Email Marketing Blog

I run the “Email Marketing Tips” Forum within the GetResponse member area. Since some of you may not visit there, I wanted to post about one of the frustrations a member was having. It’s one I hear time and again.

You have just wracked your brain and come up with the PERFECT campaign name for your autoresponder series.

Except it’s taken.

Before you decide that this is an omen that you should shut down your online business and get a job at the local fast food restaurant, let me share a few ideas to help you select a great campaign name. (These ideas will also work if your domain name is gone as well.)

1. Add “the”, “a”, “an” to the beginning. I found a great niche and a great domain a few years ago. The domain was already taken. I simply added “the” to the domain I had originally chosen. (That site is ranked #1 in Google out of 35,800,000 sites for that keyword…so I don’t think adding “the” on the front had any effect!)
2. Add “Tips”, “Guide”, “News”, “Ideas”, “Resource” or “Hints” to your campaign name. If you were sending a campaign on Rose Gardening, you could use:
   • RoseGardeningTips
   • RoseGardeningNews
   • RoseGardeningIdeas
   • RoseGardeningHints
   • RoseGardeningReport
   • RoseGardeningAdvice
   • YourRoseGardeningResource
   • RoseGardeningBlueprint
   • RoseGardeningProjects
   • RoseGardeningPlans
   • RoseGardeningChronicle

   These add-ons will work with almost any subject matter.

3. Brainstorm derivatives of your main keywords: Rose Gardening. Use separately or in combination with the list above. For example:
   • RoseGardeners
   • TipsForRoseGardeners
   • RoseLandscapingTips
   • RoseGardenDesign
   • RoseGardenBlueprint
   • GardeningWithRoses
   • TheRoseGardeningNews
4. Add “Best” at the beginning of your preferred campaign name. There were two domains I really wanted for directory sites, but the names I wanted were gone. I simply added “Best” to the front. (Then challenged myself to MAKE them the best!)
   • BestRoseGardenTips
   • BestRoseGardenDesigns
   • BestRoseGardenIdeas
5. Include hyphens or underscores in your name. To limit confusion, I wouldn’t do this if the campaign sand hyphens was well known.
   • Rose-Gardening
   • Gardening_With_Roses
6. Be prepared so you don’t get frustrated! Before selecting your campaign (or domain name), print this article or prepare your own brainstorming sheet. In that way, all these suggestions will be in front of you in case your first choice is gone. You’ll never be affected by writers block again!

Debbi Bressler
Email Marketing Specialist
Get Response

I was chatting with a friend the other day and he announced that he was finally going to start mailing to the list he had built up over the past few years (but had never mailed).

This is not a good idea. If someone signed up for your list 3 years ago, the possibility of them remembering who the heck you are and why they subscribed to your list in the first place probably ranges somewhere between slim and none.

The first thing they’ll think when reading your message is, “Where’s the SPAM button?”

First of all, in 3 years’ time, a good percentage of these people have moved from homes or jobs and their email address has moved with them. So, your emails are going to bounce. And bounce. And bounce again.

The ISP’s take notice when they see too many bounces. In fact, I’ve heard that some ISPs actually keep those old email addresses around and use them to trap spammers. After all, if Jane Doe wanted to continue to receive email (family, friends, etc.), she would have told people by now.

The fact that you’re still emailing Jane tells the ISP’s that you are either buying those CD’s with 5 trillion email addresses for $4.95 (remember those??) OR you’re too lazy to keep your list clean.

Unfortunately, when in doubt….blacklist.

It takes no time (and sometimes no reason) to have your email blacklisted. Sorry to say, most small merchants don’t even know that it’s happened. And if it does happen, they don’t have a clue what to do to reverse it.  It’s much better to keep it from happening in the first place.

Be proactive. If you have lists which are that old, take a deep breath and start over again. Or (if you are determined to make contact) at least include as much information as possible so your readers remember you. Things like: from, to, name of the report or publication they originally signed up to receive, the website they enrolled from, the IP address they used, etc. In this way, they may unsubscribe but, hopefully, they will know that you didn’t make it up!

Debbi Bressler
Email Marketing Specialist
GetResponse

Awhile back, I wrote an article entitled “How to Increase Email Open Rates”. The second item it touched upon was related to subject lines and how a good subject line impacts your open rates.

While surfing the Net the other day, I came across a list a company had composed of the best and worst open rates, based solely on the subject line. While the highest rates were in the 60-87% range, the worst were an embarrassing 1-14%.

Their study proved me out. The highest open rates were for subject lines that didn’t leave much to the imagination. They oozed, “You’re about to get some good information” rather than “Have I got a deal for you!”.

Almost 100% of the high open rates included the company name in the subject line. Although not tested, I would think your name would work also IF you have branded yourself and your name would be recognizable to the majority of your readers. This may also pertain to the website or product name as part of the subject line.

A key ingredient to getting your email opened - and NOT having your reader unsubscribe - is to be honest with them. Do not use a subject line meant to get the click in a less-than-honest fashion. If you’re sending a newsletter, say so. Include the name of your ezine and the publication date or main subject.  If it’s a report series, include the name of the report and “Part 8″. If it’s promotional, you can say, “Before You Buy: My XYZ Review.” (Of course, make sure it IS your review and not a cut-and-paste job from the merchant!)

What are some of the best - and worst - subject lines you’ve seen? Share them here!

Debbi Bressler
Email Marketing Specialist
Get Response

I recently read an article at Email Marketing Journal which provided some guidelines for selecting one, two or three columns for those companies using html emails to deliver their messages.

The three-column design was given thumbs down. The format is crowded and what works on a web page can become confusing when you don’t have all that real estate at your disposal.

My personal preference is based on the type of email sent. A one-subject email or ecourse works well with a one-column design. I think newsletters come across better with a two-column design: the columns don’t need to be even. This provides a more “newsy” look and allows for advertising without resorting to text wrap.

What’s your preference? If you have a great format you’d like to share, email us or post below.

Debbi Bressler
Email Marketing Specialist
GetResponse

One question that comes up frequently is where to find content for your newsletter. Most people are not natural-born writers and coming up with content on a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly basis becomes a torturous game of writers block.

If you write a blog or constantly add/update articles on your web site, why not send out a recap as your newsletter? This might include a brief synopsis of the posts you’ve made since the last email, with a link to click and read the entire article.

I subscribe to a number of RSS feeds and have my favorite blogs to visit, but let’s face it; most of us have a business to run and don’t have the luxury to surf the web all day. Getting daily RSS feeds or updates becomes more aggravating than intriguing to me.

Here are some pointers:

Unless you are an overactive writer, a bi-weekly or monthly newsletter is best. I actually take the time to read these newsletters because I’m not constantly inundated with emails from them.

All that’s needed is a sentence or two for each post/article you want to feature. Provide just enough to tease your reader into clicking and reading the full story.

Rather than clicking to an individual article, consider linking to the same recap on the first page of your newsletter. This provides additional exposure to your other content, as well as advertising, if you are monetizing your site.

Your newsletter now provides additional SEO bait for the spiders, so be sure to scatter around the right keywords.

Since it is possible that your subscribers also read your blog/web site regularly, always include something in the emailed version of your newsletter that is available ONLY for subscribers. After all, if they can read everything in your newsletter on your blog, they may not see the need to sign up for it.

The special addition could be a subscribers-only article, free resource, a podcast or video only for subscribers, or even a discount code if you are promoting one of your products or services. Just be sure it is exclusive and only available to your subscribers.

Don’t forget to ask for comments and feedback. This way you can refer to readers’ replies in your next newsletter edition…which gives you a chance to give it additional publicity!

Do you have a favorite newsletter tip you’d like to share? Post it below and maybe you’ll be featured in a future article here!

Debbi Bressler
Email Marketing Specialist
GetResponse