creating your marketing subject lines and from names

Transcription

1 creating your marketing subject lines and from names

2 subject lines The subject line of an is one of the first things a recipient sees in her inbox. And she s likely to make a snap judgment based on that line about whether to open, ignore, delete or ack! mark as spam. Not every subject line needs to be Pulitzer Prize-worthy, but there sure is power in a subject line that s magnetic. Let s face it, if you can get a subscriber to open your , you re doing a good job, but if you can get her to stop what she s doing and open your immediately, you re winning! subject lines are a form of headline. They perform the same function as a headline by attracting attention and getting your content a chance to be read. Brian Clark, Copyblogger Do subject lines matter? The short answer is yes. The somewhat longer answer is, HELL YEAH. Waldow Social Subject Lines Typically Perform One of the Following Actions: Educate: 7 things content marketers can learn from fiction writers. Ask a question: Did you miss this? Announce a sale or new product: Save up to 50%: Our semi-annual sale starts today. Offer a solution to a problem: Pay down your loan. Jump on a popular topic: The state of the Facebook newsfeed: What s working now? 2

3 subject lines How Long Should Subject Lines Be? While some marketers argue that subject lines should be short (30-50 characters long), shorter is not always better. According to a study by Alchemy Worx, a UK-based marketing agency, longer subject lines actually have higher click-to-open rates. Companies for which marketing is everything, such as Groupon, sometimes experiment with extremes when it comes to subject line length. Groupon often sends s with very long subject lines, such as this one, which is 42 words! Subject: One Oil Change, Three Oil Changes with Inspections, or a Four-Wheel Alignment (Up to 78% Off) 10 or 20 Gym Passes (Up to 69% Off) Salon Package with Cut, Style, and Two-Color Highlights; Shellac Manicure; or Acrylic Nails (Up to 51% Off) As well as very short ones, such as this: 28.5% 22.6% Subject: Wine 18.8% 13.5% 15% 15.9% Shorter subject lines make sense if you fear your recipients won t read the entire thing. This is a genuine concern, especially when subscribers read on mobile devices, where your message can get butchered or shortened. Consider what could happen if this subject line got cut off after, say, 26 characters: Subject: Get up to 70% off children s fashion That s right, you d end up with this, a possible public relations nightmare: Subject: Get up to 70% off children... 3

4 subject lines When to Break the Subject Line Rules There are a lot of always do this; never do that rules surrounding the intricate science of marketing subject lines. Consider breaking the rules occasionally to see what works best for you and your audience. Of course, to break the rules, you first have to know what they are. Here are some of the top bossy tips we ve heard (and rolled our eyes at): Rule: Never use the word free. This is no longer a sure-sign of deliverability problems; search your own inbox for companies using the word and you ll see that a good reputation dominates. Plus, FREE is a very powerful motivator for action. Vermont-based flour and baking resource company King Arthur Flour ran an A B subject line test: In A the subject line was Ends Thursday: FREE SHIPPING; in B, a more creative subject line was used (Hawaiian Pizza the secret s in the crust). While B resulted in a higher open rate, A had a nearly 400% higher conversion revenue. Rule: NEVER USE ALL CAPS. Wrong again. Look in your inbox right now. Chances are pretty high that there are many legitimate s from well-known brands that include all-caps subject lines. As long as you ve tested this style to confirm your audience responds positively, go ahead and use it. Emphasize value. The subject line is the first thing an marketer should focus on crafting, not the last thing dashed off just before the campaign goes out the door. Assuming the sender s reputation is solid and their is getting delivered, the subject line is the one thing everyone s going to see. Ken Magill President of the Magill Report inbox searching for s using Free in subject. Note this is not a junk folder. 4

5 the from name Trust, trust, trust. We can t make this point enough: Your goal as a marketer should be to earn enough trust from your subscribers that they are willing to open your s. Along with the subject line, the sender name or From name is a critical factor in a subscriber s decision to open versus delete your . If a subscriber doesn t recognize you or doesn t trust you, he s far less likely to open your , and he might even mark it as spam. Shudder! There are many different ways to set up your From name. Here are some options: Company or Brand Name: Apple, Travelocity, and The Gap, for example. Product or Service: Mileage Plus is sometimes used by United Airlines as a From name. Personal Name: Use the name of a specific employee at your company (e.g., the sales executive that owns the account). With a Phone Number: Include an office or mobile phone number so your customers can contact you easily after reading your John Smith Campaign-based: Marketo sometimes sends nurturing s from Marketo Nurturing or Marketo Events so subscribers know exactly what to expect before opening. Gimmicky: Celebrity names or names of those famous within your industry. Some companies use a combination of From-name tactics. MarketingProfs, for example, is known for mixing and matching various styles: Jen Kelly - MProfs Partn. MarketingProfs MarketingProfs Today Sharon, MarketingProfs Kathy Bushman, Marketing. MarketingProfs Events Te. Corey O Loughlin, Market. Ann Handley, MarketingPr. MarketingProfs: Ne. Note: These are actual from names and subject lines from real s we ve received! Can you guess who the sender is? Tweet us! #DG2EEM 5

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