Email Marketing - Good Subject?

Discussion in 'General Marketing' started by whatsthedeal, Jul 19, 2007.

  1. #1
    How do you create an effective Email "subject"

    For example, let's say you are marketing a product to home improvement companies. How would you arrange the subject to increase clicks?

    Vertical = Home Improvement
    Product = Flyers
    Benefit = Web's Lowest Printing Prices

    ^^
    Let's take the situation above for example - you have 3 key elements you need to get across in the email subject. How do you do so in an effective way that doesn't sound like spam?

    Any experienced email marketers out there have ideas?


    Thanks
     
    whatsthedeal, Jul 19, 2007 IP
  2. netliving

    netliving Well-Known Member

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    #2
    Here are some tips:

    User personalization tags in to include the recipient's name. People always respond to their name.

    Use the power of curiosity. For example, ask the recipient a question.

    Keep the subject line short.

    Use the three period effect like this...

    You shouldn't try to convey too much in the subject line. Your goal should be to get them to open the email.

    If you have a newsletter that goes out regularly then try branding your newsletter by always including a common element in all your subject lines.

    Ie, [HomeTips] - Issue 3 - How to make...

    If you're going to use a subject line in an autoresponder, it's worth it to set up an Adwords ad and split test different headlines to see which gets more clicks. Chances are they will get more clicks in your email subject lines also.

    Use the 'from' field effectively. Brand your company's name there.

    Use urgency. If there's a deadline, make sure the recipient knows it. Ie. Open before midnight July 19th...

    Don't ever mislead. You might get a higher open rate but more unsubscribes.

    Always list benefits, not features.

    HTH
     
    netliving, Jul 19, 2007 IP
  3. Forrest

    Forrest Peon

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    #3
    And be prepared for small claims court lawsuits for violating the CAN-SPAM act.
     
    Forrest, Jul 19, 2007 IP
  4. peeg

    peeg Peon

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    #4
    Regardless of the legalities that you might have here, it's best to use a short and simple subject which describes your email the best.

    For home improvment companies, you could use something like:

    Wave Bye To Pricey Prints, [[first name]]

    It's hard to say definately if you don't tell us wether they are expecting to receive the mail or not...

    Rich
     
    peeg, Jul 24, 2007 IP
  5. ianternet

    ianternet Well-Known Member

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    #5
    first of all why would u target companies? they are hard to grab a response as they do their own internal research

    you should market to readers that are interested in home improvement - a better and has a better ROI than big companies
     
    ianternet, Jul 24, 2007 IP
  6. Swiftpage

    Swiftpage Peon

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    #6
    Keep it short - less than 40 characters
    Make it relevant - can you segment your list in any way to determine what language may work better for one group than another?
    Test, test, test - Try randomly splitting your list into 4 parts - send a different subject line to each part and you will learn what kind of language garners the greatest response.
    Be consistent - If your subject line doesn't have anything to do with the content in the body of the email your recipients will be unhappy and spam filters will have a higher propensity to junk your message
    Don't use special characters - ie. !$?*% - you'll get junked
    Don't use ALL CAPS - you'll get junked
    Include your company name so they know who it's from

    On a similar note, send from your personal email address not personalization touch helps.
     
    Swiftpage, Jul 24, 2007 IP
  7. Chris Hunter

    Chris Hunter Peon

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    #7
    Make it something emotional.

    Something like, "[FirstName], Do You HATE ____ As Much As I Do?"

    There are plenty of other really good suggestion listed here in this thread, but think to yourself, "What kind of email subject lines makes ME want to open that email...?"
     
    Chris Hunter, Jul 24, 2007 IP