Lauren Tympel says, “A/B-testing your marketing emails can be a profitable game-changer. In fact, there is no better way to determine the impact a design, copy, or scheduling change can have on the success of your email campaigns. But if you’re unfamiliar with A/B testing or you’re just getting started, it can be an overwhelming project to take on. Here’s a list of do’s and don’ts to steer you in the right direction. 1. Do run tests that have recurring benefits If you’ve done your research, you know you can test a myriad of variables in your emails. And... [...]

Lisa Furgison says, “Many businesses rely on email newsletters to build customer relationships and keep their business top of mind with their audience. This powerful email tool has a lot of benefits, which is why small businesses like The Boxing Club work to ensure their newsletter design is visually appealing. “I think the most important aspect of a newsletter is that it’s visual and engaging,” says Cassandra Velez with The Boxing Club. The fitness club in San Diego sends a monthly newsletter to current and prospective members. With the help of Velez, we’ve created a list of six actionable... [...]

Neil Patel says, “I rave about email marketing all the time. But I need to shoot straight with you about email marketing lest you think it’s some holy grail of marketing. Your emails are useless unless they actually make it to the user’s inbox. Let me state that another way so you don’t miss it. If your emails aren’t getting delivered, then email marketing is a massive waste of time and money. You’ve probably read all the tips about subject lines, open rates, engaging content, powerful CTAs, and strategic email landing pages. But let’s take a big step back and look at the picture... [...]

Ayaz Nanji says, “Consumers’ top complaint with mobile email is that they get too many messages, according to a recent report from Liveclicker and the Relevancy Group. The survey of more than 1,000 US consumers found 44% say they receive too many emails on their smartphones and 37% say many of the messages they receive are irrelevant. Other top complaints with emails received on smartphones include the following: Messages are too small to read and interact with (32% don’t like); difficulty seeing full websites on devices after clicking through (26%); and messages are often jumbled/not... [...]

VerticalResponse team says, “It’s almost a New Year and that means the inevitable New Year’s resolutions. One of the most common resolutions is getting into shape. We’re here to act as your personal email trainer and help you chisel your subject lines into lean, mean open inducing machines. Here are some tips to whip your subject lines into shape this year: 1. Trim the excess Subject lines should be concise and punchy. Many people check their email on their phones, which means longer subject lines can be cut off. As we mentioned in “Successful Subject Lines Deconstructed,” most email... [...]

Pamella Neely says, “Email marketing has a reputation for being dull. When someone says “innovation” we’re more likely to think social media or mobile or video. Not email. But email marketing is evolving, and evolving fast. In just the last year or two there are several advances that can take any “dull” email message and make it cutting edge. Before I dive in, one word of caution. While these are super-cool technologies that can get excellent results, don’t use them just to try a new trick. These innovations work best when they support the content and goals of your emails. In... [...]

Jon Powell says, “Earlier this year I reached out to a friend of mine who manages training with the Salesforce Marketing Cloud (previously known as ExactTarget) to get a sense of what questions everyday marketers were having concerning email. “Preheaders,” was her quick response. Specifically on “using a preheader, not using a pre-header — what should be in the preheader.” Just in case you’re not familiar with a preheader, it is the line of preview text you find below the subject line on mobile device email apps and even in the Outlook preview pane”. Email Preheaders Tested: The... [...]

Amanda Brief says, “This season, seven of the top 10 transaction days occurred between the day before Thanksgiving and two days after Cyber Monday. The remaining top days were all in December. This is a change from last year, in which two of the top days occurred in early November. The Sunday between Black Friday and Cyber Monday had the third highest number of transactions, but was 13th in volume sent. As Cyber Monday sales seem to start earlier each year, there may be opportunity to mail more on that particular Sunday“. #HolidayHotSheet: Top email transaction days in 2014 ‘Experian... [...]

Ann Handley says, “Three things that make an entrepreneur anxious: one, managing cash flow; two, finding the right partners/hiring the right team; and three, pressing the “send” button on an email campaign. On the surface, email seems straightforward, not least because the people on your list have asked to receive your messages. (You are using an opt-in list, right? I hope so.) That’s an advantage: You have the privilege of interacting with a person by invitation, in the relatively intimate setting of the recipient’s inbox. All you need to do is create a compelling message, and boom—you’re... [...]

Jami Oetting says, “Creativity is the act of combining seemingly unrelated fragments of information and ideas into something new. It is the collision of experiences, images, and knowledge. And we all want to have more of these “collisions” – to be more creative more often. After all, it is the job of an agency to come up with creative ideas, day after day. There have been a lot of studies on how to be more creative – walking, taking naps, meditation, etc. But first you need a foundation of experiences and knowledge to draw from. You need the raw material to be the basis for inspiration. Albert... [...]