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retailers: catchy subject lines for e-marketing

November 10, 2009

i’m sure many retailers out there send out communication via e-newsletters – it’s inexpensive, easy, and aligned with the current mode of communication.

but how do you stand out from a sea of subject lines invading everyones email inbox on a daily basis? the key is to be catchy, relevant and specific. You only have a couple of words to convey your message – so don’t waste them being vague or stating the obvious (like your name – which should be apparent right next door – at the “from” column).

Vertical Response put out a great list of the top 50 Great Subject Lines - read them all to get inspired – but here are a few of my personal favorites from the list:

- Online only: 25% off for friends and family

i like that the offer feels special (for friends and family), it provides a nice discount and it’s only available online (which means you’d want to open and click the link!).

- Top 10 under $10

This is an easy one. you know you’ll see 10 items for less than $10? that fits in everyone’s budget! you’d want to at least take a peek and see what was on the list….

- Take your pick: Our 9 favorite dresses

this one intrigues – makes you want to know what the favorite dresses are. and the call to action is to pick one of them! simple, direct and catchy.

i’d love to hear from you about great email subject lines!

test drive – email newsletters Part I: Vertical Response

July 9, 2009

e-news is the way to deliver news, in my opinion. not only is it an environmentally friendly option to relay info to your clientele – but it’s very cost effective and easy too.

there are TONS of companies that offer e-news services – so i’m planning to do a trial of a few of the most popular and report back on my findings. first up – my alma mater of e-newsletters from the ooma days: Vertical Response.

here are some things i like about Vertical Response:

Super easy to use! they offer several ways to use it depending on your HTML skills. i chose the template version (but would always simple border with my logo)
Color-match: you can use a dropper to choose a color from your logo so your border will match perfectly.
Pay as you go! i prefer to pay for what i use instead of monthly fees (though they do offer a fee-based option if your email list is large enough). The fees are affordable: up to a 1000 emails is .15/email ($15 for a 1,000). then the price goes down to .13/email for 1,001 – 2500, etc. I’d buy in bulk and then you’ll get the lowest cost for several months worth of enews.
Simple reports: the reports are easy to read, graphic format that show quickly and easily how many people read your email (and exactly who!), who unsubsrcibed, who bounced, etc.

example report

you may ask: why not just send an email from my account? well – i have a few reasons why i prefer using a service:

you don’t have to deal with unsubscribes and bounced emails (and when your list gets into the thousands – you really don’t want your email box junked up with this!)
the templates provide a professionally designed look – an opportunity to extend your brand
the reports can guage what links people click on, etc – so you can test various offers if you choose.

vr_example

mainly – it just makes it easier and the cost is so little (as long as you don’t bombard people with emails – which i don’t think is a good idea anyway!).

i have a few more companies up my sleeve – would like to know if you have any recommendations! THANKS

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