Posts Tagged ‘Email welcome messages’
Posted by Nic Winters on November 10th, 2009
Welcome again to The First 2 Weeks, where we analyze 3 competitors’ email marketing strategies when it is most crucial… the opt-in process, welcome message, and first few campaigns as these marketers attempt to establish relationships with subscribers.
For this edition of The First 2 Weeks, we have chosen 3 competitors in the arts and crafts retail segment: Hobby Lobby, Jo-Ann, and Michael’s.
OPT-IN PROCESS
The opt-in placement on these 3 competitors’ websites was fairly similar, placing the opt-in opportunity near the top right of the homepage – not requiring scrolling. However, Hobby Lobby did the best job of calling attention to the opt-in area. Jo-Ann’s opt-in area blends into the background a little too easily, and Michael’s is practically trying to hide the opt-in area with a very small “Register” link that is quite muted (on top of the fact that “Register” doesn’t exactly scream opt-in for emails).
All 3 competitors’ opt-in forms are quite lengthy, collecting a great deal of information that could be valuable for email segmentation efforts. Both Hobby Lobby and Jo-Ann do however provide the interested party with the opportunity to quickly sign up and skip these additional details (with Hobby Lobby highlighting a required section and Jo-Ann offering an express sign-up section). On the other hand, Michael’s requires an immense amount of fields including a username and password, postal address, and birth date (items that could detract from getting email subscribers). However, overall, all 3 competitors offer some great options during the opt-in process such as your various interests and which types of e-newsletters you would like to receive.
WELCOME MESSAGE
Greetings from both Jo-Ann and Michael’s arrived within 10 minutes beyond opt-in – a timely response to begin the email relationship, whereas Hobby Lobby failed to send any confirmation or thank you via email. However, this is fairly forgivable as they provide you with a coupon right on their website the moment you complete the opt-in form… but they should have promoted this perk on their homepage to entice subscribers!
Both Jo-Ann and Michael’s remind subscriber’s to add their from address to their address book to ensure future delivery. Jo-Ann includes a couple more best practices by including a prominent forward link at the top and by listing the email address that is opted-in (to avoid confusion in cases of old email addresses that have been forwarded, etc.). Both competitors also establish the value of their email programs quickly by providing a coupon in these welcome emails. Michael’s doesn’t feature any sort of graphic representation of this coupon within their message – instead they rely upon a fairly simplistic “Print Coupon” button. Jo-Ann does feature a graphic of the coupon, however they bury below the preview pane… thus it is a good thing that they place a simple link above the body of their message linking to the print location.
Overall Michael’s takes a non-flashy approach to email design, utilizing mainly text – thus, very little is lost with images off. Jo-Ann has incorporated alt tags for many of their images so when images are disabled the reader is not left clueless… however, the largest portion of the preview pane is used by 2 large images that were left with no alt tags. Michael’s also experienced some alt tag issues, exposing a lesson for all of us. As you build an email design, be careful with labels that you intend only for internal use – or you may end up like Michael’s, who display 2 alt tags that say “spacer” within the areas that blank images display with images on.
Watch for Part 2 in the coming weeks in which we will evaluate campaigns sent beyond the welcome message and preference editing options.
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Posted by Nic Winters on October 9th, 2009
Welcome again to The First 2 Weeks, where we analyze 3 competitors’ email marketing strategies when it is most crucial… the opt-in process, welcome message, and first few campaigns as these marketers attempt to establish relationships with subscribers.
For this edition of The First 2 Weeks, we have chosen 3 competitors in the luxury car segment: Jaguar, Mercedes, and Porsche.
OPT-IN PROCESS
All 3 competitors did well regarding opt-in promotion on their websites, as the no scrolling was required to opt-in. Mercedes places a standard opt-in entry field area in a prominent location at the top right of the page, while Porsche requires a little more searching as the link doesn’t stand out in the bottom left with a message that doesn’t exactly scream email – “Dialog and Newsletter”. Jaguar takes it a step further by promoting opt-in in 2 areas, both on the left and bottom.
The opt-in page for Porsche is very simplistic, only asking for your salutation, first name, and last name – but all are required. One great feature about the Porsche opt-in process is an intermediary page you see before arriving at this form, which explains what you can expect and includes a link to the latest newsletter. Jaguar and Mercedes both provide the ability to specify the car models you are interested in (a great piece of data for future email segmentation). However, this and many other fields on the Jaguar form are required – something that may reduce the number of interested parties looking for a simple opt-in. They do capitalize on this opportunity though, as they even ask about your current vehicle and when you plan to purchase again.
WELCOME MESSAGE
Of these 3 competitors, only Porsche sent a welcome message. Their text email arrived around 2 minutes after the opt-in – a very timely response to begin the email relationship. The message serves just one purpose – to confirm your subscription, as Porsche utilizes a double opt-in list. The all text email lacks branding and the style one might associate with a luxury auto manufacturer, but obviously nothing is lost with images disabled in this key message to confirm your subscription. Porsche also used a very generic subject line of “Newsletter Subscription” – not exactly the friendly greeting in my inbox that I expected. Their off-putting from name matches the cold subject line – as “no-reply@porsche.de” also doesn’t extend a warm welcome.
Even with these faults… at least I know that Porsche received my opt-in and I’m officially on their list – something that isn’t so clear with their 2 competitors.
Watch for Part 2 in the coming weeks in which we will evaluate campaigns sent beyond the welcome message and preference editing options.
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Posted by Nic Winters on September 15th, 2009
Welcome again to The First 2 Weeks, where we analyze 3 competitors’ email marketing strategies when it is most crucial… the opt-in process, welcome message, and first few campaigns as these marketers attempt to establish relationships with subscribers.
For this edition of The First 2 Weeks, we have chosen 3 competitors in the upscale clothing retail segment: Banana Republic, Eddie Bauer, and J. Crew.
OPT-IN PROCESS
The opt-in placement on these 3 competitors’ websites was fairly poor, placing the opt-in opportunity at the very bottom of the page below a large image – requiring scrolling. However, Banana Republic and Eddie Bauer did a much better job of calling attention to the opt-in area than J. Crew – which practically hid this capability by using just a small line of text asking you to opt-in.
Banana Republic’s opt-in form wins the data collection prize as they allow you to specify your interest areas, provide your birth date (as they will send you an birthday offer), and ask if you are interested in receiving emails from any of their other brands. The other 2 competitors allow for much fewer options, however at least J. Crew lets you specify your sex in order to potentially customize offerings – unlike Eddie Bauer.
All 3 competitors do an excellent job of pushing you to start shopping with messages on their thank you pages. However, only Eddie Bauer’s page suggests that you add them to your address book to ensure the delivery of future emails.
WELCOME MESSAGE
Greetings from all 3 retailers arrived within minutes of opt-in – a very timely response to begin the email relationship. Both Eddie Bauer and J. Crew utilized very large images within their messages. However with images off these messages appear very differently as Eddie Bauer has coded their email to limit the image size – leaving only a small piece of alt text in what appears to be an extremely short email. J. Crew did not utilize any alt tags for their large image of stylized text (which could have been coded as a solely as text), thus resulting in what appears as a blank email in the preview pane. J. Crew also utilized a poor from name of “ContactUs” on their welcome email – an issue they resolve on all following emails (where they change this to “J.Crew”)
At first glance it appears that Banana Republic crafted their welcome message considerably better with images off in mind – and also sport a welcome offer for free shipping (a great way to reinforce the value that will be supplied within your future emails). However, when viewed with images off one sees that they have made each of the blocks of text contained within images – resulting in only alt text within the email with images disabled.
Watch for Part 2 in the coming weeks in which we will evaluate campaigns sent beyond the welcome message and preference editing options.
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Posted by Nic Winters on July 17th, 2009
Welcome again to The First 2 Weeks, where we analyze 3 competitors’ email marketing strategies when it is most crucial… the opt-in process, welcome message, and first few campaigns as these marketers attempt to establish relationships with subscribers.
For this edition of The First 2 Weeks, we have chosen 3 competitors in the sports apparel segment: Nike, Reebok, and adidas.
OPT-IN PROCESS
The opt-in process for all 3 competitors has been fairly well constructed. Nike takes the most simplistic approach – collecting additional fields of zip code, birthdate, and gender. Nike highlights email signup very well on their main page as it stands out in the middle of their website with only a minor scroll downward to reach this area.
Reebok could use an improved wording on their opt-in link, currently displaying only a link in the top right that says “Register”. However, they collect a great amount of information in a two step opt-in form while still keeping the process fun for the subscriber. They allow the subscriber to specify their interest level in each of the sports Reebok apparel may apply to, favorite colors, and supply a rating on how you use these products (on the field/off the field).
adidas features an “eMail Sign Up” link at the top-center of their website – a great location and clear wording. Their opt-in page goes above and beyond those of their competitors as they display sample emails to show you what you can expect as a subscriber – setting expectations for a solid relationship. Their form collects useful segmentation information including which types of adidas retail newsletters you would like to receive along with your sport and style interests. Finally, the opt-in page also includes the ability to sign up for mobile alerts regarding new products, events, and downloads.
WELCOME MESSAGE
Greetings from both Reebok and adidas arrived around 2 minutes beyond opt-in – a very timely response to begin the email relationship… whereas Nike failed to send any confirmation or thank you via email.
Reebok has crafted their welcome message to be very well formatted for images being disabled, as the email is mostly text that lets the subscriber know what to expect and providing a link to access your account. However the from address of no-reply@service.reebok.com is not very inviting and they do not provide any notice on the message to add them to your address book to ensure future delivery.
The welcome email sent by adidas has text visible above the fold but carries more brand styling than found in the Reebok message. However, adidas could have coded their call-to-action links within the body using background images with blocks of background color and text so they were not lost with images off. This email includes a link to begin shopping and also provides the subscriber with a chance to join an “Insiders” group to be the first to see new products – a great way to increase the perceived value of future emails.
These 2 competitors fail to provide any true discount or offer in their welcome messages to entice the new subscriber to begin shopping right away – clearly a missed opportunity, but still a step above Nike, which didn’t send a welcome at all!
Watch for Part 2 in the coming weeks in which we will evaluate campaigns sent beyond the welcome message and preference editing options.
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Posted by Nic Winters on June 9th, 2009
Welcome again to The First 2 Weeks, where we analyze 3 competitors’ email marketing strategies when it is most crucial… the opt-in process, welcome message, and first few campaigns as these marketers attempt to establish relationships with subscribers.
For this edition of The First 2 Weeks, we have chosen 3 competitors in the office supplies retail segment: OfficeMax, Office Depot, and Staples.
OPT-IN PROCESS
Both OfficeMax and Staples have done a decent job of providing an easy to find email opt-in area on their homepages (with Staples even having no scrolling necessary to reach the opt-in area). OfficeMax commits an email sin on their homepage opt-in form as they utilize pre-checked boxes that automatically select your preference to opt-in not only for email, but also for a rewards program.
The opt-in process for Office Depot however is quite difficult, as they provide no ability to opt-in for emails without fully creating an online account. This extensive process includes providing full billing and shipping address information and also asks you for credit card information (not required). Like OfficeMax, this form also incorporates pre-checked boxes opting you in for their emails (resulting in questionable consent).
Staples does a great job at taking a proactive approach at white-listing by taking requesting that you add their from address to your address book on their thank you page. However, as this same page could lead to confusion as it also states “changes may take up to 10 business days to take effect”.
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