KISS: Email Marketing Tip # 6

Today's topic is KISS: Write. Edit. Repeat. Drafting an e-newsleter is a process. So, step away from the computer. Come back later to re-read and write again. It's the only way to make sure you're using compelling, concise copy. And since most recipients spend a less than a minute on each email, we’re here to give you Keep It Sweet and Simple tips that will keep their eyes glued to the inbox.

In the body:
Try using a 0-1 point system for words. (I learned this technique a long time ago, from my high school AP English teacher.) Assign words like "which" and "that" zero points and words that matter one point. Eliminate as many zero-words as possible.

In the subject:
Subject lines should be 50 characters or less. The average word has seven characters. And you have to clearly convey the email content in just seven words. Writing subject lines is both an art and a science. Choose your words wisely. Then, readers will know what to expect, get excited about reading your email, and actually open it. To do a subject line right, you’ve got to write, edit and repeat.

In copywriting:
Use nickel and dime words, not quarter words. Your email should use familiar language. And big words don’t impress anyone but bimolecular physicists and aerospace engineers. So check your copy with KISS Tip # 6 and swap the big words with simple words. For example: A nickel word for "consequently" is "so". And "utilize" is "use".

Catching mistakes isn't always easy and spell-check is not enough. Consider testing the email to your peers for a spelling and grammar check before it's sent live.

Welcome to the Hotel California

Last thing I remember, I was
Running for the door
I had to find the passage back
To the place I was before
relax, said the night man,
We are programmed to receive.
You can checkout any time you like,
But you can never leave!

The Eagles, 1976

When subscribers opt-out of your message, legally, you must stop messaging to them.

According to the Federal Trade Commission, It is a requirement of The CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 that:

Your email give recipients an opt-out method. You must provide a return email address or another Internet-based response mechanism that allows a recipient to ask you not to send future email messages to that email address, and you must honor the requests. You may create a "menu" of choices to allow a recipient to opt out of certain types of messages, but you must include the option to end any commercial messages from the sender.

Any opt-out mechanism you offer must be able to process opt-out requests for at least 30 days after you send your commercial email. When you receive an opt-out request, the law gives you 10 business days to stop sending email to the requestor's email address. You cannot help another entity send email to that address, or have another entity send email on your behalf to that address.

Last year, in the course of research (unrelated to opt-outs) for a client, I subscribed to an email that was industry specific so I could better understand this type of communication to industry insiders.

On November 2, 2006 I opted-out of email communication from this company. Yesterday morning, I opted-out again for the seventh time.

The opt-out method for this company is an email process in which I send them an email with "Unsubscribe" in the subject line. The email address appears to be specific for this purpose. It begins with "unsub".

This isn't my preferred method of unsubscribing. It leaves too much room for human error, however after seven attempts; you would think that someone would make sure that I was opted-out.

Automated Opt-out mechanisms that are a part of most major ESPs are more effective because it removes the human error factor.

The fines for reported offenses such as these can be as much as $11,000 per offense. It's imperative that when someone opts-out, they are truly removed and will not receive another message from the brand.

Mistakes like these create a bad name for legitimate email marketers.

Live Mail's Unsubscribe Button

Recently Microsoft has had the reputation to be a little hit-and-miss. Whether it’s with their excessive security checks when browsing with IE7, the thoroughly disappointing Outlook ’07 package or their lack of CSS support with Live Mail. But Live Mail isn’t all that bad… In actuality, there are a few features that are fairly exceptional, especially for all email marketers across the board. Case in point: the implementation of an “Unsubscribe” button.

The new unsubscribe button displays in place of a report spam button, but only if the user’s preferences are set up correctly. Instructions on how to set up the unsubscribe button can be found here.

When the button is clicked, it will take the user to a landing page, created by the marketer where they can determine what email they want to opt-out from.

This will certainly help all email marketers’ deliverability rates. Without a report spam button, users won’t be prone to mistakenly report an email (that they opted-in to receive, mind you) as spam and the sender's IP address will be less likely to be blacklisted.

This is one of the better features Microsoft has incorporated to any of their products in a long, long time. Kudos Microsoft, you’re on the right path toward redemption.

Announcing A Sale Through Email

I love to shop online. There is something absolutely magical about being able to buy jeans at 2:00 AM if I so desire. OK, who are we kidding, in the past year, I can count on one hand how many times I’ve been awake at 2:00 AM, and I’ve never actually purchased jeans or any other article of clothing at that time, but I could if I wanted to...

I am familiar enough with my favorite brands that sizing is no longer an issue. Most online stores have a return policy that allows brick and mortar store returns, which is brilliant, because while I'm at the store to return an item, there is a strong probability that I will make an additional purchase. If my only option is returning through the mail, the only additional purchase I may make is a book of stamps at the post office.

There are several things I like about shopping online:

It's quick. I don’t have to hassle with searching through a store to find what I want – Skirts? Click here. Tops? Click there. View them all on one page? another click. It's just that simple. The images are so important to the sale. If I can't see it, I'm not going to buy it.


As you can imagine, when my usual online haunts are having a sale, I want to know about it. As much as I love to shop, I am equally as frugal. I was surprised by an email I received from lucy. All email messages they have sent me in the past have had some representation of their clothing, whether it was sweaters or exercise wear, a seed was planted as to what I can expect to find when I clicked-through.

While I was intrigued by only the top half of the word "clearance" appearing in my preview pane – showing half an image or word is almost a sure-fire way to get your subscribers to scroll down because their mind needs to see the word or image in it's entirety – There were no images of clothing to get me exited and to drive my click-through.

Amazingly enough, an hour and half later, I received an almost identical message from J.Crew. In this case other than the header, the only other information I could see in the preview pane were the words (an image) "J. Crew Spring Sale"


That was enough to get me to scroll down. A sale will win me nearly every time. I was almost as surprised as I had been with the lucy email. No images of what was on sale. Not even any description. More words and too many clicks to get to the clothes.

The first click led me to the sale page which prompted me to click by size and gender, I go to another page to select the type of clothing I'm shopping for. And then, I can see the pictures of the clothes. On a quick informal click-through of the dresses, with only a few exceptions the dresses were the same regardless of size. That extra click could cost some sales.

These email messages are clean and colorful. They make the point that there is a sale. The only way to find out what it is, is to click (and click and click) through.

Address Book Instructions For Your New Recipients

When a user signs up for your mailing list, they should be advised to add your email address to their contact list or ‘white list’. But you can’t just assume they know the ins and outs of their email client - especially their understanding on how to add contacts to their address book. So if you want to play it safe and cover all of your bases, give them a tutorial (screenshots and all) for every email client. It’s usually a two to three step process that’ll only take the user less than a minute to complete.

Little things like this will benefit all parties involved. It will increase the email marketer’s deliverability rate, your client’s ROI and the recipient’s overall experience and impression of the company / email campaign.

KISS: Email Marketing Tip # 5

Today's topic is KISS: Snail-mail in the Email. (And with this tip, we're Keeping It Sweet and Smart.) Every piece of email marketing should include the physical address. Not only is it beneficial to include your snail-mail address, but it's a legal requirement that is occasionally forgotten. The Federal Trade Commission's CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 “requires that commercial email be identified as an advertisement and include the sender's valid physical postal address.”

Don't forget to include the address in the footer of the email and you'll keep your friends at the FTC happy.

Another Chance

I wanted to unsubscribe to the MyCokeRewards.com e-Newsletter, so I followed the appropriate link provided in the email:



Clicking on unsubscribe redirected me to a page with my email address to be removed from the list--nothing an email marketer hasn't seen or done before--but Coca Cola gave me another chance to update my email address:



Using bolded font took the focus off the unsubscribed part, and put emphasis on updating my email preferences. This is a nice touch, in case the reader doesn’t intend on unsubscribing altogether. They may have just missed the Update Your Profile link in the email.

CSS in the Year 2007

The fine folks at Campaign Monitor just recently published their “Guide to CSS Support in Email: 2007 Edition”. Since their last CSS wrap up, a lot has changed – unfortunately in the wrong direction – mostly having to do with Outlook 2007’s refusal to incorporate IE’s HTML rendering engine, instead opting for Word’s mediocre engine.

It isn’t all bad news though. Yahoo!, the leading web-based email client, just released their new interface, which has the most CSS compliance than any of the other competing web-clients such as Gmail and the new Window’s Live Mail service. Lets just hope that the majority of the existing users will adopt the new interface.

They conclude that table-based email designs with inline styles are a sure-fire way to ensure that your emails render correctly for both B2B and B2C purposes.

They wrap up their study quite nicely with this easy-to-reference chart in .pdf format that you can find right here.

Running an Email Campaign

Brooks does a nice job with their e-newsletter, The Loop. It arrives mid-month and generally contains new product information and promotions aimed at driving subscribers to a retail store.

The past two months The Loop has promoted the new MoGo running shoe. This month's message contained three videos that "celebrate the joy the revolutionary MoGo midsoles brings to runners everywhere."

The videos are entertaining and subscribers have the option to vote on their favorite video with the winner being announced in next month's newsletter.

This email from Brooks comes on the heels of the launch of Reebok's "Run at the Speed of Chat" campaign. Brooks is known for their running shoes, Reebok, not so much.

Sure, Reebok is a recognized brand, basketball shoes, apparel, those funky high-top aerobic shoes from the eighties. To date, Reebok has not been a big player in the running shoe world. With their new campaign, it looks like they are working to change that.

Reebok has posted their 60 second and 30 second commercials on their website as well as on YouTube. There is also an email component that we are looking forward to seeing.

Could Brooks already be feeling a nudge from the more recognized brand? The Reebok videos target the casual runner. The Brooks videos target the more serious runner who is looking to get more out their runs.

Will Reebok go head to head with Brooks in the email department? We'll tell you all about it when we receive our first message.

Windows Live Hotmail Unveiling Next Month

Expect Windows Live, the predecessor of Hotmail, to arrive sometime next month in the US. Other markets such as India and Belgium will be seeing its arrival as soon as next week. Microsoft has been tight-lipped about any specific details of its new email service, but one thing made apparent is that it will offer several enhancements over the current UI and it’s back-end development utilizing AJAX. The UI is very similar to that of Outlook, Microsoft's other email offering. The Dutch have already gotten a taste of it’s capabilities including the option to switch to a “@live.nl” address. Live.com addresses have been offered everywhere since June, although without the new accompanying interface.

Window’s new email provider is leaps and bounds beyond Hotmail as far as rendering CSS goes… but that’s not really saying much, now is it? Windows Live does not support margin, yet padding renders fine. Backgrounds instances? Kiss ‘em goodbye. One cool feature they’re implementing is image caching. Once you open an email, the images are stored in a local-app. directory. This will produce more accurate open rates for email marketers across the board.

A Passion for Email Marketing

Today marks the 111th running of the Boston Marathon. The nearly 24,000 participants did not decide yesterday that they were going to get up today and run 26.2 miles. There is a great deal of preparation and training involved for an event such as a marathon. In the case of Boston, there is also a qualifying time that must be met. Without a previous race time that meets the requirement, you just can’t do it.

It's safe to say that these athletes have passion. Or why would they bother?

A few weeks ago, Bill McCloskey wrote an article about the lack of passion from email marketers.

Much like the runners in Boston today, email marketers have had to train hard. And while email marketing may not require a twenty mile long run three weeks before a campaign launch, it does require planning and preparation. McCloskey says in his article "…it is rocket science. There is a lot to know, technically, creatively and intellectually."

Without training, the door is open for senseless mistakes. Email marketing campaigns require more thought than simply pressing the send button. Without any passion it's easy to miss out on the points that make an email campaign successful. And as the marathon finishers should be proud of their accomplishment today, email marketers should take pride in their field and have the passion to make it better.

McCloskey writes "There is quite a distinct void of truly passionate, let's move-the-bar forward, kind of people in our industry."

Email marketers should be dedicated and we need to believe that what we do is a good thing. And why? Because email marketing is a good thing.

Email's Face Gets Some Web 2.0-Style Plastic Surgery

In this world of Web 2.0, filled with social networking sites, RSS feeds and blogs galore, email’s role is a little blurry… which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Email and messaging in general is booming right now. Businesses and consumers alike both still embrace email as one of their sole means of communication. Emails, text messaging and IM are continually being lumped together. Take the Sidekick for example: the use of each messaging option is rolled into one device… the same goes for the Blackberry.

Myspace is more or less email on steroids. It’s more engaging than standard email because you can see pictures of the people, bands and comedians that you’re messaging.

Then there’s twitter, which consists of strangers and friends having global conversations with one another via messaging.

Even with flickr you can message your friends back and forth with new photos and such.

As far as I can tell, email hasn’t changed since its inception… it’s just changed faces. And who knows what the future holds for email and messaging. It's an exciting thought, isn't it?

Narrow it Down With Preferences

Last summer I had an issue with a half gallon of Cookies and Cream Ice Cream I purchased. It seems that there was a lot of cream and virtually no cookies. I went online to let the company know. I found that this brand was a part of the Unilever Family.

I located a section to tell them about product concerns and I let them know about the problem. A few days later I received an apology letter and a coupon for a free half gallon of ice cream. That was a nice touch and I would think that sending apology product coupons is a consistent process when necessary for them.

The Unilever email marketing campaigns, with one exception, are not as consistent.

Could it be difficult to nail down an email strategy when your company produces a wide array of products from mayonnaise to laundry soap? It depends on how you manage it. And I would think it would be easier to segment your list when you offer a little of everything.

When gathering my contact information, in the small print the following statement appeared:

Helping you with your everyday needs is important to us. Therefore, from time to time, we may wish to send you information, samples or special offers that we feel may be of interest to you regarding Good Humor-Bryers, or other complementary brands from Unilever or other carefully selected companies. If you would rather not receive such information and offers, please check the appropriate box below…

The "Yes" box was already checked. In fairness to Unilever in addition to the standard "Yes" and "No" boxes there was an additional choice to only receive offers and information from Good Humor-Bryers. Of course the curiosity was killing me. If I left the "Yes" box checked, what would I receive?

Since last summer I have received some email messages. Not as many as one would think, and the randomness behind it, I can’t quite figure out.

I have gotten pretty consistent messages for one of their bath soap brands. And I’m fine with that. As it turns out, I use the brand anyway. And the consistancy shows someone is thinking about the brand.

However, I am puzzled by the random messages I have received from their other brands. One of the first Unilever emails I received was for their diet product line – should I take that as a hint? Remember, I registered on an ice cream site. –It's also interesting to note that I'm a long distance runner, I'm careful about what I eat and I'm not remotely interested in this product line. But Unilever wouldn't know that because they never bothered to ask me.

I have received messages for other Unilever products as well. It always leaves me scratching my head, wondering why I got a particular email until I scroll down and see that the message was sent by Unilever.

Unilever is doing themselves and their customers a disservice. Because their product line is so varied, why not ask people what they're interested in? And once you find out what people are interested in, send them messages based their preferences. Yes, I'm interested in spaghetti sauce, but I really don't care about fabric softener.

Pairing preferences with consistency is great way to engage your subscribers. Random messages about random products equate to more opt-outs.

Side note: I have never received any messaging from them about ice cream. With summer right around the corner, I wonder if that will change.

Plan Ahead to Set Expectations

When you’re planning your email marketing campaign and considering your sending frequency an editorial calendar should be a part of your plan.

This is especially important if you are working with outside resources for content. It helps keep everyone in line and it sets expectations for your project team.

By keeping to your schedule, you are also setting expectations for your subscribers. If you determine your campaign requires a weekly email message, be sure you can maintain the pace and then send a message every week.

After several weeks, you have undoubtedly built up a good momentum and your subscribers are now in the habit of expecting your messages on certain day, if not at a specific time.

By planning ahead you can not only avoid a scramble, but also, keep both your project team and subscribers happy.

The Tactical Send :: Don't Rush It

Once you have verified that your message has met the basic quality assurance guidelines, you are probably pretty confident that you are ready to send your message to your subscriber list. While you may be anxious to get the message out the door, slow down and review the final steps to ensure there aren't any errors in the sending process. Unlike most other interactive projects, there are generally no take-backs once your message has been sent.

Even after a rigorous quality control process, review your subject line one last time. Make sure that it reads how it was intended and that every word is spelled correctly.

You should know roughly about how many people are on the subscriber list you are sending to. If you are expecting to send your message to 20,000 subscribers and your sending confirmation screen shows your message will be sent to 100,000 subscribers, chances are you have the wrong groups selected and you should not proceed until you verify or reselect your groups.

When performing A/B testing take special precaution in selecting your subscriber lists. You want to be certain that each group is only receiving one message instead of the multiple message fiascos I'm sure we all have encountered from a subscriber perspective.

And finally, don't ever become over-confident when sending an email message. Rushing through the tactical steps of sending your message is a sure-fire recipe for a mistake. Don't wait for a mistake to humble you. Slowing down and checking each step as you go will help ensure a successful error-free send.

Seamless Email Marketing

As parents often do, I asked my kids the other day what they wanted to be when they grew up. My son said he wants to be a professional tennis player, my daughter said she wants to be on American Idol – That's very exciting stuff to a five year old…

I wasn't offended that neither of them wanted to follow in my footsteps and become an email marketer. The best email marketing plan should be seamless enough that the target audience can't put their finger on it. There shouldn't any thought by subscribers about how a message just for them made it to their inbox. Other than email marketing peers, your subscribers shouldn’t be saying, "Now, that's one fine email campaign."

A recent post by our friends at The Email Wars shows a great example of seamless email marketing. Asking for preferences after the fact is a great way to segment your lists, or ensure you are capturing the correct preferences of your subscribers, because sometimes things change.

Another example is the registration process for email communication from Old Navy. By asking subscribers up front what they are interested is important so you know you are sending the right messages to your subscribers. When I registered, I selected the 'Women', 'Men', 'Boys' and 'Girls' categories. - Yes, my family is like a walking Old Navy commerical. Old Navy would waste a lot of time and effort sending me messages about teenagers' and babies' clothing - I have no need for it, and by not checking those boxes, I told them that.

The message I received this morning was directly related to the choices I made at registration. And while I am cognizant of the reason I received a message touting the latest in little girls' styles, the other moms who have subscribed to this Old Navy Email Campaign should only be thinking about how stylish their future American Idol is going to look this spring.

Making Changes? Toot Your Own Horn

I have been critical of the Scotts Company email marketing efforts in the past , and while I would like to believe they are avid Email Marketing Voodoo Blog readers, took our criticism to heart and decided to change their emailing ways, it is more likely that they analyzed the responses to the survey they sent on January 29th.

The Email I received today introduces their new look. I received the newsletter with the new look and feel on March 22nd and quickly glanced over it. The messages have been historically infrequent enough that I couldn’t have told you there was a change until I received another email today announcing it.

What I liked about today's message, it not only included a sample of the message, but also what has changed, as well as what I can expect down the road.

This included:

More Personalization

Send the Emails More Often

More Product Information

Secrets to a Great Lawn

Another aspect of this message was a survey at the bottom. I think they should have held out a few months. Their subscribers just took a survey in January.

Overall, I think it’s a great idea to not only roll out a new look and feel when it's appropriate, but to also let your subscribers know what you did and why.

Nice job Scotts!

Shameless Plug: Vote For Us for The Blogger's Choice Awards

Email Marketing Voodoo has been nominated for a Blogger's Choice Award in the Best Marketing Blog Category.

The Email Marketing crew couldn’t be more excited and we hope you feel the same.

Click here to check it out and vote.

Happy Birthday to You

We have talked in the past about collecting additional information about subscribers in your email marketing campaign.

Using this information to segment your list for a more personalized message is key to engaging your subscribers.

While you are asking for information about your subscribers, consider asking for their birthday. The month and the day is plenty of information, unless you have a specific reason to ask for the birth year, it's really not necessary.


Sending birthday greetings and even including a small incentive allows you an additional opportunity to touch your subscribers and endear your brand to them even more.

Sometimes it’s the little things that mean the world to people. It keeps them coming back for more. And equally important, they'll tell their friends about it.

KISS: Email Marketing Tip # 4

Today's topic is KISS: Segmentation = Success. In a world of CEOs and agents, punk rockers and hip-hoppers, couch potatoes and health nuts, all recipients are not created equal. If your email marketing is not segmented, how will you successfully reach anyone?

Paul Briggs, Travelocity's Director of Customer Loyalty and Marketing, has seen his daily email program go from 3 million names to highly segmented messages of no more than 60,000 names. "We had to work on deal-finding strategies for our customers... Twenty dollars on a domestic trip might be interesting to some, but it's not going to be if you are traveling to London."

Define each segment as a group of unique individuals who share common interests. Then find out what subscribers want, and give it to them. Run subject line tests. Craft the copy carefully. And recipients won't ask, "Why did I get this email?" Follow this KISS tip and your email will serve as an experience that creates loyalty.

Simple Surveys :: Straight From the Inbox

To find readership trends, many email marketers use an intense evaluation process, measuring success by tracking open rates, click-through rates and more. But a recent email issued by Mars for the M&Ms brand included a rating scale right in the body of the message. Check it out:

Email Marketing professionals know that polls and surveys in email can often cause rendering issues, with the result being broken ugly messages - Not the results you're after. But Mars proved its genius for finding the email survey loophole: Each number on the ranking scale is its own separate link. Of course, this allows for the possibility for multiple clicks that could affect the accuracy of results. But this unscientific survey still collects valuable data – a finger on the pulse of opinions right from the inbox.

Mars has a brilliant idea. But by taking it a step further, they could have a segmentation goldmine. Those who were uninterested in the newsletter can be singled out into one group, and those who loved it in another. Allowing for more individualized upcoming messages. There is a world of messaging potential straight from this simple survey.