Showing posts with label email blast. Show all posts
Showing posts with label email blast. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

15 Email "Don'ts"

Yesterday we looked at the 15 "do's" of sending out an email blast. Today we'll look at the 15 "don'ts," once again from clickz.com.

Here are 15 things you should never do (or at least don't admit to them):
  • Don't assume something works
  • Don't convert print promotions directly to e-mail blasts
  • Don't overcomplicate your e-mail creative
  • Don't overmail your list
  • Don't undermail your list
  • Don't make subscribing – or unsubscribing – too complicated
  • Don't try to say too much with a single e-mail
  • Don't silo e-mail – remember your other channels, both offline and digital
  • Don't forget about the landing page
  • Don't assume what worked yesterday will work today, or tomorrow - keep testing and evolving
  • Don't ignore your reports and front line
  • Don't badger the lifeless (by overmailing your non-responders)
  • Don't say everything in the subject line
  • Don't be clueless (by having no call to action)
  • Don't forget to be timely

This is some excellent advice and well worth following. Once again, you can find the full text to the post here.




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Follow me on Twitter for daily news and updates on production and the music business.

Check out my Big Picture blog for discussion on common music, engineering and production tips and tricks.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

15 Email "Do's"

There's no doubt that email is an important part of an artist's social strategy, but sometimes a poorly thought-out mail can be worse than none at all. The following comes from clickz.com, and are worth checking out before you hit the send button on your next blast.

Here are 15 moves every e-mail marketer should include:
  • Know why your consumer should sign up for your e-mails
  • Use intrigue versus incentive
  • Build up "reverse preferences" (track what people do and don't do)
  • Run subject line tests
  • Use social media to drive up open rates
  • Test
  • Analyze
  • Use Web designers
  • Use clear calls to action
  • Keep important content/messages above the fold
  • Respect image blocking and the preview pane
  • Render tests
  • Create an iron-clad e-mail production process with tasks, individuals, and days of the week associated with each milestone
  • Run a test with every send – and (this is key) share your results with your stakeholders for short-term visibility; archive them for long-term learnings
  • Ask yourself these three questions:
    1. What is this e-mail about?
    2. Why do my subscribers care?
    3. What do they do about it?

If you keep the above in mind, you're email blast will always have a purpose and get the results you're looking for.





Once again, you can find the full text to the post here.



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Follow me on Twitter for daily news and updates on production and the music business.

Check out my Big Picture blog for discussion on common music, engineering and production tips and tricks.

    Thursday, May 13, 2010

    The Best Day Of The Week For Email Marketing?

    What's the best day of the week to send your email newsletter? This is a critical decision because if you send it on the wrong day, you'll have fewer of your fans open it. Why? Usually because the timing is bad and their attention is on something else. That's why you want to be sure to pick the right day.

    Like record releases, I've always felt that Tuesday was the best day to release or send anything. It's usually a slow news day, everyone is over the rush and pent up obligations that Monday brings, and you're not caught up in the business craziness that grows ever crazier as the week progresses.

    That being said, I recently found an article on a site called gather.com that analyzes every day of the week as a potential email day. The article drew no conclusions but did give a compelling argument for almost every day except the weekend. Here's an excerpt (by the way, I'll still stick with Tuesday).


    MONDAY
    Pros: After a long weekend, many email users make it a priority to organize their inboxes. This means there is a good chance that they will run across your message and open it.
    Cons: Some consumers in the workforce don’t have the time or access to email during the day.
    Recommended Approach: Send email late in the morning, preferably just before lunch, as this is when they are more likely to have the time to check their inbox.

    TUESDAY
    Pros: By now, many consumers have organized their work week and have a little extra time to devote to checking their inbox.
    Cons: Campaigns aiming for recipients to take action over the weekend may trigger responses too early.
    Recommended Approach: Make sure all the messages you send on Tuesday are designed to convince the recipient to react during the week.

    WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY
    Pros: People are preparing for the weekend and how they will spend their personal time.  On these two days, they often have a little extra time to spend in their inbox.
    Cons: There is still business that needs to be handled and only two days left to get it done. Depending on the recipient, they may hold your message off until next week, or forget about it altogether.
    Recommended Approach: Keep your marketing message friendlier and less aggressive as subscribers plan their time off.

    FRIDAY
    Pros: People tend to receive less email on Friday, which in turn, increases the visibility of your message.
    Cons: By the time Friday rolls around, some consumers are in such a rush, they may automatically ignore any email that doesn’t pertain to the job.
    Recommended Approach: Send your message early in the day so the recipient has more time to read it and take action.

    SATURDAY AND SUNDAY
    Pros: Believe it or not, people do check their inboxes on the weekend.  This factor gives your marketing message unlimited potential.
    Cons: By sending business emails on Saturday or Sunday, you run the risk of coming off as too intrusive and annoy your subscribers.
    Recommended Resolution: Try to avoid sending email on Saturday and Sunday.  If you must, limit your mailings to subscribers who are the most responsive on these particular days.
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    Follow me on Twitter for daily news and updates on production and the music business.

    Check out my Big Picture blog for discussion on common music, engineering and production tips and tricks.

    Sunday, March 7, 2010

    5 Tips For Building Your Email List

    Your email list is a major component for marketing to your fanbase. It's widely overlooked since most artists believe that their Facebook friends and Twitter followers are enough, but you email list allows you to reach out and personally connect with the fans and control you message while you're doing it.

    A well thought out email blast allows you to do the following:

    1) Engage your fan on a more 1 to 1 basis
    2) Design the communication without the constraints of a social network
    3) Add a call-to-action

    This makes it easier to inform, market and sell to your fan in a manner that the true fan (superfan, uberfan, Tribal member - whatever you want to call them) enjoys, if you do it well.

    Here's a short video about the best way to harvest those valuable email addresses.


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