As an email marketer, there isn't a day that goes by that I don't sit at my desk, look at my email and scratch my head in absolute bewilderment -- or amazement, depending on the day. On a good
day, one of the marketing messages I get will really strike me as interesting, but I also have those days where I just have to scratch my head.
As marketers are focusing more on the strategy of
their email and creating interesting elements that make people want to talk, we will see an increase in innovation. Some innovation will succeed and other attempts will sink like the Titanic, but at
least, we as an industry are truly trying to evolve the email channel with the time -- and the communication channels available.
The one thing that this week's (infamous) WSJ article did not account for in its blatant statement about the end
of email is the unwavering dedication and passion of industry mavens like David
Baker, Lisa Harmon, Ryan Deutsch and others (me included). We love this space too much to let it go by
the wayside -- but sometimes we all have to realize that it isn't just black and white, and we do have a little ways to go.
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As I step off my soapbox, let me share the recent inbox
moments that made my go "hmmm." For better or for worse, here they are:
Number 5: Bribing readers to open their email - (2 thumbs up)
I just love this! Who
needs subject lines anymore, let's enter our readers in a sweepstakes just for opening (and rendering images) in their email. See how Southwest Airlines is driving opens for its email program.
Number 4: Not recognizing geography - (2 thumbs way down)
I am a big fan of Room and Board, but when I received a recent email about its new location in Los Angeles that finished off with "we are looking forward to meeting
you," I was left with that "you don't know me at all" feeling. I live in Chicago...
Number 3: Including bacon in email (real bacon) - (2 thumbs up)
Everything is better with bacon, and Cooking.com knows it! How could you resist opening
and interacting with an email that is all about what you can cook with my favorite (and yours, admit it) ingredient, BACON! There just isn't enough bacon in email today (and not the 2007 definition of email BACN -- email you want, just not right now).
Number 2: Creating a sense of urgency in email (2 thumbs way up)
One thing that member-only shopping sites such as Hautelook, Ideeli and Gilt Group
have done is put some urgency back into email. When they tell you that products are available for a limited time only, or that the next Dior sale starts in 15 minutes, people listen. A tried
and true tactic, leveraged effectively.
Number 1: Keeping me on the ball (2 thumbs way, way up)
I am LUVin' Southwest these days (no,
they are not a client). In advance of my trips, I receive a friendly reminder that my trip is coming, providing me opportunities to convert against an early check-in offer, check the weather in my
destination and even let me read what other Southwest travelers have said about the destination.
Let's face facts -- none of these things are ground-breaking, but clearly not enough
marketers are employing the basic tactics that make email marketing so amazing. Iif they were, would these things really make me go hmmmm?