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Is E-Mail Dead?

Not yet, apparently.

“Using email to drive sales offers the highest return on investment of any direct response marketing method,” wrote Troy Foss, Director of Eventful, for Vistage Intl. (Coincidentally, Vistage is a CEO advising company I used to work with.)

He goes on: “The Direct Marketing Association estimates that email marketing generates an ROI of $45.65 for every dollar spent on it in 2008. In contrast print catalogs generate less than $7 per dollar spent and internet marketing (pay-per-click and banner ads) generates about $22 per dollar spent.” Wow.

How do you get that email read? Foss has some solid fundamental tips in the full article titled “How to Use Email to Drive Sales,” which includes some essential email etiquette and best practices — including how to collect emails the right way, how to set up your email, ideas about what to send in an email (and what not to send), and how to measure results.

Now, if this would lead to fewer blinking banner ads and less waste in my mail box, that would be peachy.

No Magic Formula (with one exception)

I’ve been testing email marketing creative for eight years now, and some campaigns have been tremendously successful. And some have flopped. We were always looking for a magic formula — Aha! This is the format, tone, style, length, color, timing, frequency that works! But in reality, the ones that won over and over? They were simply relevant to the audience.

Generously Apply Relevancy

When you are evaluating your copy, just keep asking yourself — is this genuine, honest, and true? Is this valuable? Or is this so clever, punny, or so over-designed that the message is lost or seems fake?

  1. Subject line: The subject line should answer the question: Why open this?
  2. Offer something of value: Why are you sending this email? What’s new here?
  3. Benefits to me: How will this improve or enhance the life of your audience? Is it obvious?
  4. Call to action: Is it totally clear what the reader should do next?
  5. Delivery style: Does it match your audience? Where have they been? What are they doing? What motivates them? Who do they respect and admire (other than you)? These questions will help guide your style, length, and tone.

Then A/B test the heck out of it, so you know what’s working for you. Just one note here — if you think you’ve found the magic formula, check again. Email is like trendy clothes; what’s hot today may be totally in the donation bin tomorrow.

(c) Copyright 2008 Shelly Bowen. All rights reserved. RSS

Posted by Shelly Bowen on Sep 15, 2008. Filed under Content Marketing

 

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