Return On Subscriber – Email Marketing Blog

It is hard for me not to rage about this email. I have covered My Coke Rewards Email Marketing in the past.  The emails are rendering correctly now, but today we have bigger issues. As always, we can all learn from others missteps, even Coca-Cola.

First off, I have no Coke Rewards points, which is clearly stated at the top of the email. Right next to that zero balance is a note letting me know my points “rollover” into the next year?!?!?  There is a missed segmentation opportunity here. Someone with a zero balance should be notified of all the great things they are missing. The only mention of what these rewards are is “rewarding experiences.”

Second, this email design is very flawed. The copy is too small and the value proposition is not clearly stated.  Always remember to clearly state the expectations with above the fold copy.

Lastly, the long gray sidebar doesn’t seem to have a purpose here. All it does is waste space that could be used for increasing the copy size or show subscriber value of the program. For me, this email misses on all marks.

What would you have done to make this email better?

Let me start by saying I hate tests.  I hate taking them, and I hate making them. But testing in email doesn’t have to be painful, it can actually be fun. Why?  Because of the immediate results and feedback! What I have put together for you today are four email elements you can test through an A/B split to learn more about your subscribers and what they react and gravitate to in your messaging.

Short & Vague Subject Line vs. Long & Detailed Subject Line
A: Short and to-the-point, but has intrigue – “New Specials for the Fall
B: Longer with more detail – “New Specials on Bikes, Kayaks, and Rainbows”
Tip: Analyze your open vs. clicks vs. conversions. You may find that a longer, more descriptive subject line has a lower open rate but a higher conversion rate.
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As the holidays approach, the email marketing messages we all receive doubles and for some, triples.  With consumer spending grinding to a halt, marketers are going to have to get more creative.  A lot of times, with email especially, it not the deal per say, but how you phrase it and how quickly you can get you offer understood.

This email from Details Magazine contains a great offer, but I’m not sure they reached the full potential of the email.  While “Buy 1 Get 1 Free” is easily understood, the fact you could buy yourself a subscription and get a free X-mas gift for somebody else is a much better incentive for a subscriber.

This type of offer would be a perfect chance to A/B split your list and test phrasing of the offer.  For the B list on this email, I would try “Give your friend a Free Subscription to Details Magazine this X-Mas” or something similar.  Analyze both the click through and conversions, then launch the campaign.

When you come up with an offer for an email campaign, always create at least 2 versions.  It’s not always what you say, but how you say it.

How would you have phrased this offer?

Gwyneth Paltrow, who you may know from such films as Shallow Hal and Duets, has recently launched a new website called Goop. The site might best be described as a Oprah-esque lifestyle/advice site. There is plenty of commentary about the site and the point of it all. I am here to talk about the email marketing aspect of it, which I like a lot better than the website.

Home Page Opt-In

First off, a great top left email opt-in form on the home page.  Any company that doesn’t include an highly visible Opt-In for/box on their home page is simply not focused on growing their email list. In this day and age you also have to sell it a little bit – “Get the Scoop from Goop”. (more…)

You gotta see this.  MoveOn.org, sent me a very unique unsubscribe confirmation today. I commented on Twitter this morning about the massive unsubscribe requests they must be receiving now that the election is over.  The subject line read: “Don’t Go!”.

While I admire there sales pitch here, it seems a little across the line of a unsubscribe confirmation email.

Thoughts? Creative or Crossing the Line?

Don’t ask me how I found this, but it is amazing, and totally serious. I’m not sure how people would ever get to this from these Drug spam emails, but you have to watch. “It is not your intent to annoy or harass our customers…”