Email Marketing Minute: Email Review – Pet Stores
Posted by Dave McCue on September 11th, 2009
Watch a new Email Marketing Minute and find out how national pet store chains do in an email review.
Posts Tagged ‘Email marketing review’
Did LasikPlus’s latest email stand out from the crowd like the big “E” on an eye chart or did it lead to a severe case of eye strain?
Posted by Rob Ropars on September 8th, 2009
In a recent email, LasikPlus let me know about a new limited-time offer. I couldn’t wait to look at it with both eyes and see if it made me finally take the plunge and go under the knife..err laser. The “From Name” clearly identified the sender (“LasikPlus”) and the subject line was right to the point (“LASIK Savings offer – $400 Off through 9/30”). As with any email I receive to my Yahoo address I can’t yet tell if there’s any snippet/preview text, but would soon see all. Or would I?
Upon opening the email I realized that like many marketers, no snippet text had been used. It is a newer concept so I’m not surprised that so many emails I see every day lack it. Repeating the subject line or a variation of the copy in the left column (“Save $400* on LASIK. Hurry Offer expires 9/30/09 – Schedule online now”) would add punch to email clients that show preview text (and for mobile device readers) and give a call-to-action right at the top.
Otherwise I was pleasantly surprised at how much and how well this email rendered with images off (which is the default mode for so many email clients). I think this is a great newsletter utilizing plenty of text (minimal imagery), clear sections and extra links to their site. It’s designed to be an informative piece of communication and it covers all the various elements a LASIK prospect (such as myself) would want to know: a special limited-time discount, some history, WIIFM, multiple ways to contact them, FAQs and links to their site.
What could they have done better? 
Email Marketing Minute: Email Review – Newegg.com
Posted by Drew Miller on August 31st, 2009
Does Newegg.com stay together in a dedicated campaign to whitelisting? Find out in this latest installment of the Email Marketing Minute.
Part Two: Scott’s Insider Emails
Posted by George Palatine on June 24th, 2009
I wrote a blog post a few weeks back regarding the scottsinsider promotional program. In this post—titled “You Had Me At Welcome”—I described how, after signing up for this program, I never heard from Scotts again.
Since that post I have now received 2 emails from Scotts regarding the scottsinsider promotion. One was a reminder to visit the site often since they add new content weekly (see below).
And the second (about a week later) was promoting a new “how-to” video that was just added to the site (see below).
I first want to say kudos to Scotts for stepping up their efforts. I am not sure why it took so long but I am glad to see they are making progress. Unfortunately I think they could still use some improvement. For example take a look at what the email promoting the video looks like with images off (see below). Yes, the message is intact, but note that there is no link to the video now? The only link in the message was embedded in the image itself. This will require extra steps for recipients should they want to take action and, more importantly for marketers, it eliminates the ability to preform any click tracking/reporting because there are no live links to follow.
I also do not recommend making your unsubscribe option such a focal point of the message. Yes, it needs to be conspicuous according to CAN-SPAM but there are far more discrete means of accomplishing this in the footer area. Additionally their unsubscribe process opens your email client and requires you to send them an email request. Modern tools have made unsubscribing much easier for the users and will reduce the possibility of errors on the back-end. Lastly on the topic of CAN-SPAM, there is no physical address listed for the sender included in this message, a clear requirement.
This program shows some signs of improvement but still needs a little help. Correcting basic best practices regarding image optimization and CAN-SPAM compliance should be addressed immediately. In addition, some consideration should be taken to improve the program’s overall strategy, timeliness and more clearly defined calls-to-action.
Making a Move When Email Subscribers Do
Posted by Dave McCue on June 8th, 2009
Moving into our first home has made the last month and a half a pretty busy one for my wife and I, but the process also shed light on what a valuable opportunity movers present to email marketers. Unfortunately, this opportunity was not always taken advantage of.
Here is a sampling of some of the hits and misses, graded A to F:
- Using the US Post Office’s website to change our address was much easier than battling the crowds at a USPS location, and it wasn’t long before I received an email confirming that my change of address request had been received. The email explained that I would receive a confirmation letter through the mail at my new address. In addition, much like if I had visited a physical post office to change my address, I was presented with a batch of helpful resources to assist with the move. Everything from information on security systems to census facts about my new neighborhood were available, as well as online resources to change vehicle registration, register to vote in my new town, and several coupons (which any mover can appreciate). Lastly, the USPS included a Quick Poll to solicit feedback about the entire process. Simple, valuable, and well done all around.
Grade: A
- Once the paperwork was finalized, our realtor emailed my wife a link to an easy-to-use message builder, allowing a non-technical person like herself to put together a simple moving announcement that she could email our friends and family to notify them of our new address and share a picture of our new home. Of course, this announcement was neatly branded with the realtor’s logo along with our agent’s contact information—an easy path to some free publicity. Points were lost, however, because the message’s “From” name defaulted to that of our realtor, resulting in a message that certainly wasn’t viewed nearly as often as it would have been coming from my or my wife’s email address. Still, the combination of value, engagement and potential for sharing made this a strong campaign.
Grade: B
