• by Jaime Senior , November 12, 2007

The holidays are right around the corner, and my five-year-old is already counting down the days to the big gift-opening extravaganza otherwise known as Christmas at Nana's house. His approach to opening gifts is down to a science. He scans his pile and evaluates who each gift is from, and has an idea of what to expect based on previous experience. It doesn't take long after opening each one to determine if he likes it or if it's time to move on to the next gift.

It dawned on me that his approach to opening the gifts is not unlike how we approach reading emails in our inbox. Perhaps when developing email creative, business managers can apply tactics similar to that of the gift-giver.

Here are some things to consider to be a more effective email gift-giver:

"Nice Wrapping Paper!"

Grabbing their attention in the subject line and the preview pane.

Subject Lines

There are many opinions and case studies on how to approach subject lines. Keep them short and to the point, personalized, etc. And by now you've probably heard this is the easiest thing to test. But before taking that step, think about what customers signed on for. If they signed up for offers and promotions, then sell hard. But if you are trying to build relationships with your monthly newsletter, with promised tips and helpful information, don't hit them with the "FREE SHIPPING..." subject line. And yes, by all means, test.

Preview Panes

The biggest change I've seen in the past year or so in email development is preview pane awareness. A lot more email developers are getting the basics right. But too many find it hard to break old habits. If you must send messages that are 85% image, or have to include all 14 bullet points, at the very least, make sure your main call to action is in the preview pane.

Mail for Mobile

The rise of mobile device usage can no longer be ignored. This affects the subject line, and shrinks the preview pane practically to nonexistence. The verdict is still out on standardized best practices for email on mobile. Until this is settled, if you know a large percentage of your audience is viewing their email on a mobile device, then add in a link to the mobile version of the message. Make sure to include the hook in the subject line as well. That may be all they actually see.

"Just what I wanted!"

Know your audience: Dynamic content.

There is always one aunt in the bunch who gets all the kids the same exact gift. However, kids want a gift they can show off to others who don't have it. The same goes for today's email audience. They like to think that email messages were written and designed specifically for them.

Dynamic content involves more than just a personalized salutation. Send them relevant, targeted messages based on data you have collected before communication begins, and behavioral patterns gathered after the relationship is up and running.

 "Awesome!" "Cool! " "What the ...?"

Testing: the best "best practice"

You have to love the gutsy, risk-taking gift giver who is willing to go out on a limb when choosing that something special. Sometimes it's just what the recipient needed, and sometimes it misses the mark completely. But at least they took a shot.

The lesson to learn here is to TEST to see what works with your audience.
 
The biggest struggle I have encountered is getting the client to test. Yes, they all eventually come around with the ever-so-popular subject line test, which does give them some valuable insight. But it's time to push the envelope and test formats, content, and anything else they can think of.

It's the only way to learn what truly works and figure out what best practices are for your audience.

David Ogilvy said it best. "Never stop testing, and your advertising will never stop improving."