Author Archive: Jim Hitch
Give a compelling reason to take your survey.
Email is one of the easiest ways to invite customers to participate in a survey. Since surveys are a recent addition to Emma’s lineup, we’ll be covering survey strategy and creative examples on the blog. Here’s the first post on the topic to get things started…
When you’re inviting survey responses, be sure to communicate the larger vision to your audience. It’s so important to let people know *why* they should participate. Will the next new product be chosen from the results? Will your pricing structure be based on the feedback you get? Will you open a location near them if the results call for it? If you don’t tell them that their voice matters, and makes a difference in how you run your business, they won’t know. And if they don’t know, they won’t be motivated to give you their time and attention.
This example from LinkedIn isn’t terribly specific, but it is clear that the survey data will be used to shape the direction of the service. Keep your eye out for invitations that clearly communicate a compelling reason for participating. And if you think of it when you see one, send us a screenshot. There’s nothing we like better than bonding over the little-noticed nuances of a marketing strategy. Okay, there are a few things we like better (eggnog, gingerbread cookies, flying reindeer and jelly-of-the-month clubs just to name a few), but you know what I mean.
Godiva bought my email address for $2.
Last night I flew from Baltimore to Nashville, and while I waited on the flight I decided to indulge in one of my favorite small luxuries – chocolate. After the total rang up, the clerk offered me 20% off my order for signing up to the email list. I bought about 20% more chocolate than I should have, so it just felt like I was getting the last couple of pieces for free. A great deal, if you ask me.
Do you think it was a good trade? Would you, in essence, pay for subscribers using a strategy like this? If so, why? And would you treat them differently than the rest of your database?
Yet another way to use the alt tag – ask your readers to load the images
Part five in a multi-part series on alt tags (read parts one, two and three and four)
I kind of thought four posts on alt tags was approaching overkill, but when this email came in, I knew number five needed to happen. I realized that sometimes the images aren’t just part of the message, they are the message. Did you just breathe a sigh of relief? If so, this post is for you.
For NerdyShirts, no branding, styling or calling to action in the alt tag would quite do the trick. People only buy t-shirts after they’ve seen them (of course!), so they’ve dedicated the alt tag to encouraging just that – ‘Enable Images to View Pictures!’, it says.
I think they could take it to the next level, too. Something like, ‘NerdyShirts is having a sale! Enable images to see the featured t-shirts.’ Take a look at the before and after screenshots….
Pushing alt tags to the max
Part four of a five part series on alt tags (read parts one, two and three)
For those who cringe at drab, electric blue alt tags, this post is for you. The alt tag doesn’t have to interrupt the brand experience you’ve worked so hard to create. In fact, with some html knowledge, your backup plan can actually reinforce it – color scheme, font and all.
Take a look at this example from the March of Dimes. The header space is shared between the March of Dimes and Shutterfly, and each logo has an alt tag that is styled – the font face, the color and the size. All done to match the feel of the email once the images load. If you haven’t turned images off in your inbox lately, give it a try for a few days and I think you’ll share my appreciation. This email stands out in a big way because it doesn’t have that ‘I’m looking at code under the hood until I click to view images’ feel. Know what I mean?
PS If you’re uploading your own html and want to tweak your own alt tags, drop me an email. I have a screenshot of the code behind the March of Dimes email you can use as a guide.
Making the most of your alt tags
Part three of a five part series on alt tags (read parts one and two)
In part two, I pointed out that the alt tag is a great place to brand your message. It communicates who you are and connects with the recipient, even without the help of images or your logo.
Levi’s has taken the next step and added the offer* to their alt tag. It’s a link, too, so the image loading is really just icing on the cake for them. The message comes through, regardless. Nice work, Levi’s.
How about your own campaigns? Has the alt tag topic made it to your marketing meetings? Did you make a change that made a difference in your response numbers?
*I also like how they’ve added the offer in text above the email. Even Outlook’s unique image blocking message can’t slow this email down!
Show some love to your email subscribers
It’s an honor to receive a new email address, isn’t it? Each new address represents someone who knows and trusts you, and wants to stay in touch. In light of that, we can all take a cue from the PETCO marketing team and offer something unique to our email subscribers to say thanks. For them, it’s 15% off with no minimum order. What would make your audience feel appreciated?
I’m curious, have you ever sent out an email-only offer? What was it? Did you get good results?
Don’t forget to brand ‘em
Part two in a multi-part series on alt tags (read part one)
Do you use a preview pane when reading your email? If so, how do you make your way through a full inbox? If you’re like me, you start with one email and click the down arrow to move from message to message, all the while scanning the *content* of the email. What’s the big deal, you say? I’m skipping over some fundamental elements (the from name, the from email address and the subject line) that most email marketers are relying on to brand their emails and let me know who the email is from.
I think Sephora chose their alt text with readers like me in mind. They identified themselves by placing the brand name in the valuable top-left spot. It’s even in all caps, just like when the image loads. I thought that was a nice touch. Here are a couple of screenshots of the email – one before the images loaded and one after.
One of these emails is not like the other
Alt tags: Part one of a three (or four, maybe five) part series.
These two emails arrived in my inbox within about 20 minutes of each other. They’re similar at first glance. Almost identical, really. Both are very image heavy, both came from brand name clothing retailers, both include simple calls to action, both drive traffic to an online store, on and on I could go. This time I took a look ‘under the hood’ to see how these two email marketing teams prepared their campaigns for the all-too-common scenario of images being blocked.
The Gap team (left) coded their html with a backup plan, since about half of the email programs out there don’t display images by default. That backup plan is known to the html-savvy as the alt tag – the alternate text that shows when the images don’t load. For a visual, peek at the screen shots to see how the message of free shipping still comes through, even when the images don’t.
Next time you create a campaign, be sure to think about your own backup plan. The general rule is to set an alt tag for all of your images. Sound complicated and technical? It’s not at all. We’ve made it easy by offering to ‘add a description’ each time you upload an image into your campaign. (If you’re working with an html designer, they’ll add the alt tag before uploading the code your Emma account.)
Last, but not least, don’t forget to test the email and see the alt tags in action. A simple preference tweak in your email client of choice should let you see the test email with the images blocked.
One note to Outlook users: Outlook has a default text that overrides these tags. You’ll see a note about clicking to download images.
The hotel is historic, but the email program is fresh.
Last week a few of the Emma staffers spent some time in America’s Finest City, San Diego, California. We stayed at The Sofia, a recently renovated hotel with history that dates back to 1926. The service was friendly, the rooms were comfy, the sinks were chic and the dark chocolates, well, they were a special gift from my sweet wife. She knows my addiction all too well, and the folks at The Sofia were ready to accommodate.
The email program caught my attention, too. (Of course!) Their in-room comment card doubled as a signup form and had a question that piqued my interest. It asked, ‘Are there any dates you would like us to help you remember?’ (Here’s the online version of the form.) Immediately, I thought of my anniversary and gave them the date. It started a whole chain of thoughts, too. How will we celebrate this year? Where will we go? Would Lauren enjoy San Diego? My hunch is that I’ll get an email a month or two in advance of my anniversary and all of these thoughts will come flooding back into my head. Just in time to make my travel plans!
There are two things I love about this little strategy. First, it’s easy on the marketing team at The Sofia. One email campaign can be waiting in the wings and automatically be sent out in advance of every special day in their list. Once it’s in motion, not much maintenance is required. Second, it makes for a great subscriber experience. An invitation to celebrate a day that’s special to me is so much better than a randomly timed 20% discount offer or an update about a new amenity, for example.
What about you and your list building strategy? Are there other questions you should be asking? Questions that set the direction of your email program in ways that improve the subscriber experience and strengthen your customer relationships at the same time? If so, go ahead and change things up. And by all means, please let us know how it goes.
What candidates are on your From Name list?
Back in August, I spent a quick thirty minutes surrendering my email address to a handful of presidential hopefuls. I wasn’t picking sides, mind you – just hoping to learn something about email’s place in our political process.
Today’s observation happens to focus on Barack Obama‘s email strategy with From Names. Over the last eight months, his emails have appeared in my inbox with several different names in the From Line. Here are seven unique ones worth mentioning and some quick notes on why Obama’s marketing team chose to use ‘em instead of the standard ‘Barack Obama.’
Sen. Ted Kennedy - An endorsement from a member of one of the most prominent political families of all time.
Michelle Obama - A personal message from a family member.
John Kerry – An endorsement from a Senator and well known presidential candidate of recent years.
Jennifer Buck Wallace, Tennessee State Coordinator – A quick primer on early voting in *my* state.
Bob Tuke - A locally known name for folks in Tennessee (Former Chairman of my state’s Democratic Party) with a message that encouraged voting in the Tennessee primary.
David Plouffe, Campaign Manager – An insider’s message about the campaign.
Chelsea Kammerer, Ohio Field Director – A message about Obama’s status in a key primary state.
Even though many of these names are brands in their own right, there may be an application for your own From Name strategy. Take a few minutes to make sure yours is making the strongest connection possible with your audience. Would changing the From Name better suit the message or grab the attention of the particular audience you’re aiming to reach? For example, your emails to stockholders might come from the CEO while your newsletter sticks with the standard company name in the From line.
Of course, on the other hand, there’s a real benefit to keeping a consistent From Name,* and it’s possible that some readers overlooked emails from the Obama campaign because they lacked instant name recognition. Why not divide up your audience and do a little experimenting? Put your trusty default to the challenge by mixing it up. If you do, please let us know how it goes…
*In case you’re curious, the *From Email* was pretty consistent throughout the eight months. A few messages were from state-specific email addresses like tennessee@barackobama.com, for example. Our recommendation for you, though, is to stick with one address, since your audience may already have it stored in their address books.
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