Preview pane optimization isn’t the sexiest of email topics, but it’s one of the most important. After all, you’ve worked so hard to craft an engaging subject line that has convinced your recipients to read further, why waste that opportunity to capture your recipients’ attention with wasted space in the preview pane area? Most folks […]
Say good-bye to One Size Fits All mailings
In my last posting I covered how to ask your email subscribers for more than just their address. I understand that collecting information retroactively can be tough, but no matter whether you’ve been able to collect more than an email address from the get-go or not, it’s important to think about segmenting your database to […]
Asking for more information
I’ve had a few conversations recently about how important it is to ask for more than just an email address when setting up a form on a website to begin an email marketing program. So many times, someone will add a box to collect an email address, make sure the form works and think they’re […]
Twitter vs. Email
With Twitter growing at a dramatic clip in 2009, I thought it might be worth a note about how this platform compares to – and compliments – an email marketing program. This missive was inspired by a Tweet from Simms Jenkins of Brightwave Marketing, who wrote: another difference between email & twitter is marketers think […]
They’re just not that into you: Inactive subscribers
It may be a little early to think about spring cleaning, but I figure that a new year is a good time to clean up your email list and focus on your active subscribers. To combat list fatigue, when subscribers ignore and don’t open your e-mail, here are some suggestions to try to re-engage those […]
Preparing for Cyber Monday
Even though we haven’t even gone trick or treating yet in the United States, it’s not too early to be thinking of Cyber Monday, the first weekday after Black Friday that kicks off the online holiday shopping season. What are you going to do to get ready? From a marketer’s perspective, there’s plenty to work […]
Transactional emails don’t have to be boring
I just noticed last week that Facebook has switched its friend request emails from plain text messages to a full HTML version. The benefits of HTML email over text are numerous and it’s nice to see Facebook offering its users something of value in these messages. Here’s a “before” snapshot of the friend request notification: […]
Gmail, Gmail, Gmail
Gmail has made some changes lately that affect email marketers. Here’s an update on a couple of these modifications and what they may mean for you, as a marketer and a consumer: Images On: Most email clients (Yahoo! Outlook, etc.) leave images turned off. This is intended to protect the recipient’s privacy. (Remember, you […]
Brag beyond email
Newsletters give you the opportunity to share your company’s good news and do a little bragging at the same time – new products, new employees or new locations. But if you’re going to go to the effort to develop an e-newsletter to share your company’s highlights, why limit the sharing to just an email? There […]
Add an opt-in form to your Facebook page
For those who manage a Facebook Fan page, adding an option for fans to opt-in to your newsletters is a must. Click the headline to learn more.