- I saw a campaign that mailed a 1MB file to a large list. That meant that all of the dial-up users were stuck waiting for 5-15 minutes for this one email to download. This means unsubscribes, and bad feelings
- I have seen a newsletter that went out on 3 consecutive days promoting the same sale
- I have gotten personalized emails that were wrong: “Dear Mr. Phil”
- I have gotten offers after the expiration date.
The important point here is to consider every email’s effect on the value of your newsletter. Well-written, timely editions will make your open rate and click rate rise. If you judge success solely on the sales that come from an edition you will miss the larger point: people enjoy patronizing their friends.
The second consideration we have concerns “Top of Mind.” We know that recency and frequency are the key factors in top of mind. We want to frequently get our name in front of the consumer with a nice feeling attached. This should be balanced with “over-sending.” We have noted that the second most common reason given for unsubscribing is “too frequent.” The lesson here is to speak when we have something worthwhile to say, or sit when we don’t.
The third consideration involves impulse, or the “get-off-the-sofa factor.” We try to give a reason in each campaign for the reader to visit the garden center. We have found that good reasons (new varieties, fresh fruit, beautiful flowers) are better than bad reasons (bugs, diseases, threats.) We make an art out of reframing negatives as positives.
The fourth consideration involves “FUD reduction.” We realize that the three horseman of a stalled sale are Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt. We like to frame things in a way that assures the reader that they are capable of doing this, and we will give them all of the tools to be successful. This is often accomplished through a printable guide, or through telling a story where someone else with the same skill level was able to be successful.
