In past blog posts I have addressed the need to make time for segmentation and how to identify key data fields that should be targeted for email marketing campaigns. The next logical step in this process is to actually capture the data you want to use. This is probably the most challenging effort for Marketers as it requires a delicate balance of customer time considerations, required effort and ensuring trust. With that in mind, here are just a few ways to capture data to enhance your segmentation efforts:
1. Email Capture Form: This is the most obvious place to gather rich data on your customers, but be cognizant of asking for too much information up front. Instead, consider a two part sign-up process where only the email address is collected on the actual form, and additional data is captured on the redirect page. Explain the benefits of providing additional information and consider “why are we asking for this?” statements to explain your purpose for collecting specific information.
2. Email Profile/Preference Centers: Most Email Marketers provide a link to a Profile/Preference Center so their customers can easily update information about themselves. Unfortunately, this link is probably buried in the footer with all the other typical CAN-SPAM compliance verbiage. A more ambitious approach would be to use a bold CTA that appears in the preview pane viewing area. Here is a great example from Gap found on The Retail Email Blog:
3. Dedicated Email Campaign: Using a dedicated message to encourage customers to update their information is a powerful way to capture more data. By focusing your message solely on preferences, you can zero in on one specific objective. It is important to clearly explain the benefits of updating preferences, and keeping the design elements simplistic and easy to read. I like this example from Sam’s Club also found on The Retail Email Blog:
Another consideration is to incentivize your offer. Customers are much more likely to click on your link and update preferences if there is something in it for them. Sweepstakes, giveaways and coupons are great ways to entice your customers to take action.
By using a strategic approach to collect more data on your customers, you are setting the table for a more relevant conversation with them.
Does your email testing checklist look something like this?
1) Images displaying properly? √
2) Links working? √
3) Corresponding landing pages working properly? √
4) Unsubscribe link working? √
5) Forward to friend working? √
This type of testing is enough to cover the basics; display and function. However, when testing a message that you created it’s difficult to assess how user-friendly it might be due to your intimate knowledge of the message. For example, testing the Unsubscribe link on your newsletter is as simple as going to the link and clicking. As long as the opt-out process works, it’s safe to move on to the next phase of testing.
But what if you didn’t know where the Unsubscribe link was located?
Unlike the person who creates/tests your email messages (if not yourself), recipients are likely to only seek out the Unsubscribe link when they are ready to use it. Even if a subscriber has received dozens of communications as a member of your list, they might never have scrolled all the way to the bottom on a single one of them. If you didn’t already know your unsubscribe link was buried in the fine print near the bottom of your message, would you be able to locate it quickly? If you didn’t know the link that said Update Your Profile was just a badly worded Unsubscribe link, would you have any idea how to keep these messages out of your inbox?
Sure you would…
Yahoo has a “Spam” button
So does Gmail
Apple Mail uses a “Junk” button
Hotmail calls it “Junk” as well, but also offers the option to mark a message as a “Phishing scam”—not very pleasant.
See how easy that is? So do your recipients, because it’s right in front of them.
Send a test message to someone far removed from the message creation process, asking them to Unsubscribe. If they report even a little difficulty, look into making changes, such as: moving the Unsubscribe link to a more prominent location; changing the text of the Unsubscribe link for clarity; eliminating any unnecessary steps; or providing confirmation that the opt-out has been honored—too often, the Unsubscribe process takes place without the former subscribers knowing for sure.
No marketer wants anyone to opt-out of their mailing list, but subscribers who do so are actually doing you a courtesy by not simply marking your legitimate email as SPAM. Return the favor by making it easy for them.
Email marketers use Valentine’s Day promotions to help shoppers in their quest to find the perfect gift, but sometimes these emails don’t send the right message. Find out how Talbots does in the latest Email Marketing Minute!
Ask any email marketing professional and they will tell you deliverability is key to your email success. Your message has to make it to the inbox before your audience can read it. Once delivered however you need to have your message cut through the other noise in people’s inbox these days. How do you do that? For starters writing an effective subject will help to get your message noticed – and hopefully opened.
Here are a few tips for writing effective subject lines.
1. Keep It Simple. Don’t try and over engineer your subject line. Be sure and use 10 words or less (5 is better) and put the most important part of the message in front. Never use all caps and avoid any unnecessary punctuation.
2. Think relationship, not message. Remember you should be trying to build relationships with your readers. Each message you send should try and strengthen that relationship and reaffirm readers why they signed up in the first place. Each message should not be an isolated communication but instead should be somehow related to previous/future emails.
3. Focus on content instead of on “entity”. Let people know what they can expect by opening your message. If your content is truly relevant to your audience a descriptive subject line will improve your chances of being opened. Example: “How to boil an egg” is better than “January cooking news”
4. Have someone write the subject line that did not write the copy. Why? Sometimes the email’s author can be too close to the material. Have someone read the message and sum up the key points. Use this as your starting point and then craft the subject while thinking, “why is this important to my audience and how will they benefit”.
5. Test, test and test. All people are not the same so don’t treat your email audience as if they were. Different people will react to different messages. Use a few different subject lines for each campaign and see which perform the best. Begin to segment your audience based on the message types they commonly react to.
At the 2009 Email Evolution Conference, a room full of email marketing professionals voted on three frequent topics in this industry in order to define what is considered “best practice.” This opening session forum called “The Great Debate” tried to answer the following questions…
1. Do you use a pre-checked or an unchecked opt-in box on your email sign up forms?
2. Do you use single or double opt-in strategy for email list building?
3. Do you remove non-responders from your email list?
Any one of these topics could easily be debated for hours but the consensus in the room was this…
