How to Write for the Web

I just received an invitation to a kickass web copywriting seminar in Florida - which costs over $4,000 (groan…).  No doubt it’s worth it (did you know the going rate for a landing page with less than 1,000 words is $1,500? I am TOTALLY under-pricing my services!) — but as much as I strive to constantly improve my craft, I think I’ll pass.

The truth is, you can learn how to write for the web for much less - if you’re willing to invest the time and effort.  There are a lot of great books out there (I highly recommend Web Copy That Sells by Maria Veloso for content, and MarketingSherpa’s Landing Page Handbook for format and design) and there are literally volumes of free resources available on the internet. 

But who really has the time, right?  So fine… I’ll dedicate a bunch of posts to some basic lessons on writing for the web. 

LESSON #1:  
Content Will Always Be King, but for
the Web, Format is Just as Important.

Before you even begin to write for the web, first consider how people READ on the web.

Here’s the thing - they DON’T.  The majority of web surfers don’t read, they SCAN.  And if they don’t find what they’re looking for within the first few seconds of landing on your webpage, they’ll move on…never to be seen again.

So your most important task as a web copywriter is to create compelling, scannable copy for the first screen*.

*The first screen is the portion of your website the reader sees without having to scroll down.  If a webpage was real estate, the first screen would be the overpriced prime location everyone is scrambling to purchase.

No matter what anyone says, don’t waste that precious first eyeful with an oversized header showing nothing but the company name and logo, and/or a bunch of fancy images that won’t sell anything. (And seriously? Just forget about BANNERS. People have gotten used to ignoring them completely - hence the term banner blindness).

Instead,  populate your prime cyber-property with… I repeat… compelling, scannable copy that will keep your A.D.D.-afflicted web visitors engaged.

The “compelling” aspect of your copy depends on your skill as a writer, and how well you know how to push the buttons of your target audience. (I have a whole other course for that) 

But in terms of scannability (which is equally important on the web), here are a few practical, actionable tips you can implement right now:

1.  Start with a big, powerful headline. 

Experienced copywriters might think “Duh…” — because any copywriter worth his or her salt  will know that the headline is the single most important element of ANY form of copy - whether online or offline.  But have a quick browse around the web and you’ll find a LOT of sites that don’t use a headline -  to their great detriment. 

Think of the headine as a pickup line, and your website visitor as the most gorgeous person in the bar. Mess it up, and you end up alone. 

2.  Write your most important copy in the form of a letter F.  

Several eye-tracking studies have shown that web users generally scan webpages in the shape of an ‘F’ - starting from left to right on the top, then down, then left to right again. 

So make sure the important elements of your content (headlines, subheadlines, bullet points, and highlighted text) are situated along these lines.

3.  Much as the web designers may hate you, restrict webpage format to a maximum of 2 columns.

Note: The ideal is actually just one column - this outperforms multiple columns each and every time, as it totally eliminates distractions.  But in my experience, that option rarely flies with the Powers That Be, and arguing just wastes precious time.

So if you must have more than one column, make it 2 max, with the important copy on the wider left column, and supporting content on the narrower right. 

4.  Use short paragraphs and bulleted lists to summarize your content. 

As I mentioned earlier, most Internet users have short attention spans, so - in the first screen at least - the more concise your copy, the better. 

…And don’t assume people will read your copy through to the end, no matter how short or scannable.  Present all the key points first, with the less important (or more detailed ) information further down, or on another page. 

5. Highlight key words or phrases to keep scanners moving through your copy.  Make good use of those bold, italics, and underline buttons.  They will serve you well.

Ok… That should be enough to chew on for now. 

Now that you know how much space you really have - and how to use it - we can move on to the actual writing. 

Next lesson (on Headlines) coming soon!

Note to Mailers: Email is NOT just an electronic version of Direct Mail

I recently received an email invite from an organization I will not name, which really blew me away because I figured they of all people would know better.  The sender was, after all, one of the top direct mailers in the country.

Not only was the email unsolicited (and therefore Spam, in my book) but it also had ALL the recipients’ email addresses listed in the “TO” field.  It wasn’t even the more common (though still wrong) ”BCC-blast.”  Each and every email address was displayed in its full glory, just Spam-bait waiting to be gobbled up by evil unscrupulous marketers.  Incidentally, the copy left much to be desired as well.

I receive this kind of stuff pretty often, and when I feel it’s worth the time, I make an effort to write back and point out things that can be improved on.  (In this case, I pointed out their “TO”-field crime, and sent them the Email Checklist for Newbies). But this case stood out in my mind, because - as I mentioned earlier - the senders really should have known better.  I actually receive their direct mail, and it’s awesome. So why the poor practice when it came to email?

Maybe it was a job left to a secretary or assistant, who really didn’t know any better. Or maybe they just didn’t realize the glaring differences between email and direct mail.

Email is NOT just direct mail sent electronically. It’s a whole other creature with a life of its own, which demands a completely different, (and unfortunately, much more complicated) approach.    

Loren Mcdonald of MediaPost’s Email Insider has an excellent article explaining the differences between email and direct mail.  I’ve listed some of the most notable points below, but you can read the full article here.  

• Permission: This is perhaps the number-one difference between email and direct mail. While not all email is permission-based and not all direct mail is unsolicited, email’s opt-in focus is clearly a fundamental driver of the channel’s high return on investment.
• Unsubscribes/Spam complaints: Email provides recipients with an instant out, either through the unsubscribe or the spam complaint. Both can sting, but you can turn them into positives by tracking and learning from them.
• Frequency: In direct mail, if you mail too much, your ROI simply declines. In email, send too often and your spam complaints will jump, possibly getting your emails blocked or filtered.
• ISPs: Many emailers bemoan ISPs that block their email or filter it to junk folders. However, play by the rules and follow best practices and you’ll achieve high delivery rates and better ROI than your competitors.

A New Weapon for the Battle to the Inbox: Idiot-Proof Whitelisting Instructions

I just found another great new email tool at a site called Email Delivery Jedi. (funny, right?)

It’s a free webpage generator which cranks out idiot-proof whitelisting instructions for all the most commonly used email programs. 

For those who’ve never heard of whitelisting … shame on you, by the way… it is the process of adding someone’s email address to your email program’s “address book” (a.k.a “safe list,” “contact list”  or “whitelist”), basically  to let it know that it’s ok to let mail from this person through to the Inbox. 

 Problem is, every email program has its own process for whitelisting — which is why this tool is such a gem.  All you need to do is upload the generated webpage to your server, and add a link to it in every email you send out.  

To generate your whitelisting instruction page, click here.  

An Undiscovered Treasure Trove of HTML Designs

In a previous post about finding inspiration for your email newsletters, I mentioned the Newsletter Archive,  but I’ll admit it’s a bit overwhelming — which is why I was really happy to come upon Spam Meltdown, a new email design blog which launched just a few days ago.

SpamMeltdown.com was created to provide a source of inspiration to designers of HTML emails, and it has a regularly updated gallery of incredibly beautiful email designs.  Go check it out at www.spammeltdown.com. 

p.s. For web design inspiration, you might want to visit its sister site, The Daily Slurp. 

Google Alerts: The Narcissist’s Dream Tool

Narcissists, rejoice!  Those of you who make a habit of Googling yourself to see how often you’re mentioned on the web will find the perfect assistant in Google Alerts - a free service by Google which provides email updates on the latest Google results for your choice of query or topic.

The not-so-narcissistic can benefit as well. Google Alerts are actually extremely handy for everyone from students to corporations — especially in this age of uncensored blogs and review sites.  If you’re in business, you need to keep track of what’s being said about your company, products and/or services, so you can act or react accordingly. (It doesn’t hurt to keep tabs on your competition as well.) 

Here’s how to set up your alerts:

1. Go to Google Alerts:  www.google.com/alerts.
2. In the search term field, write down the specific words you’d like to monitor.  (This can be a name, a brand, a phrase or even a URL, if you’re tyring to find out how many people link to your website. Whatever the case, be as specific as possible, or you’re likely to end up with a lot of alerts you don’t really want.)
3. In the type field, select an option.  You can choose just “Web” or go “Comprehensive” to cover every possible source.
4. Select an option for the “How often” field - you can receive updates as they happen, or on a daily or weekly basis.
5. Provide the email address you’d like the alerts to be sent to.

And that’s it!  You’re good to go!

The Cost of Spamming: $6 Million

The cost of Spam is rising, so spammers beware!

‘Spam King” Scott Richter of Westminster, Colorado was ordered Thursday by a court-appointed arbitrator to pay MySpace $6 million in connection with an August 2006 campaign in which MySpace members were hit with unsolicited messages promoting a Web site called Consumerpromotionscenter.com.

Here’s the breakdown:

• Damages: $4.8 million
• Legal fees: $1.2 million
• The satisfaction of seeing a spammer pay his dues:  Priceless. 

Read the full story here.

Great Resource: The Newsletter Archive

If you’re ever stumped for ideas for your email newsletter - whether for design or content - there’s a cool site you can check out to browse through email newsletters from all over the world: www.newsletterarchive.org.

The Newsletter Archive stores thousands of newsletters, including those of the BBC, Victoria’s Secret, CBS News, Martha Stewart, etc etc (like I said - there are THOUSANDS!) - and you can actually add your own newsletter as well.

It’s a great way to see what other email marketers are doing, and pick up some ideas for your own campaigns.

More Mobile User Stats, and How to Create a Mobile Website for Free!

It bugged me a bit that I didn’t have any mobile user stats for the Philippines in my Fascinating Facts post yesterday, so I did a bit of research and here they are (courtesy of the Research on Asia Group):

• To date, 55 million Filipinos, 60% of the population, have subscribed to mobile services
• Mobile service users in the Philippines are expected to grow at an annual growth rate of 15% to reach 73 million by 2010

So get with the mobile web program already!  It really isn’t all that hard to set up a mobile website. In fact, it’s considerably easier than setting up a real one!

Go to www.mobisitegalore.com.  It’s a great (and FREE!) service that allows you to build a full-featured mobile website that will work consistently on any mobile phone — in just a few minutes. I tried it our myself, and I guarantee it’s idiot-proof.

Fascinating Facts about Mobile Internet Use - and Why You Should Take Note

Emarketer.com reported yesterday that Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRIC) - which represent 43% of the world’s population - will account for nearly 1.2 billion mobile phone subscribers this year.

Mobile is not simply viewed as an extension of the Web in BRIC, as it is in the US, Western Europe and parts of Asia-Pacific… Mobile is the Internet for an increasingly large and attractive consumer segment—an important distinction for marketers to keep in mind.

- John du Pre Gauntt, author of the new report, Mobile BRIC: Extreme Growth Ahead.

Though I don’t “do” the BRIC countries, it’s interesting because the same case is true in Philippines - where not a whole lot of people have access to computers, but EVERYONE has access to a mobile phone.  With mobile internet access rates as low as P10 for 30 mins, I imagine that for most Filipinos the mobile web IS the internet as well.

Here are some other interesting stats I dug up:

• Americans spend more than 4.5 hours per month browsing on Smart Phones. - M:Metrics (May 2008)
• 64% of key decision makers are viewing your carefully crafted email on their BlackBerrys and other mobile devices.  MarketingSherpa, in partnership with SurveySampling (2007)
• 37% of business people regularly read business emails on their mobile devices (keyword “regularly”), up from 30% just a year ago. - Exact Target (2007)
• 18% of email users use mobile devices to sort email. - David Daniels, Vice President JupiterResearch (Dec. 2007)

Point is, the number of users browsing the Web from mobile phones is increasing rapidly on a global scale. 

Is your company ready for this? How “mobile-browser-friendly” are your websites and emails?  Definitely something to think about.  

If you ARE thinking about it, you’ll find some useful tips on designing for the mobile web in Brian Suda’s article on Sitepoint.com.

Another Email Checklist for Newbies

Here’s another great checklist for email newbies by Permission Marketing expert Seth Godin.  (It’s actually a good reminder for email veterans as well.)

Seth Godin’s Email Checklist

Before you hit send on that next email, perhaps you should run down this list, just to be sure:

1. Is it going to just one person? (If yes, jump to #10)
2. Since it’s going to a group, have I thought about who is on my list?
3. Are they blind copied?
4. Did every person on the list really and truly opt in? Not like sort of, but really ask for it?
5. So that means that if I didn’t send it to them, they’d complain about not getting it?
6. See #5. If they wouldn’t complain, take them off!
7. That means, for example, that sending bulk email to a list of bloggers just cause they have blogs is not okay.
8. Aside: the definition of permission marketing: Anticipated, personal and relevant messages delivered to people who actually want to get them. Nowhere does it say anything about you and your needs as a sender. Probably none of my business, but I’m just letting you know how I feel. (And how your prospects feel).
9. Is the email from a real person? If it is, will hitting reply get a note back to that person? (if not, change it please).
10. Have I corresponded with this person before?
11. Really? They’ve written back? (if no, reconsider email).
12. If it is a cold-call email, and I’m sure it’s welcome, and I’m sure it’s not spam, then don’t apologize. If I need to apologize, then yes, it’s spam, and I’ll get the brand-hurt I deserve.
13. Am I angry? (If so, save as draft and come back to the note in one hour).
14. Could I do this note better with a phone call?
15. Am I blind-ccing my boss? If so, what will happen if the recipient finds out?
16. Is there anything in this email I don’t want the attorney general, the media or my boss seeing? (If so, hit delete).
17. Is any portion of the email in all caps? (If so, consider changing it.)
18. Is it in black type at a normal size?
19. Do I have my contact info at the bottom? (If not, consider adding it).
20. Have I included the line, “Please save the planet. Don’t print this email”? (If so, please delete the line and consider a job as a forest ranger or flight attendant).
21. Could this email be shorter?
22. Is there anyone copied on this email who could be left off the list?
23. Have I attached any files that are very big? (If so, google something like ’send big files’ and consider your options.)
24. Have I attached any files that would work better in PDF format?
25. Are there any or other emoticons involved? (If so, reconsider).
26. Am I forwarding someone else’s mail? (If so, will they be happy when they find out?)
27. Am I forwarding something about religion (mine or someone else’s)? (If so, delete).
28. Am I forwarding something about a virus or worldwide charity effort or other potential hoax? (If so, visit snopes and check to see if it’s ‘actually true).
29. Did I hit ‘reply all’? If so, am I glad I did? Does every person on the list need to see it?
30. Am I quoting back the original text in a helpful way? (Sending an email that says, in its entirety, “yes,” is not helpful).
31. If this email is to someone like Seth, did I check to make sure I know the difference between its and it’s? Just wondering.
32. If this is a press release, am I really sure that the recipient is going to be delighted to get it? Or am I taking advantage of the asymmetrical nature of email–free to send, expensive investment of time to read or delete?
33. Are there any little animated creatures in the footer of this email? Adorable kittens? Endangered species of any kind?
34. Bonus: Is there a long legal disclaimer at the bottom of my email? Why?
35. Bonus: Does the subject line make it easy to understand what’s to come and likely it will get filed properly?
36. If I had to pay 42 cents to send this email, would I?

Mailchimp’s Email Aptitude Test for Noobs

The Mailchimp blog has a hilarious list of tips for new email users.  Too good not to share, so I’m posting it in full here. 

I’ve always felt that whenever someone gets their very first computer with their very first email account (your dad, or grandma for instance), there should be some kind of “boot up” screen in their email program:

 The bootup screen would take them to an Email Aptitude Test before they can send any email across the intertubes. Here’s what it would teach them…

Congratulations on getting your first email address! Now don’t screw this up. Here’s what you need to know before you can send your first message…

1. In about 3 hours, you will receive an email from a Nigerian prince. Throw that away. All the cool email users ignore that guy.
2. Don’t ever post your personal email address on any website. Don’t use it to sell stuff on eBay, or join message boards, or anything like that. If you do, complete strangers will begin sending you all kinds of nasty junk mail (we call that spam). Keep your email address private. Go and get a free email address at Gmail or Yahoo or Hotmail NOW and use that address whenever you need to buy something or post something. Only share your “real” address with close friends and family.
3. Speaking of close friends and family, they will be delighted that you have an email address. But don’t send them any funny jokes, or funny web pages, or scary rumors, or chain letters. Trust us, we’ve already seen it. Like 2 years ago. Don’t make things awkward for us. Wait at least 2 years to “catch up” to the rest of us, then you can start sending out links you stumble upon. Note: the only exception to this is Chuck Norris facts. If you get new Chuck Norris facts, go ahead and spread the word.
4. If you get an email from a stranger, do not believe one single word of it. Assume it’s a scam. If you get an email from a loved one, assume their computer is infected with a virus, and the virus is impersonating them. To send you a scam. Pretty much 99% of all email is a scam or a lie or an urban legend, or it happened two years ago (see Rule #3). Bookmark Snopes now.
5. Don’t open any attachments. Ever. Don’t send any attachments either, until you’ve mastered the art of compressing files (making them smaller, so they pass through the Intertubes easier). Also, wait until the prerequisite 2 years have passed before you do any of this.
6. If you are a man, and you get an email from someone who claims to be a beautiful young woman, that’s a man. If you’re a woman, and you get an email from a nice, kindhearted man who wants to make you happy, he’s a convicted felon writing you from the prison library. Trust no one.
7. You will get spoofed. It’s inevitable. Spoofing is when one of your friends gets infected with a virus. The virus scans that friend’s address book for all the contacts, and then impersonates those contacts when it sends out more junk mail. People will receive junk mail that looks like it came from you, but it really didn’t. Those people who reply and complain to you are newer noobs than you. Ignore them. But this is one more reason for Rules #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, and #6 above.
8. When you get junk mail that you never asked for, click the “Junk” or “Spam” button in your email program. If you get email that you did ask for, do NOT click the “Junk” or “Spam” button. If you do, you will receive 5 stupidity demerits from Al Gore, who invented the Internet, and a kitten will die somewhere. If you signed up for email, and then you lose interest, just click the “Unsubscribe” link in that email. That means they’ll remove you from their list. If they still email you after that, then click the “Junk” or “Spam” button. No kittens will die in that case.
9. Etiquette: Typing in ALL CAPS IS LIKE SHOUTING AT YOUR FRIENDS. It’s rude, so don’t do it (unless you’re really angry).
10. Learn how to use the subject line. Make sure all your subject lines actually describe what the subject of your email is. Don’t keep hitting reply to the same message from someone, while leaving that old subject line from some past discussion intact. Create a whole new message, then type a new subject line.
11. All email programs have “Junk” or “Spam” folders now. Your spam filter automatically throws spam into that folder, to try and save you some time and frustration. If you’re expecting an email with baby photos in it, and you’ve been waiting for days, don’t get mad at your daughter (she’s didn’t forget you). Go check that junk folder. It’s probably been sitting there all along. Spam filters are not perfect. You can train spam filters to “learn” who is “friend” and who is “foe.” Learn how to do that sooner than later.
12. Learn how to use your Address Book. Add friends and family that you actually want to hear from in your Address Book. It will prevent #11 from happening too much.
13. If you get an email from PayPal, or your bank, and they ask you to “confirm your account” just ignore it. It’s that Nigerian guy in Rule #1. He’s phishing for your information.

About MailChimp:
MailChimp is a do-it-yourself email marketing service that provides tools to over 15,000 small businesses, design agencies, non-profits, restaurants, and e-Commerce organizations worldwide.  Try Mailchimp free for 30 days!

Holiday Marketing Tips for the Uninspired eMarketer

Father’s Day emails for Old Swiss Inn and Tsukiji/Cirkulo/Milkyway Cafe (also designed by yours truly) went out this week (Have a look!  >Old Swiss Inn  >Tsukiji)  and they got me thinking about holiday marketing in general.

Holidays are great opportunities to get your brand and product offers out there, but it might be good to note that any marketer worth his/her salt already knows this… and probably takes full advantage. This means lots of competition — and a heck of a crowd in consumers’ mailboxes.

Here are a few tips to set your holiday marketing campaigns apart:   

Plan ahead.  Don’t plan your holiday emails the week before you send them.  Make a quarterly or yearly plan (we all know when the big holidays fall each year anyway), so you have time to think about what to offer, and how you can make YOUR offer stand out in the crowd.  

Don’t just ANNOUNCE - offer something of real value.  The harsh truth is, most people don’t care about what you have to say unless it translates into something beneficial to them.  People have only one question in mind when they read any kind of promotion… “What’s in it for me?”  Give your readers something that makes them actually GLAD they’re on your mailing list.  

Be Creative! Don’t stick to regular holidays - research the lesser known ones and celebrate those too!  This works particularly well when a holiday has something to do with the products and services you offer.  For example, a friend of mine who co-owns a Brother’s Burgers franchise sends out text messages offering discounts every year on ”International Hamburger Day.”  I think it’s brilliant.

Use your customer data to send more personalized holiday offers.   Offer something special to all your female clients on “International Women’s Day.”  Give all Muntinlupa residents a discount on Muntinlupa Day.  The more you know about your customers, the more you can personalize your communications. And the more personalized your communications, the more likely they’ll be received with a warm welcome.

Don’t forget birthdays!  Birthdays are the most personal holidays of all, so be sure not to miss out on those!  Joe Girard, who’s listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as  “The World’s Greatest Salesman,”  never once forgot a client’s birthday.  Every month, year after year, Girard ( a car salesman) would send a greeting card to every customer on his list. Inside would be a simple message. He knew they’d need a new car one day, and he wanted to keep himself top of mind. He was careful not to include anything that might sound like a sales pitch. Just an anecdote, a new idea, a news story, a book review, a birthday greeting, or a tip he knew they’d be interested in.

Eventually this task became so big, Girard had to hire someone to do it for him - but the point is: clients were pleased that he remembered, and it served him well.  When customers needed a car, they came to him.  Better yet, when  customers’ friends and relatives needed a car, they sent them to him.  Over the course of his 14-year career, Joe Girard personally sold over 13,000 cars — outselling 95% of all car dealerships in Northern America.

Transactional Emails: A Missed Opportunity?

(Click the pic or this link to see the full-sized chart)   

Marketing Sherpa recently released a new chart showing that transactional emails (shipping notices, receipts and confirmations, etc) are opened far more regularly than newsletters and other email communications.  If you aren’t using your transactional emails to upsell or cross-sell, you may be missing out on an excellent opportunity. 

Here are 3 quick tips you can use to turn your transactional emails into effective selling tools:

• Don’t go overboard. As a general rule, people like to buy, but they don’t like being sold to.  Don’t turn your email into the electronic verson of a smarmy salesman, and don’t overpower the main message (transaction details) with the sales message.  In most cases, a simple P.S. or a footer with a link to more info should suffice.

• Make the offer relevant to your customer’s interests.  Whatever you offer should make sense, and be in keeping with your client’s original purchase (or purchase history). This shows you’re paying personal attention to their specific needs and interests, and goes a long way towards maintaining good relationships.

• Reward your customers.  Offer discounts, freebies, or other rewards for upgrades or repeat purchases. Returning customers make up the bulk of most companies’  sales, so it always pays to keep your customers happy.  It also costs considerably less to keep an existing client than to find a new one.  

Anatomy of a Good, Healthy HTML Email Newsletter

The following is an excerpt from MailChimp’s free 65-page email marketing guide, Designing, Coding & Delivering HTML Email: A Beginners Survival Guide from Mailchimp - definitely one of the best email marketing resources I’ve come across so far.

Anatomy of a Good, Healthy HTML Email Newsletter

Here’s what a well-built HTML Email Newsletter looks like: (Click the pic to see a larger version)

 1.  Your company name in the “From.”  Recipients should recognize who the email is from instantly. It can’t be deceptive in any way (duh). If a recipient has to strain his brain to remember who you are, he’ll click “this is spam” instead of opening.

2.  A relevant subject line (don’t be “spammy”), with your company or newsletter name in it. So they instantly know who the email is from, and what it’s about (hence, “subject” line).

3.  The “To:” field of your email should be personalized to the recipient’s name, not their email address. MailChimp lets you “merge” recipient names into this field, if you have it in your database. You would insert *|FNAME|* *|LNAME|*, for example. Search our help documents for “merge tags” if you want detailed instructions.

4.  A one-click opt-out link that removes people from your list immediately. Consider placing it at the top of your email (as well as in the footer), so that people who want off your list can find it really easy (instead of clicking their
“Junk” button). If you use MailChimp’s Managed List functionality, you would use our *|UNSUB|* tag to generate your unsubscribe link (it’s required in every email you send from our system). Any recipient who clicks it will be instantly removed from your list. If you use our built-in HTML email templates, we insert that link into the footer for you (no coding required).

5.  In addition to your opt-out link, you might also include a link in your header for recipients to “view this email in your browser.”  Point it to an archived version of your email on your server. This helps if the email got forwarded to friends, and then got mangled along the way. MailChimp automatically keeps an archived version of all your campaigns on our server. You can just use our *|ARCHIVE|* tag in your emails to link to yours. If you use our built-in HTML email templates, we automatically place this link at the top of all your emails.

6.  A link to your company’s privacy policy should be in your email. If you don’t have a privacy policy, you can use the DMA’s privacy policy generator. Google the phrase, “DMA privacy policy generator”

7.  Your valid, physical mailing address, and as much contact information as possible. The more contact information you provide, the more reputable your email will look.

8.  Bonus: It’s a really good idea to also include some kind of reminder text, like “You are receiving this email because you signed up at our website.”  People forget opting-in to lists, and they get a little trigger-happy with the “this is spam” button. That can get you reported to the major ISPs, so you want to prevent that as much as possible. Also, in the rare case that a recipient reports you to an antispam organization, having this reminder text can make the difference between a server admin blacklisting you forever, or contacting you for further explanation. If you use our built-in email templates, MailChimp inserts that reminder text into your email footer automatically.

TIP: If you’d like to sign up for a free trial Mailchimp account, click here.  This link makes you eligible for a $30 credit in the event you decide to upgrade to a paid account. 

Spammers Strike Again

Argh. These spammers ruin EVERYTHING.  Find out what they’ve messed up now in Ken Magill’s article below.

E-mail Killers Strike Again
Originally published on May 1, 2008 by Ken Magill

Is there anything e-mail related that spammers can’t ruin? First they killed graphics; Internet service providers block them. Now they’ve apparently wrecked personalized subject lines.

While e-mails with personalized messages achieve high clickthrough rates, those with personalized subject lines do not, according to MailerMailer’s e-mail marketing metrics report for the second half of 2007. Moreover, nonpersonalized e-mails outperform those with subject line-only customization.

Read the full story here.

Return Path Reports Surprising Flaws in Top-Brand Companies’ Email Marketing Programs

Return Path recently conducted a new "Subscriber Experiences"study, subscribing to and studying email programs of 61 top-brand companies from the US.   The findings were surprising, to say the least:

• 85% of companies failed to personalize the first email message sent to subscribers

• 75% of the companies collected information in the signup process that they could have easily used to personalize their emails - but didn’t. 

• 60% of the companies studied never sent a welcome message to new subscribers - missing out on an ideal opportunity to establish great rapport with new subscribers.

• The companies studied sent their first regular email an average of nine days after a subscriber joined. In addition, 65% of those first regular email messages did not contain any special offer for the new subscriber.

"As marketers continue expanding their use of email, they need to keep in mind the unique capabilities that email offers. If you’re collecting information in addition to an email address when a person signs up, you should be using that information to create a personalized message. Personalization keeps subscribers involved with your brand and more inclined to purchase," said Bonnie Malone Fry, RP’s Director of Strategic Services.

For more details, (and some important tips) read the full article about the Return Path study findings here. 

Got Something to Sell? Email, Don’t Text

A recent article by Emarketer.com shows that consumers prefer email to text-messaging when it comes to promotions and other business dealings - and I have to say I agree 100%… especially when the sender is someone I don’t  know.

Much as I dislike it, I’ve gotten used to email spam - it’s so common, you can’t help it. But I VIOLENTLY LOATHE text spam. Somehow it feels more of an invasion of privacy  ("How the hell did this joker get my phone number?") and reflects very poorly on a company’s image.  

To read the Emarketer article "Consumers Want Your Email,"  click here.

5 Reasons Subscribers Could View Your Email as Spam

 Ever received a Spam complaint you really didn’t expect?  Here’s an excellent article from the Constant Contact Learning Center that might shed some light…

"But I’m Not a Spammer!"
5 reasons subscribers could view your email as spam and what to do about it
by John Arnold, Constant Contact Regional Development Director and author of Email Marketing for Dummies

Receiving a spam complaint from someone who is supposed to know you and your business might feel like you’re being betrayed by a friend, especially when you’ve worked so hard to build a permission-based list. You are following the rules, so why the spam complaint?

It may be that certain characteristics of your email look like spam to your subscribers or they aren’t satisfied with what they are getting from you. But take heart: there are ways to help more of your recipients respond with approval instead of with the spam button. Here are the five most common consumer spam-complaint triggers and how you can avoid pulling them.

1) Questionable Identity

Clearly communicating your identity is the number one way to avoid spam complaints. According to a survey by the Email Sender and Provider Coalition, 79 percent of consumers clicked the spam button when they didn’t know who the sender was. Here are the two simplest ways to make your identity apparent.

• Use a familiar name in your "from" line. Use the same words your audience uses to identify you or your business. For example, if you’re an online business and your customers refer to you by your domain name instead of your formal business name, put your domain name in your "from" line. If you are your brand, and everyone on your list knows who you are, use your name.
• Include your brand. Insert your logo into the upper left or center of every email and include image descriptions (alt text) of your company’s name for readers who have images disabled. Choose colors that identify your business when designing your email templates and use the same colors in every template you use. Don’t just use the stock template colors.

2) Irrelevant Content

Consumers expect their email subscriptions to deliver value. According to eMarketer, 46 percent of Internet users say the commercial emails they receive are not targeted to their needs. Since your email list is likely to include people with a variety of interests, take these interests into account before you send.

• Offer choices on your sign-up form. Some consumers want to receive promotions, while others only want informative newsletters. Offering options helps you make your emails relevant.
• Use click-through data to target future messages. When people click on your links, they tell you what they are interested in. Use this data to create different email lists.
• Send surveys and polls to learn about preferences. Instead of making assumptions about what to send, ask. You can conduct a formal survey before starting a major email campaign or use ongoing polls to get small bits of information over time and adjust your strategy as you go.

 3) Broken Promises

Sending emails that your subscribers didn’t ask for (i.e., promotions when they signed up for an email newsletter) can be perceived by your audience as a broken promise. Give your subscribers clear expectations before they share their email addresses, then keep your promises.

• Tell your new subscribers what you’re going to send. Clearly describe each type of email communication you offer (e.g., promotions, newsletters, event announcements, etc.) and ask new subscribers which they would like to receive.
• Send a welcome email after new subscribers join. Whether they join through your website or you add them to your list after they subscribe offline, send a welcome email that clearly describes the email content you plan to send. You can also include a link to archived emails to reinforce your content description.

 4) Excessive Promotion

Selling your products or services is an important part of your email marketing, but, according to a Jupiter Research survey, 40 percent of consumers said they stopped subscribing to opt-in emails because they were getting too many offers. Sending promotions too frequently might lead to spam complaints.

• Keep your promotional frequency in line with your business model. If you sell items that are consumed quickly, your audience probably expects more frequent promotions than if you sell items that are normally purchased every few months, years, or once in a lifetime.
• Place promotions on your website and use informative email content to drive clicks. Instead of putting an entire article and a promotion in your email newsletter, use only the first two or three sentences in your email and post the rest of the article, and a related promotion, on your website.
• Know your audience’s promotional preferences. Some consumers love coupons, sales, and discounts. Others don’t. If you’re not sure of your audience’s promotional preferences, use a survey, a poll, or a choice of interest list to sort your subscribers into groups.

 5) Confusion and Illusion

Sometimes consumers report legitimate email as spam because they simply want to get off a list and don’t understand the negative impact of hitting that spam button. Here are two reasons why consumers might choose the spam button over the more forgiving option of unsubscribing.

• Your subscribers can’t figure out how to unsubscribe. If your audience has trouble finding the unsubscribe link at the bottom of your email, use a permission reminder at the top of your email that includes the link.
• Your subscribers don’t trust the unsubscribe link in your email. Use your sign-up process and welcome email to reinforce the ability to safely unsubscribe from your list by clicking the unsubscribe link in any of your emails.

While it may be impossible to take the sting out of receiving a spam complaint, it is possible to minimize the amount of complaints you receive. Stick to permission-based tactics, make your identity clear, send relevant content, and keep tabs on your frequency. If you put all these tips into practice, then you’ve done everything in your power to keep subscribers on your list and stop them from clicking the spam button when they receive your emails.

San Francisco Cafe Launches the Coffee Buzz Newsletter

Popular coffee chain San Francisco Cafe launched today the maiden issue of its  Coffee Buzz Newsletter, designed by yours truly.

Care to check it out?  Click here 

If you’d like to receive SFC’s monthly Coffee Buzz, you can sign up at http://cdemails.com/pages/sfc

The Mad Slasher’s Guide to Email List Cleaning

As tempting as it may be to send your promotional emails to everyone in your address book, it’s just not practical…or wise.  Sometimes, it’s just plain stupid.  (I mean, how irritating is it when people send  email invitations to events or parties in MANILA to their friends in other countries?  Like they’ll be able to come???)

Also (more importantly) list hygiene plays a HUGE role in email delivery.  Many ISP’s have been known to block senders’ email domains forever for repeatedly sending messages to nonexistent email addresses.  (Believe me, you don’t want that.) 

Always remember:  Relevance is key to email marketing success. When it comes to email marketing (or any form of direct marketing), list QUALITY beats QUANTITY any day. Send only to people that might actually be interested, or benefit from, whatever it is you have to offer. 

In my experience, it’s usually in your best interests to go on ”Mad Slasher” mode when it comes to list cleaning - no matter how painful this may be. It’s pretty simple, really.  When in doubt, DELETE.

There are many ways to clean your lists, and the method will always depend on list size and source.  Huge lists from corporate databases require special treatment, but for smaller lists, here are a few useful tips you can use to “clean house” :

Manual Slashing: Slash unrecognizables (i.e, “who the heck is this?”-type email addies), duplicates and potential Spam reporters.

• Export your email address list/s (from wherever you keep them) and merge them into an Excel file.  Delete any unnecessary columns that might have been exported.  You only really need names and email addresses to begin with.

• Go through your list, and delete any unrecognizables, ”unknowns” and other undesirables you might have picked up along the way.  Tip: The less likely a person is to remember you or your company, the more likely he or she will report your email as Spam. 

• If you have more than one email address for certain contacts, pick just one and delete the rest.

• After you’ve cleaned out the undesirables and unnecessaries, copy and paste just the email address column into a separate worksheet, and use this cool tip I learned from Mailchimp to clean out any leftover duplicates:  Click here to view the tip in PDF format (you might want to save it).

Automated Slashing:  Use this 2-step method to  further clean up your list:

STEP 1: Get rid of bad/invalid email addresses by using an email address verifier.  An email address verifier (a.k.a. email validator) is a tool you can import your list into, which tests each email address’ validity by connecting directly to its SMTP server and checking it for you. Nothing is sent to the recipient.

Try Dynamic Email Validator or  Advanced E-mail Verifier - both are free.  Personally I prefer the latter, but the free version only allows you to run 100 addresses at a time, and doesn’t allow you to export the results.  Dynamic’s free version allows 500 email addresses at a time, and lets you save valid, invalid, and unconfirmed addresses as separate files.

Here’s what to do:

• Save your surviving email address list as a Text (tab delimited) file.  
• Import your list into an email address verifier, and run the software.
• Save the valid email addresses, and delete the rest

Note:  Email validators can’t verify free email addresses like Yahoo, Hotmail, Gmail etc, so don’t bother running those. You’ll have to save them for Step 2.  

STEP 2:  Send a WEEDING OUT email campaign to identify any other invalid addresses (they’ll bounce), and allow any uninterested contacts to unsubscribe before you send out your first real email promotion or newsletter. 

Here are a couple of “weeding out” email samples you can adapt to suit your own purposes:

• Tsukiji  ’Personal Invitation”  - sent to personal contacts of the owner
• San Francisco Cafe “Corporate Invitation” - sent to addresses from business cards collected at SFC outlets

(You can actually also just use a plain text email for this purpose.)

Important: To do Step 2 without making yourself crazy, I suggest you use email software or a hosted email service provider that allows for automated bounce handling and unsubscribes.  (See my previous post about ESP reviews for some suggestions. They all offer free trials.)

Is it a hassle?  YES!   But is it a waste of time?  Definitely NOT.  So start slashing away!