them reporting you as a spammer and getting your IP address put on one of those blacklists that major ISPs use. Trust us. You don't want that to happen. Also, there are benefits to only sending to people that signed up. You get better returns on people actually opening your email that have genuine interest in the product or service that you provide. Again, why waste your money sending to people who are going to delete your email anyway?
Honesty is the best policy
We've all seen it. Emails with the subject line that read "Open Me For Free Offers" or "Hello from so and so". Your subject line is the first connection to a client and if for one second they think it is spam they will instantly delete your email. Instead of using catchy slogans or deals to entice them to open your email, just label the subject line with a legitimate title that describes what is inside. For example, "Monthly shampoo newsletter" or "This week's special offer from Mull's". It should be a subject line that instantly lets them recognize that this is an email that they signed up for.
Keep it simple
Yes you can make complex HTML documents that illuminate the screen when someone opens their email. However, those can get unnecessarily bulky and can slow down the delivery of the email. Keep it simple. Always include plain-text (many people actually prefer it that way) in case they are blocking images. Never have just an image. That is a guaranteed red flag as spam and your email will go into the junk filter. Keep your emails simple and to the point.
Always leave an exit
Always provide an unsubscribe link in your emails. Yes, losing a subscriber hurts but it is better than being labeled as a spammer from someone that doesn't want your service anyway.
2009-06-11
Spam filters help sift through massive amounts of useless virtual trash to prevent inbox implosions. But, stands as the largest obstacle between marketers and customers. How do you ensure your company emails do not simply filter out as spam? Here are some tips to consider when writing the company newsletter.
Subject Headline:
The first and foremost rule of being spammed. Create a subject line relevant to its content. Regardless if the email survives spam filters, the reader can still delete an uninteresting headline on reflex. Inform quickly who is the sender and general content within the first two seconds. Unrecognizable information will automatically be junked. Avoid cliché marketing one liners like act now, sale!!!!, FREE, limited time…etc. Using excessive!! punctuation!!!! is also unappealing. And refrain from YELLING AT READERS IN CAPS.
To: You
Computer generated terms are readily recognizable. Personally addressing the receiver increases the likelihood of staying in the inbox. Incorporating first and last names into the user field helps greatly.
Real Content
Spam filters specifically look out for cheesy catch phrases "Click now!!", "Free Free Free", "open immediately", or "HURRY, buy now!!!". Don’t insert one large graphic either. Otherwise, you’ll appear to be a spammer. A balance between text and graphic image is key.
In addition to writing substantial content, the coding needs to be legitimate. Unorganized code, missing tags, broken images are sure flags. Some filters even throw out Microsoft Word generated code. Allowing readers to opt for a plain-text version is vital as well. Plain-text give readers the choice to read the content even if the html is not working properly. Spammers don’t spend the time creating alternative text. Spend equal time composing interesting content and coding.
IP Address
Spam filters network together in publishing a list of spam IP address on a "blackhole list". Unfortunately if your IP address is listed, emails will automatically be filtered out. There is a chance if a spammer is using a server at your ISP, all addresses inclusive could be blacklisted. Even those in charge of email servers can create a blackhole list and exchange with other email servers. Sadly, "spite listings" can occur. But don’t be too intimidated, most mail servers filter spam according to responsible blackhole lists. Large networks and registered users are surveyed, then compile a responsible blackhole list. The list only consists of repeated offenders, which is regularly updated.
E-mail Address
Make sure subscribers "whitelist" your email address to ensure its arrival into the inbox. You can attach a friendly reminder when clients sign up for subscriptions if they could add your company email into their address book. Another method is inserting a reminder on the top of company newsletters. Your company email appearing in the sent box works as well. In addition, establishing your own domain name makes your company more credible. Don’t send company newsletters from free email account (hotmail, google, yahoo).
All of these concerns raise flags when spam filters sort through endless piles of virtual trash. Each spam-like characteristic are tagged with certain points. When the email totals up to an excessive amount, it is trashed. Think from the stand point of a spam filter while writing and distributing company emails, thus you will overcome the fearless spam filters.
2009-06-11
Don't assume you have the client's permission to send to them
Never assume you have someone's permission to send to them unless they have contacted you specifically about a subscription. Even then, never assume they want to get your email if you have not contacted them for a few weeks. People forget what they sign up for, that wonderful client from 6 months ago probably forgot everything about you and your product. Now when you send out a promotion to them they click on the junk mail button. People have short attention spans and email marketing is all about "what have you done for me lately"? Keep your subscriber lists up to date and make sure that they truly want to subscribe to you.
Learn email marketing etiquette
Don't come off as someone that is desperately trying to sell something. Subject lines that are in your emails that say "BUY NOW" or "OFFER INSIDE" just come off as cheesy as well as spam affiliated. We all hate people that come up to us on the street to pawn something to sell and it is the same with regard to emails. Instead, first think about what potential customers would find useful about your product. Then tailor that email to generate interest about your product. Also, before of using all caps because not only is it an eye sore but it is also VERY ANNOYING WHEN PEOPLE DECIDE TO USE ALL CAPS IN THEIR EMAILS. See the difference?
Don't go crazy with the graphics
We have seen it before. A person designs a cool looking email in a program like Photoshop and exports it to HTML. Unfortunately, people who just have one large graphic in their emails almost always get spam filtered. Why? If a spam filter encounters an email they can't read they will automatically block the email because they will think it is spam. Keep your graphics simple and always include text in your emails, not just graphics.
Keep the HTML Coding SIMPLE
Assume that the person receiving your email has the worse technology installed on their computer. Do not expect your javascripts to work with their fancy actions. Email programs will not support flash animation in your email marketing materials. You can bet that other media that require the ActiveX plugin, such as video are a big NO to embed into your email marketing pieces. Providing links that lead them to your web site that host the videos will be fine!
Test Your Emails Before You Send Them Out!
Always test your emails before you send them out. Test them over and over and over again. When you think you are done, test them one last time. Have as many free emails as you can that you can use as guinea pigs (Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo!Mail, etc.). Leave those on the default settings (thus simulating the settings of your regular Joe somebody). Send test emails to make sure that your email isn't spam filtered, your images are not broken, and that every hyperlink works. The quality of your email is a reflection of yourself in the eyes of your subscribers. Don't make the mistake of sending out an inferior product just because you did not take the time to test it out!
2009-06-11