Preview Panes and Email Stationery

Many email pundits claim the subject line is the most important factor in getting your email read and I wrote a blog post entitled Getting Your Email Read - Start With a Better Subject Line which points out the importance of effective subject lines.

But as many subject lines are so weak and uninformative many people use the information displayed in their email preview pane to determine if they will read on further.

A typical preview pane is a few inches of space at the top of your email. It is prime real estate and can help you increase the chances of your email being read.

How prevalent is the use of preview panes?

There was a study done in 2007 by Marketing Sherpa that found the following:

• 64% of people who are offered preview panes start using them as their default.
• 80% of at-work users in the U.S. rely on Outlook, which offers preview panes.
• 38% of online consumers now use email clients that offer preview panes.

Other email clients also offer preview panes including Lotus Notes, Mozilla Thunderbird, Yahoo Mail and Windows Live Mail.

So what is the secret to capturing the readers attention with a compelling reason to read on?

inboxFX Email Stationery

Here is an example of how my Outlook displays emails. (Your Outlook may be set up with the preview pane at the right or no preview pane at all. You can change this by going to View - Reading Pane - Bottom.)

The email on the left is a plain text email and the one on the right is a simple email stationery design. You can see how the one on the right stands out with the color and the simple image.

Click on the image for a better look.

If you would like to see more samples of email stationery from inboxFX click here.

If you enjoyed this article and don’t want to miss the next one click here to get my marketing posts by email as soon as they are published. You will be prompted for an email address and you are set to go.

Getting Your Email Read - Start With a Better Subject Line

Email is my life. Okay that is an exaggeration, but as one of the leading email stationery providers (inboxFX Email Stationery) I spend a lot of time studying the art of email.

How important is email in business today?
An April survey conducted by Ipsos for Habeas found that two-thirds of adult respondents said they preferred e-mail for communicating with businesses. Just as many—and this is the important part—said they expected to still prefer e-mail five years from now.

Why is it so important to have a great subject line?
Think of subject lines like the headline of a newspaper article. If it grabs you, you start to read. Furthermore it is the only thing people see in an email. It is what they are going to use to determine if they go any further down your email or if they are even going to open it. It is the only thing that differentiates your email from all of the others.

Scott Ginsberg of Hello My Name Is Scott offers up some interesting observations on passive subject lines. Do you ever find yourself using these?

• Hi! (This sounds like spam.)
• Hey there… (This sounds like pornography.)
• What’s up? (Come on, you can do better than that!)
• Check this out… (Yep, more spam.)
• (No subject) (This is lazy and annoying.)

Scott has a different approach to subject lines and recommends using them to entice the reader. He offers 12 exciting subject lines on his web site that will get your email opened. I think these are excellent for personal emails:

1. Have you seen this article about your company yet?
2. I saw something that made me think of you…
3. Man, I sure hope you’ve already seen this…
4. I thought of you when I read this…
5. I thought of you when I saw this…
6. I was thinking about you the other day.
7. I was thinking about your business the other day.
8. Someone paid you a compliment yesterday.
9. I blogged about you the other day…
10. When I saw this, I immediately thought of you!
11. Your ears should be ringing…
12. Your name came up in a conversation recently…

The Golden Rule

The golden rule of email subject lines according to Josh Nason of SendLabs is:

Tell what’s inside, don’t sell what’s inside.

Advice from Mike

1. Use your name (or company name if it will have more impact)
2. Do not use all caps in a subject line.
3. Write a compelling subject line that won’t deceive people.
4. Have some fun with subject lines!

Look through your subject lines and ask yourself which ones seem to work. I recently sent out a free ebook called 50 Great Marketing Tips and Techniques and the subject line was Mike Blaney’s 50 Great Marketing Tips and Techniques. Pretty catchy!

How about the ones you get from Facebook? John Smith sent you a message on Facebook... simple, but effective.

Scott Ginsberg sent me an email with the subject line 12 Ways to Get Your Emails Opened FIRST It caught my attention and I opened the email.

My ISP needed a new credit card expiry from me and sent an email with the subject line Hello - Important notice from ________. I found it friendly and informative and I knew it was important.

I recently signed up for a weekly travel email and the subject line was UNIGLOBE Geo Travel - Weekly Travel Specials - May 21, 2008. I recognized it as the email I had subscribed to and it was dated so I can tell which one is the most current.

Top 10 Subject Line Words

For B2C and B2B emails choosing the right words for your subject line is important. According to Karen Talavera president and founder of Synchronicity Marketing the Top 10 Power Words for a Subject Line are:

10. New - Appeals to our basic human curiosity to seek novelty.
9. Save - We all love a bargain.
8. Safety - Connotes reliability; appeals to basic human needs.
7. Proven - Justifies your claim, removes fear of the unknown.
6. Love - An all-time favorite.
5. Guarantee - If you have one, state it. It iron-clads your offer.
4. Immediate (Now, or Instant) - Instant gratification is the expectation online. If it can’t be found, completed, or received almost immediately, you’re offer is in the wrong channel.
3. Results - Provides rationalization for instant conversion.
2. You - Remember WIIFM? Your audience wants to hear about what’s in it for them, not you. Articulate your benefits in personal, conversational terms.

And the number one Power Word:

1. Free - Surprised? Probably not. Because this is the time-honored, most potent motivator in direct response, be particularly vigilant of overuse. Just a dash’ll do. Strive to optimize placement, and test if necessary.

Bottom line for the subject line; a good subject line is the fine line between being read and being deleted. Make every subject line compelling.

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Email Marketing Increasing in 2008

Datran Media recently released the results of its Second Annual Survey of over 2000 Online Marketing Professionals and the results prove email marketing is increasing in its importance in the marketing mix.

82 percent of the marketers surveyed indicated that they plan to increase their use of email marketing in
2008, and 55 percent of the respondents cite that they expect ROI from email to be higher than any other channel.

When asked what advertising media buys perform strongly for their company email was the number one performer. With multiple responses allowed the results were as follows:

Email - 80%
Display Ads - 37.6%
Search - 70.6%
Print - 16.5%
Broadcast - 10.6%
Cable - 7.1%
Mobile - 1.2%
RSS - 2.4%
Ad Network - 34.7%
uncertain - 8.2%

Source: Datran Media, January 2008

Of those who plan to employ email in their marketing, they expect:

80% to send newsletters
78.8% drive sales
67.1% will increase upsell or cross sell opportunities
50.6% will sent transactional messages
52.9% to reactivate dormant customers
70.6% plan to enhance customer relationships
64.7% expect to increase brand awareness or lift

Source: Datran Media, January 2008

Are you utilizing email in your marketing?
Have you taken the first step to stop sending boring, text emails in 2008 and start sending branded emails?

Check out my company inboxFX as the first step to improving the results of your email marketing. Email stationery with links to your website is one of the most effective branding tools available. The cost us only $ 150.00 per year and the cost per email is ridiculously low:

Sending 25 emails every work day (less 2 weeks for vacation) = 6,175 emails

Cost per email - 2-1/2 cents

For email newsletters have you tried:

iContact
Constant Contact
Groupmail
Swiftpage
JangoMail
Campaign Monitor

Give me, Mike Blaney a call at 800-568-8338 to discuss your email marketing needs.

If you enjoyed this article and don’t want to miss the next one click here to get my marketing posts by email as soon as they are published. You will be prompted for an email address and you are set to go.

Branded Email Stationery

No matter what business or industry you are in you most likely have a brand or image that you try to convey. Even the simplest brand costs money to develop and it is integral to your customers and prospects recognizing your value proposition among all of your competition.

(Picture suppled by Mike Wade. Real markings, just a little Adobe to remove the stuff you normally get on your shoes)

It follows that your brand is pervasive through all of your marketing; your website, business card, letterhead, invoices, brochures, advertising, yard signs, billboards and probably every other contact with prospects and customers. If you are like most businesses you probably even answer your phone with an element of your brand in the greeting.

I would bet your brand is a key factor in the growth of your business because it makes your business stand out from the competition and is part of what makes people trust doing business with you.

So let’s review. You use your brand:

1. When you mail something to a customer or prospect
2. When you place and ad in a publication
3. On your place of business
4. On your business card
5. When you answer the telephone

But what about when you email them? Studies show that email accounts for the highest percentage of contact with customers and prospects according to a Datamonitor/Dimension data study.

One hundred percent of workers surveyed for the Datamonitor/Dimension Data used email. The research surveyed 390 IT managers and 524 enterprise users across 13 countries within the United States, Asia Pacific and Europe, Middle East and Africa.

Fixed-line telephones were second to email with 80 percent of workers using it, after which came mobile phones (76 percent) and instant messaging (66 percent).

What percent of the time are you communicating with email versus paper? If you are like me you will probably estimate that 60 - 70% or more of the time you are communicating through email. Does this mean that you are only communicating your brand 30 - 40% of the time you contact customers and prospects? How much benefit would you derive from including your brand on each email you send every day?

Real Life Example of Branded versus Unbranded Emails

Realtors who belong to a Multiple Listing Service (MLS) can use the MLS to automatically send matching properties to buyers through a service called Auto-Notification. Typically an email will be sent to a buyer that looks like this:

Yes there is contact information across the bottom, but it will look like every other email the buyer receives from a Realtor.

The Alternative - Branded Email Stationery

If a Realtor uses branded email stationery from inboxFX.com they will send the same auto-notification, but enroute it will be branded and arrive like this. Completely branded with links to the Realtors websites directing the buyer to more information:

Branded email also helps build a relationship with your client. Which email would you respond to or better yet, which one will you remember?

Are you ready to start sending branded email stationery or are you gong to continue marketing with your brand 30% of the time?

If you are ready you can go to the inboxFX Contact Form and someone will contact you at your convenience or you can phone Mike Blaney at 800-568-8338 or email me at mikeb@inboxfx.com.

We can have you up and running the same day and the cost is between $ 49.00 and $ 199.00 depending on the type of stationery that would work best for you.

Our branded email stationery is unique in a number of ways:

1. It is the most reliable getting past spam filters.
2. Our branded email stationery is formatted to keep the file size small.
3. You can turn the stationery on and off.
4. It works from any Blackberry or handheld email device.
5. For Realtors it will work with auto-prospecting from any MLS.
6. We can duplicate your website banner and links if preferred.
7. You can have up to 5 links back to your website. (more if your banner is designed that way already)
8. You can easily change your contact information, links or picture.

It does not matter what business you are in, your brand is vital to your success and communicating it 100% of the time is what separates the successful businesses from the rest.

Top 6 Reasons to Use Email Stationery

As the co-founder of inboxFX Communications, a leading email stationery provider I am totally biased towards our product, but nonetheless I think it is important to keep sending the message that sending boring, plain text emails means you are missing out on a great marketing opportunity. The two images on the left are examples of a plain text and a professional email stationery template. There are many more examples at our website.

Here are 6 great reasons to invest $ 149* in your marketing.

1. Spread Your Branding - You wouldn’t send a letter on plain paper so why do you send an email as plain text? Email stationery communicates your brand values and corporate identity. Transform every email you send into an attractive marketing tool.

2. Wow Factor - Enhance the professional appearance of your company or service in every email and stand out from the competition.

3. Interactivity - Recipients can click on links to your website.

4. Results - By driving qualified visitors to the right page on your website you can create more sales opportunities. Offer readers one-click access to key pages of your website where they can take the next step towards doing business with you.

5. Easy To Use - Just type your email and hit Send and your emails are automatically branded.

6. Perception - Email stationery leaves the impression you are forward thinking, professional, understand technoology and are innovative. It differentiates you from the competition.

Perception is Reality

In advertising, perception is reality. Trying to attract new clients via bland, ordinary, text email, you are telling the recipient that you, too, are bland and ordinary. These text emails are considered the equivalent of junk mail, or “spamming” in Internet jargon.

The alternative is high-quality, full-color photo-enhanced email to create a perception of professionalism, success and cutting-edge technology. Your clients perceive the message as valuable information and consider themselves an important part of your business.

Imagine the impact branded email marketing would have on your business if you start sending hundreds or even thousands of personal email messages with no printing or postage costs.

* Click here to go to the inboxFX website and complete a short inquiry form and someone will contact you at your convenience.

If you enjoyed this article and don’t want to miss the next one click here to get my marketing posts by email as soon as they are published. You will be prompted for an email address and you are set to go.

Survey Shows Email is Top Digital Marketing Tool

More popular than search, display or online video.

In an article published in eMarketer, major marketers worldwide use email in their campaigns, according to The McKinsey Quarterly.

In a survey of 311 marketing executives, McKinsey found that 83% used email, ahead of display ads, paid search and online video.

McKinsey also asked about the future of online marketing. By 2010, respondents generally thought the Web would be part of the first two stages of the buyer decision-making process — product awareness and information gathering — for a majority of all consumers.

Over one-half of respondents said they planned to increase their email spending in the next three years, but plans to increase spending could mean that e-mail would lose some budget to paid search and other tactics.

Primer on Marketing Email versus SPAM Email?

What is “spam”? SPAM is defined as “unsolicited commercial email”. 

So how do you differentiate your marketing email from Spam? Simply by obtaining the consent of the recipient prior to delivery, you differentiate yourself from Spam and are considered to be  a marketing email.  While the lack of consent is a key difference, Spam email frequently does not reveal the identity of the marketer and does not provide the recipient with a means of responding to the email or unsubscribing.

The rules are different depending on which country you live in.  As of 2007, Canada has neither federal or provincial legislation regulating SPAM, but rather the rule of thumb for email marketers is to err on the side of caution when it comes to privacy and permission-based email.  There is plenty of ambiguity in the current laws in Canada about emailing with and without permission, but in Canada consumers and the press have no hesitation in publicizing the names of organizations they deem to be spammers, even when they have broken no laws.

This all changes if Canadians are emailing consumers in the US because there, email Spam is governed by the US CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 (Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act). 

Effective January 1, 2004, CAN-SPAM is the authoritative legislation in the US that governs all email whose primary purpose is advertising or promoting a commercial product or service, including content on a website.  A “transactional or relationship message” – email that facilitates an agreed-upon transaction or updates a customer in an existing business relationship – may not contain false or misleading routing information, but otherwise is exempt from most provisions of the CAN-SPAM Act.

• CAN-SPAM may be enforced by federal and state law enforcements and ISPs.
• Rules may apply to non US companies.
• Fines can be huge ($11,000 per email).

So what exactly are the requirements and restrictions under the US CAN-SPAM Act for commercial email?

1. No deceptive headers, misleading content & false return addresses.
2. Subject line which accurately reflects the content of the email.
3. “From” with the name of the advertiser.
4. Clearly identify the message as an advertisement or solicitation.
5. Cannot use harvested or algorithm based email addresses.
6. Valid return address or link to permit recipient to opt-out of future email solicitations from that sender.
7. Comply with opt-out requests within 10 business days of receipt & the email address or web page must be functional for 30 days after the mailing.
8. Include sender’s physical postal address.
9. Do not use email addresses harvested by automated means.

Australia

In 2003, Australia implemented their SPAM ACT 2003 which regulates commercial email as follows:

The main elements contained in the Bill are:

1. a prohibition on sending unsolicited commercial electronic messages which have an Australian link. The penalty provision is aimed at messages which are sent from Australia or from overseas to Australia;
2. a prohibition on sending commercial electronic messages which have an Australian link unless they include accurate information about the individual or organisation who authorised the sending of the message;
3. a prohibition on sending commercial electronic messages which have an Australia link unless they include a functional unsubscribe facility;
4. a prohibition on the supply, acquisition or use of address-harvesting software or a harvested-address list;
5. a civil sanctions regime. These prohibitions are civil penalty provisions, not criminal offences. Breach of a provision may attract a substantial monetary penalty.

UK

In 2003 the UK government implemented the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003.  In short it outlines marketers cannot send, or instigate the sending of, unsolicited marketing material by electronic mail to an individual subscriber unless the subscriber has previously notified them that they consent, for the time being, to receiving such communications. There is an exception to this rule which has been widely referred to as the ‘soft opt-in‘ (Regulation 22(2) refers).
• You must not allow your line to be used to breach Regulation 22(2) (Regulation 22(4) refers).
• Marketers cannot send, or instigate the sending of any marketing by electronic mail (whether solicited or unsolicited) to any subscriber(whether corporate or individual) where:
a) the identity of the sender has been disguised or concealed; or
b) a valid address to which you can send an opt-out request has not been provided (Regulation 23 refers).

Marketing With Your Email Signature

To use email effectively I recommend email stationery such as our service at inboxFX, (see link above too) but in addition, an email signature is almost as important. An email signature is the few lines of contact information that many people put at the bottom of every email. Sometimes these are sent automatically with each email and can be set up in your email program. Here is a good reference for setting up a signature in Outlook.

Nothing is more important in emailing than making it easy for people to contact you. Why send people to another program or a Rolodex when they can simply read it at the bottom of your email and pick up the phone? In addition you are missing a perfect opportunity to promote your business.

Mitch Wagner wrote an article in Information Week called “What Does Your Email Signature Say About You” which references a number of different studies and articles. His first observation was:

“Your e-mail signature reflects how powerful you are. If you were profiled on 60 Minutes, you don’t need no steenkin’ e-mail signature.

The primary purpose of an e-mail sig is to let people know who you are and how to contact you. If you’re really, really important, your e-mail recipients had better already know that.”

Mitch goes on to observe that “the longer your email signature the lower down the food chain you are” and gives the following example:

Some people put a whole novel in their sig:

1. Their full name, including “Jr.” or “Sr.”
2. Job title, which generally includes both the words “deputy” and assistant.
3. Street-mail address with mail stop.
4. Business phone number, with different versions for people dialing from the internal corporate PBX vs. people dialing from outside.
5. E-mail address. ‘Cuz it’s not like it’s in the “From:” line of every e-mail or anything.
6. And finish it off with an inspirational quote from Battlestar Galactica.

How and Why Should You Use an Email Signature?

There are two kinds of signatures in my opinion; informative and promotional. Everyone should have an informative signature that provides all of the necessary contact information like this:

name
title
company
address
phone
toll free phone
fax number
website url
email address

To make it a promotional email as suggested by Alexandria Brown you can add:

• an offer for a free report, sample or product you offer
• an offer for a free consultation or trial offer
• a company announcement (new client, new product, award won, etc.)
• a hyperlink to your latest press release, article, or Web site feature
• an invitation to subscribe to your free e-newsletter

Keep your email signature to 8 lines or less and tailor it to your client’s needs. If you are working with clients over email 90% of the time, a company address might not be as important. If you are sending a more personal email you might want to delete some of the information. I also recommend you change it frequently to freshen it up.

I send emails around the world and rarely meet with a client so I exclude mailing information, but want them to know where I am located. Here is what my signature looks like:

Mike Blaney
Marketing Guy
www.inboxfx.com for email stationery
www.mikeblaney.com for marketing ideas
North Vancouver, BC, Canada
604-618-5512 cell
800-568-8338 toll free
604-628-380 fax

Here is an example from Allison Nazarian, a copywriter:

Allison Nazarian
Get It In Writing, Inc.
Buy my new book: Copywriting 101 for Small Businesses, Entrepreneurs, Coaches & Consultants
p: 561.989.8555
w: www.GetItInWriting.biz
blog: http://www.getitinwriting.biz/blog/

Here is another example from a friend of mine who is in the automated compliance business:

J. Trum Van Middlesworth
Managing Director
Automated Compliance Solutions
(P) 781 270 6800, Ext 35
(C) 617 680 6064
trum@complianceacs.com
ACS: Automated Compliance for a Regulated World
Emagineering: Collaborative Program Management

Top 5 Reasons To Use Email Stationery

1. It makes your email stand out among the dozens your client is reading.
2. It conveys a more professional and updated image.
3. Drives traffic to your web site.
4. Captures the readers attention in the 5 - 8 seconds they spend reading your email.
5. Readers will spend more time reading your email.
6. BONUS REASON if you are a Realtor - all of your emails from your MLS will be sent branded.

Click on the images below for larger version of 3 simples samples:

 

 

 

 

Conflict of Interest Alert!

If you have been reading this blog in the past you know I have a vested interest in email stationery through inboxFX Communications Inc (click on link above for more information).

That disclosure out of the way, the reason I went into the email stationery business in the first place was to fill the marketing and branding void that has been created by email and I feel strongly that businesses are missing a great opportunity to reinforce their brand with every email.

We brand our letterhead, business cards, web site, brochures, invoices, memo pads and even pens, but when we use the most common form of communication with our clients and prospects we send plain, ugly, text email. While this seems to be acceptable it doesn’t make it right! Can you guess which email is the ugly one?

Now that you are interested in achieving the Top 5 Goals the process is simple:

Call me - Mike Blaney at 800-568-8338 or email me at mikeb@inboxfx.com or go to the inboxFX web site and complete the simple inquiry form.

If you are just curious email me and I will email you back my own stationery which gets me a lot of compliments or got to the inboxFX web site.

The cost ranges from $ 49.00 to $ 199.00 per year depending on the complexity of the stationery, the set up required and the number of users. If you mention you read it here before August 15th I will waive the $ 50.00 set-up fee.

How does it work?

• We custom design your stationery usually using your web site as a starting point
• Send you a sample the same day
• Work with you to make it reflect your branding perfectly
• Get you up and running over the phone.
• Provide support for the year.
• Give you your money back if you are not completely satisfied
• Pay you $ 25.00 every time you send us a referral.

The whole process can take less than day.

Email Newsletter Usability

The Nielsen Norman Group has published a study on Email Newsletter Usability that sheds some light on the effectiveness of this marketing strategy.

Their findings were interesting and highlighted the importance of both design and an effective subscription management service. The study also confirmed that newsletters have a social impact as they are often forwarded to friends, family and colleagues.

If you are in this business this is probably a report worth purchasing, but as a user I have paraphrased the findings from the Executive Summary.

Following are some of the highlights:

“69% of the users indicated they looked forward to receiving a particular newsletter.”

“Users have highly emotional reactions to newsletters. This is in strong contrast to studies of website usability, where users are usually much more oriented towards functionality. Even a website that you visit daily will feel like a tool where you simply want to get in and get out.”

“The positive emotional aspect of newsletters is that they can create much more of a bond between user and company than a website can. The negative aspect is that usability problems have much stronger impact on the customer relationship than they normally do.”

“Users spend 51 seconds reading the average newsletter. The layout and writing both need superb usability to survive in the high-pressure environment of a crowded inbox.”

“Averaged across the study, newsletters lost 19% of potential subscribers due to usability difficulties in their subscription processes and designs. People often stay subscribed to newsletters they don’t want (cursing the sender with every new issue that clutters their inbox), so the unsubscribe process is also worth improving.”

“Newsletters need to be smooth and easy: they must be seen to reduce the burdens of modern life. Even if free, the cost in e-mail clutter must be paid for by being helpful and relevant to users - and by communicating these benefits in a few characters in the subject line.”

The study also explored why people who were frustrated by the Unsubscribe process continued to receive the newsletter. I can personally attest to this as I continue to receive newsletter that I do not read, but every time I try to unsubscribe I end up spending too much time trying to get through the process.

The four main reasons people didn’t attempt to unsubscribe were:

1. Emotional attachment to the newsletter: Users said that it didn’t feel good to sever the relationship, even when they no longer read the mailings.
2. Low expectations for the website’s usability: People assumed that it would be difficult and time-consuming to unsubscribe, so they postponed the job for another day and simply deleted the newsletter’s current issue.
3. Fear that unsubscribing would fail and would subject the user to even more mail: Many people have heard that asking to get off spam lists only confirms the validity of their email address to the spammers; this notion has become an urban legend that contaminates users’ mental model of legitimate newsletter publishers as well.
4. Easier options: It’s often easier to simply use a spam-blocking feature to stop future issues than it is to unsubscribe.

Competing For Readers Time
Users are getting more selective about which newsletters they’ll read. According to the study some are cutting back on the number of newsletters they receive. These users view newsletters as being in direct competition with each other for a limited number of slots in the inbox. Users will unsubscribe from a newsletter or stop reading it—even if it’s good—if they come across a different one on the same topic that better serves their needs.

This study also revealed that users spent an average of 51 seconds on each of the newsletters they read from their own inbox. Users spent an additional 33 seconds on information found by pursuing newsletter links to websites.

How Do People Read Newsletter? (Click on image for larger view)

Eyetracking heatmaps showing how many users read each part of two newsletters. The areas where users looked the most are colored red; the yellow areas indicate fewer views, followed by the least-viewed blue areas.