But they’re wrong!

The truth is that it’s second. Because the first thing people look at is the ‘from’ field to determine who sent them the email.

When people decide whether or not to open your email, they start by evaluating you as the sender. If you’re someone they recognise and trust, they will go on to read the subject line to see if the email is worth opening.

You can see from this example taken from my inbox how the ‘from’ details are clearly positioned on the left as the first item you see.

1. From Name           2. Subject Line

This inbox behavior is supported by a 2007 consumer survey from Return Path* that indicated subject lines as the 3rd most cited reason why consumers open emails. The subject line was cited by only 41.4% or survey respondents. The most popular reason people open an email is they ‘know and trust the sender’ (55.9%), followed by ‘previously opened and thought valuable’ (51.2%).

* If anyone is aware of more recent research, I’d really appreciate you letting me know via the comments section at the bottom of this post.

What this means is that a well crafted subject line will only go so far towards enticing people to open your email. So whilst they’re important and warrant your attention and creativity, trust and recognition by subscribers will ultimately win out.

So how do you earn the trust of subscribers and become recognised as a valuable contributor to their already cluttered inbox?

Whilst there is no ‘silver bullet’ solution to this problem, it’s easier to overcome than you think. Because earning trust and recognition with subscribers is achieved by following many of the good email practices you’re hopefully already doing anyway.

Here are four tips for earning trust and recognition with subscribers that lead people towards opening more of your emails.

1. Focus on building relationships with subscribers. Effective email marketing is more than just a one off communication. It involves a collection of touch points where individual experiences contribute towards an overall impression. Therefore it’s important you consider each touch point and make it a positive experience for subscribers by saying the things they need to hear.

2. All good relationships start with a good first impression. Make sure you welcome new subscribers on board with a welcome email that reminds them of the benefits they can expect to receive from your emails.

3. Send your emails with a consistent From Name. Make sure it’s something that subscribers can easily recognise as you or your company. This is particularly important early on in the piece with new subscribers as your consistency will help them develop recognition within their inbox. For additional insight into From Names and the pros and cons for changing them over time, check out this post from Email Marketing Reports.

4. Ensure each and every email you send to subscribers contains something of value. Whether it’s a useful tip, new educational resource or a promotional discount, unless you provide continual value to subscribers, your emails just add to the inbox clutter.

So next time you’re planning an email campaign and pondering the subject line, consider how recipients might react when they see the email is from you. Unless it’s expected to be a positive reaction, you’re wasting your time trying to optimise the subject line. You first need to work on building trust and recognition.

Posted by:
Matthew Johnson
EDM Specialist

Related posts

- Email subject lines – debunking the myths
- Writing good email subject lines

]]> http://www.vision6.com.au/blog/the-shocking-truth-about-email-subject-lines/feed/ 0 http://www.vision6.com.au/blog/encourage-customer-feedback-with-user-friendly-surveys/ http://www.vision6.com.au/blog/encourage-customer-feedback-with-user-friendly-surveys/#comments Mon, 20 Feb 2012 02:10:41 +0000 mjohnson Customer surveys are one of the most cost effective ways to conduct market research. And with Vision6, they’re super easy to create.

But with that said, there is a very important rule with customer surveys.

Keep them simple.

The best customer surveys are the ones that collect the desired information with minimal effort required on behalf of the respondent. With that in mind, I’d like to share you with my tips for creating user-friendly online surveys using some of the lesser known features in Vision6.

If you’re not familiar with how to create online surveys with Vision6, I’ve included instructions at the bottom of this post.

1. Use Webform Autofill so customers don’t have to re-enter information you already know.

Webform Autofill is a really cool feature for online surveys that capture responses to a new database using a subscribe form. It makes life easier for respondents by automatically entering known information into the new database.

For example, suppose you send an email to customers asking them to complete your survey. Instead of making them re-enter their name, email and phone number into the survey, you can use Webform Autofill to pre-populate these fields.

What’s even better is that you can hide these fields within the survey form, so customers won’t even know they are there. This keeps your survey short and sharp so respondents only need to fill in answers to your questions.

Webform Autofill is setup when inserting the survey’s webform link in your email. In the Insert Link window, simply link to your survey form as normal and then click the Autofill Fields icon. From there, it’s simply a matter of selecting which fields you want to be auto-filled.

2. Bypass the login form so customers can jump straight to your survey.

The Bypass Login Form is a nifty little feature for online surveys that capture responses to an existing database using an update profile form. By default, update profile forms require people to submit information (usually their email address) into a login page. This is because the system needs to know which contact in your database it has to update.

However, when you send customers an email asking them to complete a survey using an update profile form, our system already knows who they are (because it just sent them an email). So by setting up your customer survey to bypass the login form when reached via an email, it removes a step from the process and makes your survey that little bit easier to complete.

The Bypass Login Form setting is available within the Webform Editor under Advanced Settings.

3. Trigger notifications to your customer service team each time someone completes your survey.

Because your online survey will capture responses to a list in your Vision6 account, you can trigger notifications to an email or mobile phone each time it is completed.

Notification emails contain the survey responses so they’re ideal for your customer service team to receive. They’re particularly helpful for customer surveys as it allows your customer service team to respond very quickly to any negative feedback that comes through via your survey.

To setup notifications, go to Lists > select a List and choose Edit > click the ‘edit’ link directly next to your List Name > select the Notifications tab. 

So there you have it. With these 3 features, you’re able to make customer surveys just that little bit easier to complete. And hopefully this will lead to more responses.

As promised earlier, here are the steps for creating online surveys with Vision6.

1. Create your List and setup the Field Labels as your survey questions. Be sure to choose an appropriate field format (e.g. dropdown, checkbox, comments etc.) for each question. For help getting started, checkout the List Template for Customer Feedback Surveys.

2. Use the Webform Designer to add colour, images and other design elements to your survey. Check out this post for helpful tips on webform design.

3. Create an email that promotes your survey and insert a link to your survey webform. And that’s it. You’re now ready to send your email out to customers. Survey responses will automatically be collected to your list in Vision6 and you can view them in the Contacts page.

Have your own tips for creating user-friendly customer surveys? Let me know using the comments section below.

Posted by:
Matthew Johnson
EDM Specialist

Related posts

- Designing stunning webforms just got easier
- The secret to growing your database with webforms

]]> http://www.vision6.com.au/blog/encourage-customer-feedback-with-user-friendly-surveys/feed/ 0 http://www.vision6.com.au/blog/the-e-messaging-pulse-27/ http://www.vision6.com.au/blog/the-e-messaging-pulse-27/#comments Sun, 19 Feb 2012 18:43:15 +0000 bwalsh This week: There is a time and place to ask customers to subscribe, 3 simple form problems to fix, a very animated valentine’s day and how the world sees email marketers.

Rancid Slime and Email Marketing - Word to the Wise
There is a time and a place to ask your customers to subscribe to your email list, and in this case the timing (and way of asking) was more than a little ‘off.’

Online Form Optimization: 3 Simple Form Problems to Fix – Click Z
Web forms are a transaction. You need to look at them as an exchange of information for something of value you promise in your offer. When you don’t look at it as an exchange, you fail.

A Very Animated Valentine’s Day – Inbox Junky
With Valentines day behind us for another year, here are a few emails that stood out from the subtle to the extreme. 

Email Marketers: How The World Sees Us vs How We See Ourselves – Be Relevant!
It was only a matter of time. 

Have you read anything from the realm of e-messaging that you’d like to share?

Posted by:
Matthew Johnson
EDM Specialist

This makes image blocking a serious issue for email marketers. Particularly when you consider all the time, effort and money that goes into designing a beautiful, compelling email.

Take this email design for example. It’s a well branded email with appealing design elements that lead toward a clear call to action.

But can you see the problem when the images are turned off? All the important messages are now hidden and there is nothing to entice the reader to take further action with this email. Whilst there is a link to view the email online, the reader is still unclear on what’s in it for them.

It’s important to design your email in a way that doesn’t rely solely on images to get your message across. Even if you’re not a designer or have little HTML skills, there are a few simple things you can do to minimise the impact of image blocking.

1. Use alt text to tell part of your story

Alt text is text that you associate with an image and it’s what most email clients will display if the images are prevented from loading. Adding alt text with your images is an essential step to minimising the impact of image blocking.

Don’t waste your alt text with a generic description of what the image is, like “logo”, or “button”. Use the text to explain what the blocked image is, where the link leads to, or what the offer is. For example, the email above might have the image alt text “40% off store-wide”.

With the Vision6 email marketing software, it’s really easy to add alt text as the Email Editor will prompt you to enter it when inserting images into your message.

2. Ask subscribers to add you to their safe sender or contact lists

Most email clients will override the default image blocking settings if the sender of an email is listed in the recipient’s safe sender or contact lists. Make sure you ask new subscribers to add you to their safe sender or contact lists on the thank you page for new subscribers and again in your welcome email. For maximum impact, use a consistent “from name” with your emails so that subscribers only have to add you to their safe sender or contact list once.

3. Avoid sending image only emails

The impact of image blocking is most significant in emails that contain only images, or a single image with a small amount of text. Therefore it’s a good idea to design emails with a mix of both images and text.

If you’ve been provided with a single image concept for your email, consider how it can be sliced up and rebuilt as a mix of both images and text. There are a range of free online image editors that are useful for working with images.

With a little bit of effort, the above example email can be reconstructed to look like this.

The single large image has been sliced into a mix of text and smaller images. As you can see, it’s well worth the effort as even with the images turned off you can quickly see what’s on offer.

So there you have it. Whilst image blocking is a significant challenge for email marketers, its impact can be minimised by following a few simple steps. And if you’ve ever wondered what your emails look like with the images blocked, simply send yourself a test version with the images turned off, or preview it before you send using our Email Testing feature.

Posted by:
Matthew Johnson
EDM Specialist

Related posts

- Cool email design ideas that don’t require Photoshop
- 6 things you can do to make your email look awesome
- 11 free online image editors

This week: 15 trends to watch out for, inbound vs. outbound marketing and what to do when ACMA comes calling.

15 Social Media Marketing Trends to watch out for in Australian Marketing in 2012 – Digital Ministry
This presentation covers some of the main trends that look like they may play a part in the Australian social media marketing landscape over the next 12 months.

Inbound Marketing vs. Outbound Marketing – Margin Media
With the ever-growing popularity of online marketing strategies, you may have heard the coining of terms such as “inbound marketing” and “outbound marketing”. If you’re interested in understanding how these two differ from each other then read on…

What to do if you are contacted by the ACMA – ACMA
The ACMA receives thousands of reports from the public every month about email and SMS messages that they think might be spam. One of the most important things they do with these reports is contact the companies and tell them about their obligations under the Spam Act.

Have you read anything from the realm of e-messaging that you’d like to share?

Posted by:
Matthew Johnson
EDM Specialist

In a marathon “re-clothing” of the pool table, master craftsman Luke Muldoon worked for 6 hours straight so that the Vision6 team was able to minimise its time spent without the pool table.

Veteran pool table users, like Sales and Support Manager, Jonathan Tobin are very excited about this development.  In reaction to the refurbishment he has devised a set of rules.
His many gems of wisdom include tips such as -

“Do not place drinks on the table.”
“Do not intentionally run your fingers the opposite way of the direction of the felt…”

The long awaited refurbishment was instigated by Vision6 Executive Director, Mathew Myers.

“This re-model is long overdue and I am hopeful my game will improve as a result.” He said.

Some less enthusiastic team members are sceptical about the new table.

“That money could have bought the girls a hair straighter for the bathroom or a Nintendo Wii so we could do yoga at lunch.” Said Training Manager, Melina Kellam.

However, by-an-far the reaction to the new pool table has been very positive with several staff members including Matthew Johnson, Hadrian Oliver and Olivier Allart spotted staring at the attractive new blue felt with obvious adoration.

Since the completion of the pool table (approximately one day ago) much pool has been played and fun had.

* Disclaimer: Many quotes may in fact be completely made up and posted here without any consent whatsoever in order to make this article more exciting.

]]> http://www.vision6.com.au/blog/straight-to-the-pool-room/feed/ 0 http://www.vision6.com.au/blog/anatomy-of-a-great-email-newsletter/ http://www.vision6.com.au/blog/anatomy-of-a-great-email-newsletter/#comments Mon, 06 Feb 2012 03:24:40 +0000 khuddleston Who’s up for a little pop-quiz? Ok, ready… 

Question: Who am I?

I am a marketing communication tool that is exceptionally cost effective. I help educate your audience and keep them informed of important news. But what I’m most famous for is promoting your business, generating leads, acquiring more customers and nurturing existing relationships.

That’s right. It’s me, your trusty ol’ email newsletter!

Ok, so that was an easy one. Even beginners to email marketing would recognise an email newsletter in a line-up of effective communication tools. But when it comes to building their own email newsletter, marketers sometimes struggle with how to put it all together.

If this is you, check out the below list of elements that combine to make an effective email newsletter.

Part A. Newsletter Details

Normally the last things you consider when building your email newsletter are the ‘From name’ and ‘Subject Line’. However I’ve listed them here first because recipients first look at this information to decide whether or not to open your newsletter.

1. From name: Choose something easily recognisable to recipients such as your company name and use it consistently.

2. Subject line: Encourage your audience to open the email with an informative, intriguing subject line. Learn more about writing good subject lines.

Part B. Newsletter Components

1. Logo and brand: Position your logo in the top-left corner of your email so recipient’s can quickly identify your branding.

2. Quick scanning and navigation: Include an ‘In this issue’ section with article headlines that link directly to the article content below. This is particularly important for lengthy newsletters.

3. Eye-catching headings: Format headings for quick scanning and use font size and colour to stand out from the rest of the newsletter content.

4. Appealing imagery: Use images that are relevant to the content and enhance both the design and the call to action. Include alt text in case the images don’t display in the recipient’s inbox by default.

5. Create a dialogue with customers: Remember that email is not a one-way communication and include options for recipients to contact you and provide feedback.

6. Social sharing: Include links to your social network pages so that email subscribers can easily connect with you in other ways. Also include social sharing options that allow recipients to share your newsletter with their own networks.

7. View email online: This link is best positioned at the very top of your email and should direct recipients to an online version of your email in case of inbox display issues. Check out some additional creative uses for this part of your newsletter that can help drive conversions.

8. Call to action above the fold: Place your main call to action within the top 400 pixels and make it easy to find without the need for scrolling. Experiment using both text and images with your call to action.

9. Valuable, interesting and relevant content: Personalise content so it is relevant to your audience. Only send content that your audience will genuinely be interested in.

10. Separate key messages with colour: Use colour that is consistent with your company branding as a way to break up newsletter content into smaller, more easily scanned sections. 

11. Calls to action throughout: Increase the likelihood of recipients taking action when reading your email by including multiple calls to action throughout. For best results, use a mix of text and images as your calls to action and hyperlink them to relevant landing pages where appropriate.

12. Update preferences and unsubscribe:  Include links for subscribers to update their profile or unsubscribe and make sure they’re easy to find. Traditionally these links are placed somewhere at the bottom of your email.

So there you have it. Whilst it’s important you experiment to find the ideal email newsletter format for you, hopefully this list provides you with a useful place to start.

Posted by:
Matthew Johnson
EDM Specialist

Related posts

- The trusty ol’ email newsletter
- Recipe for a sweet email newsletter
- 6 things you can do to make your email look awesome
- 11 free online image editors

This week: The Australian email landscape, 10 content ideas to get people talking and how to encourage ‘wise’ email sharing

The Email Marketing Metrics Report Australia – Vision6
This report covers key metrics from the Australian email marketing landscape for the first half of 2011. The next report which will cover the second half of 2011 will be released soon.

10 content ideas that generate comments and shares – PR Daily
Banish writers block with these 10 shareable content ideas related to PR, marketing, or social media.

Social Email Marketing: How to encourage sharing wisely, not randomly – MarketingSherpa
Encouraging your audience to share a link to a webpage version of your email can be effective – if you execute a good strategy.

Have you read anything from the realm of e-messaging that you’d like to share?

Posted by:
Matthew Johnson
EDM Specialist

Since releasing the upgrades to our e-messaging platform we’ve received an overwhelming amount of positive feedback from our customers.

Here’s just a snapshot of what people have been saying.

“Loving the new interface, definitely a step in the right direction”

“Just seen @vision6 new look and feel and it’s looking good!!! Great work guys!”

“Overall it’s BRILLIANT!!! It works … makes sense … looks pretty and is just all round awesome”

“I just switched across to the new look interface. Looks great!”

But this post isn’t me bragging about the new and improved Vision6 system. Rather I’d like to share with you some of the cool new features that will help you get more customers and promote your brand.

Of all the new features, my personal favourite is the new webform designer. Quite simply, there’s a lot more flexibility and design options at your disposal. Whether it’s for newsletter subscriptions, customer surveys or event registrations, designing webforms that are both functional and beautiful is now really easy for anyone to do.

What’s new with the webform designer?

1. Field Labels

With Field Labels you now have the ability to specify the text that appears alongside each field. This provides a lot more flexibility as previously the text that displayed here had to be the same as the Field Name. So in the example below, I can have my Field Name as Question 1 (which makes sense to me) and have my Field Label as How satisfied are you with our company overall? (which makes sense to the customer).

2. Field Descriptions

Field Descriptions give you the freedom to enter additional text below your field. This is very useful when you need to provide additional instructions for people viewing your form. Previously you had to enter this text in your Field Name, so using the Field Description allows you to keep your Field Names short and succinct. The result is a much tidier webform.

3. Items Per Row

This setting allows you to edit the number of radio button or checkbox options to display per row. Previously radio buttons were limited to one per row and checkboxes to two. As a result, webforms with lots of these fields were quite long so people would often have to scroll down to see the rest of the webform. Now there is much greater flexibility with these types of fields so you can ultimately fit more on the screen without needing to scroll.

4. Design Components

Webform design used to be limited to a header, followed by your fields and then a footer. Now with Design Components, the structure of your webform has a lot more flexibility. It’s essentially now a canvas where you can add and remove fields, images, html and text headings as you wish. See in the below example how I’ve inserted images (header image plus a thin white line) and a text heading (Help us improve our service) to break up the flow of the form.

5. Colour Palettes

By selecting a Colour Palette, you can easily apply a colour scheme to various aspects of your webform. So with the click of a button you can set colours for your page background, form background, border and font.

To create stunning webforms and explore the new features within our email marketing software, login to your account or sign up for a free 30 day trial.

Posted by:
Matthew Johnson
EDM Specialist

This week: 7 landing page tips,

7 Tips for Landing Page Greatness – Search Engine Watch
Creating a great landing page is a critical step in the conversion funnel. It also allows you to attach ROI measurements to your various marketing campaigns.

Ten tips for measuring the ROI on your digital strategy – Dynamic Business
“Digital strategies give businesses so much more control over what information is put out about them, where that information is going and who that information is reaching… they can be tracked easily and their ROI can be calculated almost immediately.” – Paul Goldston, Reload Media.

If the email’s legal, it can’t be spam. Can it? – Email Marketing Reports
Did you realise that compliance with anti-spam law does not nessisarily stop your emails from being being filtered, marked or even perceived as spam? Find out why and what you can do about it…

Have you read anything from the realm of e-messaging that you’d like to share?

Posted by:
Matthew Johnson
EDM Specialist