Email Marketing Rules5 Embarrassing Subject Line Mistakes to Avoid
Posted on March 15, 2018
Subject lines are incredibly powerful. That’s because they are one of the first things that subscribers look at when they receive an email and are trying to decide whether to open it. The subject line is second only to your sender name in importance, as you’d expect with a permission-based channel like email.
Marketers are clearly aware of the power of subject lines, but their efforts are often inconsistent and their results mixed. This line of text is a hotbed of mistakes that can distract and confuse subscribers and be embarrassing for the brand.
Let’s discuss five such subject line mistakes, sharing numerous real-world examples along the way. We’ll also provide advice on how to avoid making these mistakes.
>> Read the full post on the Litmus blog
Holistic Email Marketing: The State of Retail Email Subscribe Forms in 2018
Posted on March 14, 2018
With GDPR going into effect in May, many brands are having to make changes to their email sign-up processes to become compliant. But since you’re touching all of your subscriber acquisition sources anyway, why not optimize them so that they perform better?
The State of Retail Email Subscribe Forms in 2018 from Holistic Email Marketing and Pure360 will help you benchmark your email signup process and identify opportunities to improve. The report examines the subscription practices of 80 retailers, and includes advice and commentary from me and Komal Helyer of Pure360, Jordie van Rijn of Emailmonday, Jo Crawford of Mr. Porter, Kate Barrett of eFocus Marketing, Ian Rhodes of Ecommerce Growth Co., and Ben Davis of Econsultancy.
The report includes interesting findings on email signup form fields, signup calls-to-action, and much more. It includes some particularly novel advice around email consent when unchecked boxes are a requirement.
I encourage you to check it out. You’ll be sure to find a few tactics that will help you with compliance and boosting your list growth.
>> Download the free report from Holistic Email Marketing
The Last Word on February 2018
Posted on March 9, 2018
A roundup of email marketing articles, posts, and tweets you might have missed last month…
Must-read articles, posts & reports
The Seven Hidden Measures Of Email Deliverability (MediaPost)
Are You Distracted by the Wrong Email Metrics? (Iterable)
The six challenges every email marketer must face (Econsultancy)
Insightful & entertaining tweets
Need more marketing budget? Here’s how to get it – https://t.co/X7Ydo4iQC4 pic.twitter.com/eSZo0tS0aS
— Mathew Sweezey (@msweezey) February 20, 2018
3. Having tried to get Gmail actions included for one of my previous companies, I know you’re going to need serious volume to get it allowed.
4. And BTW, Google turned down my actions application with potentially 5 unspecified reasons – they didn’t tell us which.— Becs Rivett-Kemm (@becskr) February 20, 2018
5. And as an “ESP for stores”, we’re not going to be able to get blanket permission to get it allowed for all our stores if we are the sending entity.
6. Basically it’s just another pointless gimmick— Becs Rivett-Kemm (@becskr) February 20, 2018
Friendly reminder to always look at your subject lines on mobile 🙃🙃🙃 #happyvalentinesday #subjectlines pic.twitter.com/PDNmE9TOLl
— Email Snarketing (@EmailSnarketing) February 14, 2018
Dear companies,iIt’s 2018. Start hiring designers who don’t live in your city. It’s okay, we can work remotely, I promise. We’ll figure it out together! It’s impossible to have ALL DESIGNERS live in LA/SF/NY…you don’t pay us enough.
— ✨Lindsay G✨ (@linzlovesyou) February 1, 2018
Noteworthy subject lines
Nike, 2/9 – Show your Team USA colors
Nike, 2/13 – Chloe Kim: On top of the world
Fans Edge, 2/21 – Root For Olympic Gold In The Right Gear
Chili’s, 2/8 – $35 Valentine’s Deal for Two
ModCloth, 2/9 – You don’t have to wait for Valentine’s Day…
Victoria’s Secret, 2/13 – READY FOR TOMORROW?
Godiva Chocolatier, 2/13 – Need Last-Minute Valentine’s Gifts? Our Stores are Open Late!
Clinique, 2/5 – Share the love. FREE kits for two with purchase.
J.Crew, 2/10 – Your winter getaway inspiration, this way…
Hayneedle, 2/9 – Still hibernating? Time for a new bed!
Hayneedle, 2/24 – Indoor/outdoor dining faves – are you in or out?
Olive Garden, 2/21 – Get 10% off all online orders through Sunday!
White House Black Market, 2/6 – We Think This Pant Is Pretty Perfect…
Banana Republic, 2/8 – Zero Gravity Denim: comfortable, contouring, lifting.
Brooks Brothers, 2/10 – Stretch Advantage Chinos 3 ways
Horchow, 2/10 – Gold Tones: On-trend looks you want now
AutoAnything, 2/25 – The Results Are In….Meet Our 6 Best Sellers
Saks Fifth Avenue, 2/24 – Obsessed with beauty? Discover our Beauty Rewards program
Pier 1 Imports, 2/15 – You’re invited to Sip & Shop!
Michaels, 2/28 – Set an Alarm: 3PM – Close Bonus Coupon + Get in on the Slime Trend
Crutchfield, 2/8 – Our guides to headphones, wireless surround sound & more
Saks Fifth Avenue, 2/15 – What our Fashion Director is packing for London Fashion Week
Uncommon Goods, 2/5 – Because Six Stars Isn’t a Thing
ASPCA, 2/13 – Send Your Kitty-gram Today!
New posts on EmailMarketingRules.com
Executive Summary: How to Overcome the Biggest Email Marketing Challenges of 2018
Posted on March 6, 2018
Do you know which email marketing challenges are holding your email marketing program back from achieving its full potential in 2018?
Litmus polled more than 600 marketers about eight major email marketing challenges—ranging from cross-channel coordination and strategy to data quality and metrics. But it’s not enough to simply recognize the challenges facing your email marketing program. You need a plan to address those challenges.
With this 11-page executive summary, you will…
- Understand the biggest challenges facing email teams
- See how challenges like poor coordination and inadequate tools impact email marketing success
- Get actionable advice on how to overcome each challenge
- Find detailed resources to share with your email team
>> Download the Executive Summary
Webinar Recording + Q&A: Email Tactics Customers Hate
Posted on March 5, 2018
There’s a disconnect in today’s email marketing technology. While some tactics are helping brands get closer to their customers, others are undermining their return on investment by pushing customers away.
For instance, 17% of brands are buying email addresses to grow their list and reach new prospects. However, many of those brands are among the 33% of brands that have been blocked and 15% that have been blacklisted in the past year.
In this webinar, I help you distinguish between the tools and tactics that improve your email program and those that hurt your program because they’re abusive and annoying. In addition to explaining why some of these tactics appear worthwhile on the surface, I discuss:
- Tools and services to avoid
- How to keep good tools from doing your program harm
- Using the right metrics to draw conclusions
Along the way, I share research, examples, and frameworks that will help you ensure you’re spending your marketing dollars on the right email tactics and technology.
>> Watch the recording, download the slides, and read the Q&A on the Litmus blog
Infographic: A Snapshot of the Email Professional
Posted on March 1, 2018
Nearly 3,000 marketers completed Litmus’ 2018 State of Email Survey, which explores how brands plan, build, approve, send, and measure the performance of their email campaigns.
In addition to fueling our State of Email Survey Research Series, those results provide a great portrait of today’s email professional, which we detail in the infographic below. Thanks again to everyone who took the 2018 State of Email Survey.
To see a snapshot of what our survey-takers look like in terms of demographics, work experience, and company information…
>> View the infographic on the Litmus blog
2018’s Email Marketing Priorities and Budget Changes
Posted on February 27, 2018
Personalization, automation, and A/B testing topped the list of 2018 email marketing priorities for brands, according to Litmus’ 2018 State of Email Survey of nearly 3,000 marketers. Other major email marketing priorities include optimizing the email creation workflow, exploring interactive email functionality, and growing analytics insights.
Those email marketing priorities are interesting in light of other research Litmus has done looking into the Top Email Design Trends for 2018 and The Biggest Email Marketing Challenges of 2018. They are also interesting when compared to planned budget changes across a range of email marketing activities.
For charts on email marketers’ priorities and budget changes for the year and a full analysis,…
>> Read the full post on the Litmus blog
Webinar: ‘Email Tactics Customers Hate’ on Mar. 1
Posted on February 15, 2018
There’s a disconnect in today’s email marketing technology. While some tactics are helping brands get closer to their customers, others are undermining their return on investment by pushing customers away.
In this webinar, I will share the research and advice that helps ensure you’re spending your marketing dollars on the right email tactics and technology. We will discuss:
- How to keep good tools from doing your program harm
- Tools and services to avoid
- Using the right metrics to draw conclusions
Email Tactics Customers Hate: And Why Brands Continue to Use Them
Mar. 1, 2018
1pm ET / 10am PT / 6pm GMT
Your presenter:
Chad S. White, Research Director, Litmus
Can’t make it on Mar. 1? Don’t worry. Register and you’ll receive the recording of the webinar.
>> Register for the free webinar
The Last Word on January 2018
Posted on February 5, 2018
A roundup of email marketing articles, posts, and tweets you might have missed last month…
Must-read articles, posts & reports
Why marketing technology is sucking the life out of the marketing profession ({grow})
How a Different From Name Can Hurt Your Engagement (Return Path)
Ten Tips for Giving More Effective Creative Feedback (The Optimization Shop)
Why Microsoft Email Spam Reports Are Increasing (SendGrid)
The Future of email marketing – 2018 edition (EmailMonday)
Pictureless perfect: how to build emails which look good when images are blocked (Display Block)
Email showdown: Verizon vs. AT&T vs. T-Mobile (Emma)
Microsoft using the List-Unsubscribe header (Word to the Wise)
Insightful & entertaining tweets
SuperMailQuest: An interactive email game by @otherside_uk https://t.co/61yds9oqJj #emailgeeks
— Kevin Mandeville (@KevinMandeville) January 4, 2018
Your child might be texting about coding html emails. Know the signs.
LMAO – Leave me alone Outlook
HTH – Huh? <th>?
BRB – Big rendering bug
TBH – That broke Hotmail
WTF – Writing tables forever
LOL – Looked Ok in Litmus
OMG – Only mangles Gmailapp#emailgeeks— Elliot Ross (@iamelliot) January 31, 2018
Just spent all afternoon mapping out a crazy automation that’ll end up having 37 queries…. and my brain feels very happy/fulfilled. #yayspreadsheets
— Email Snarketing (@EmailSnarketing) January 2, 2018
Has anyone pulled off Solitaire in an email yet? That’s when we’ll know interactive email has truly arrived.
— Alex (@alexcwilliams) January 9, 2018
Noteworthy subject lines
Anthropolie, 1/1 — Bonne année!
REI, 1/2 — What’s Your But?
FansEdge, 1/3 — Burn Off The Holiday Meals With New Workout Apparel!
Threadless, 1/1 — Get $15 New Year’s resolution designs!
katespade, 1/1 — i resolve to…celebrate every day.
Crutchfield, 1/1 — 18 cool products for 2018
Pier 1 Imports, 1/2 — Only the best under $20.18
J.Crew, 1/3 — 11 cozy new arrivals for 2018 (aka the Year of the Chill)
FansEdge, 1/5 — BURR! Break Out The Heavy Stuff!
REI, 1/18 — A Better Grip on Ice
Feeding America, 1/5 — East Coast families are blanketed in snow and ice. Help Now.
AutoAnything, 1/5 — Weather Alert = Sales Alert | Winter Essentials on Sale
Ninety Nine Restaurants, 1/5 — Chad, We’ve Got a Snow Day Special for You
Jetsetter, 1/5 — 10 Best Beaches to Visit in January
The North Face, 1/3 — Build your ultimate kit for the slopes…
Neiman Marcus, 1/11 — Pre-order spring looks now
Neiman Marcus, 1/18 — What to wear on Valentine’s Day
Victoria’s Secret, 1/28 — V-Day? More like ME-Day…
Crate and Barrel, 1/18 — 10 of our most popular sofas, now in XL.
Carnival Cruise Line, 1/24 — Get your grub on with this FREE recipe (video inside)
Sony Electronics, 1/5 — You Don’t Want to Miss CES This Year | Big News from Sony
Gander Outdoors, 1/10 — Shop the new GanderOutdoors.com
Make-A-Wish, 1/10 — Introducing the Make-A-Wish podcast – Listen now
Uncommon Goods, 1/20 — Strong Women Keep Marching
AutoAnything, 1/18 — If They Ask…“It Was on Sale”
Uncommon Goods, 1/8 — The most adorable email you’ll get all day
katespade, 1/10 — this bag will have you floating into the new year like…
New posts on EmailMarketingRules.com
Webinar Recording + Q&A: 2018 Email Marketing Kickoff
2018’s Biggest Email Marketing Challenges
6 Manipulative Email Tactics that Disrespect Subscribers—And Hurt Marketers
Webinar Recording + Q&A: 2018 Email Marketing Kickoff
Posted on January 31, 2018
Now is the ideal time for marketing teams to consider their email marketing planning for 2018. In an industry that’s constantly shifting as it adapts to consumer, business, and technological changes, setting the priorities for the months to come can be hard!
We’ll help you set the direction for your email marketing kickoff planning with our three-point plan:
- Assessing your email program to truly understand your audience and to capture what worked in 2017—and what didn’t
- Addressing challenges your team is facing
- Seizing opportunities to leverage the industry trends that can truly move the needle for your program
In the 2018 Email Marketing Kickoff webinar, Bettina Specht and I discuss each of those points. Along the way, we share research and advice that will help you set priorities and distribute resources the right way, so your team is set up for email success in 2018.
>> Watch the webinar on the Litmus blog
Welcome! Email Marketing Rules is your guide to understanding the best practices of this complex, often misunderstood channel as you craft the best executions for your brand. Every week, we’ll explore strategies and tactics, discuss tips and inspiration, and dig into industry news and trends.
Chad S. White
Head of Research
Oracle Digital Experience Agency
Author of Email Marketing Rules and nearly 4,000 articles about digital and email marketing
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