James Doan - Just Minding My Own Business

Today email is a primary mode of communication for both personal and professional interactions. However, the effectiveness of email communication can be undermined by the lack of clarity in the sender's name and subject line. This can lead to emails being swiftly deleted or overlooked, affecting the intended purpose of the communication. Many individuals start their day by scanning through their emails with a quick finger on the delete key, discarding messages from unrecognized senders or those with generic or obscure subject lines. When a company includes the name of an unfamiliar individual in the "from" field and presents a subject line that lacks clarity, it runs the risk of being overlooked or dismissed.

Let's talk about language, shall we? It's funny how a few words strung together can make or break our day. I mean, we've all been there - receiving an email that promises the world, only to open it and find out it's just another marketing ploy. Take this recent email I got from Kobo, for example. The subject line read "New Kobo releases, just for you," and inside it said, "Picked just for you. We think you'll love these reads." Now, as a long-time Kobo member, I was excited to see what they had in store for me. But as I scrolled through the book selections, I couldn't help but wonder, "What gives? These books have nothing to do with my reading history."

A few days ago, I received an email that I almost deleted.  I didn't recognize the sender, and the subject line, “Introduction,” didn't explain much.  But when I did read it, I discovered it was from an associate who has occasionally posted a reciprocal link.  He said he'd contact me—no charge—to suggest things I could do to make my listing perform better.  This offer has high value for me. He might reveal tips about the site's customer behaviour that I wasn't aware of. Analyzing his email, I identified three points to improve any business email.  

Email personalization has long meant robotically inserting your customer's name into the subject line.  A research report from Yes Lifecycle Marketing shows, however, that personalization can be far more meaningful. Marriott used an email subject line like "You're 2 nights away from Silver Elite status" to members of its rewards program. Other subject line personalizations in the report include the recipient's insurance expiration date, their favoured sports team, the car make and model owned, or the name of the company representative the customer had dealt with.

Have you ever considered why SPAM has caused such a public backlash compared to the deafening silence from its unsolicited paper cousins of direct and junk mail? People seem to care a lot more about what enters their Inbox than their letterbox. And for the word “care” think about logical substitutes of “notice”, “read” and “respond”. All this translates into campaign results that can surpass other forms of direct communication, making it an ideal cost-effective option for any small business owner. And what’s more, as a small business owner, the odds are stacked in your favour to become budding email marketing superstars.