This is not a TEST

The Hunt
One of the most critical components for a successful email is getting it out the door and in to your customer’s inbox in a quick and timely fashion. Last-minute sales, special offers or time sensitive deals don’t have a long shelf life. That old adage, "Haste Makes Waste" is often overlooked and your rush to get your next campaign launched could possibly leave your customers guessing on what exactly just landed in their inbox.

The Skunk
Virgin America's fresh looking website and emails are smart and cleverly written - heck, they don't even service my departure point here in the Windy City and I still add to their open and click through rate. As a somewhat recent addition to the domestic low-cost airline industry (August 2007), it didn't take long before I had subscribed to their email program.

I've been holding on to this email "goody" for a few weeks. Let's just say that I've created and launched my fair share of email communications over the years so when this one hit my inbox with the subject line TEST preceding the planned subject line content (note fancy arrow and highlight below), I couldn't help but cringe when I thought about the flurry of internal emails that must have been waiting in the sender's email the next day. The little skunk below is most likely a result moving too quickly and not having a proper quality assurance testing process in place. Once the email is out the door, little can be done after it lands in the inbox. Ouch.

The Resolution Even with the best testing and QA procedures, mistakes do happen. What I've found is that these types of mistakes are often a consequence of circumventing the process when time is short. Make time in the production and launch process to systematically review all parts of the message. Take note of the following nuggets before you click send.

• Create, implement and adhere to a QA process/form. Reduce the risk of email errors by using a check list to proof your email messages. Whether you are an email team of one or of many, a QA form helps with tired eyes and can be your backup when there is a time crunch.
  
  
• Use a second set of eyes. Enlist the person in your office that is always correcting your internal correspondence. You know the one; they hit REPLY ALL and corrected your quick note letting everyone know that there was birthday cake in the break room. Seriously, a second set of fresh eyes can help catch a multitude of email errors. Find a backup stickler.
  
  
• Launch to an internal seed list first. Even after a thorough proofing round, there is bound to be someone who picks up on something that was overlooked. When possible, launch to your internal seed list and schedule your email to your recipient list only after some time for feedback and perhaps some good hearted ribbing.
  
  
• Don't push it – too much. We could all use another hour or two added to the day check off a few more of those to-do items. Set appropriate expectations for not only yourself but for others that have a say in your email program. Pushing back an email launch an hour or so to ensure that everything is correct can cause less grief than explaining why TEST was in your live subject line.
  

Oh, one last thing. Use caution when adding TEST to you subject line.

Motorcycles and Leather? I'm just not that girl!

The Hunt

There was no hunt folks - this one found me - these three to be exact. I was going about my day, minding my own business when on September 26th in popped a message with a subject line of M.C.A Hits Wall Street Journal with a from name of Motorcycle Charity Associates, Inc. - then I got hit again on the 28th with the subject line of Playboy Mansion History/Wall Street Journal and most recently on Tuesday the 30th I received Leather Meets Lace at the Playboy Mansion/This Weekend.

The Skunk

So while most days I would have just chalked it up to SPAM - it was the appearance of a theme/campaign that really caught my attention and drove me to do some research. There was NO WAY this was a legitimate email campaign...

...oh yes it is! If you visit the website, it is nicely built out and includes details around all of the charitable events and non-profit organizations that the MCA is affiliated with. Most notably, Generation Rescue the Autism foundation where Jenny McCarthy and Jim Carrey are board members. Don't get me wrong, the creative is awful, the targeting tactics they utilize are way off base and the frequency (every two days) is beyond annoying - but the real skunk here is the muse of email marketing best practices associated with their unsubscribe policy (which btw appears as an image...hello...anyone home).

The Resolution

Let's start with the most obvious points first and work our way back to the finer points.

1. Let's clean up your targeting tactics. One can only assume that my information was exchanged through some third party agreement somewhere in time. The only tie in I can think of may be the fact that I am a mother with small children and meet a certain income bracket - which may make me more apt to donate to an Autism organization. But being that same mother of three - I am certainly NOT likely to attend a Leather and Lace event at the Playboy mansion...no personal trainers and 40 hours a week to dedicate to getting this tushy back in shape! And let's not forget the obvious...I drive an SUV-not a motorcycle. I haven't been on a moving vehicle with two wheels (bicycle included) in years...let alone a motorcycle...
   
   
2. Identify yourself! Fine, you've decided to launch a campaign to a group of unsuspecting parties, at least identify yourself! Don't make me wonder why the h*ll I am receiving these email from you-be upfront and honest about where you got my information. Example: As a subscriber to , we thought you might be interested in helping to support Generation Rescue through this event hosted by Motorcycle Charity Associates.
   
   
3. Look legitimate for goodness sakes. If you actually take the time to link out of the email and hit the website it appears very credible, well put together and legitimate. The same cannot be said for the series of email messages I have received. Your email communications are a representation of your brand and the same care and attention should be paid to each one that you send as you would spend on perfecting your website or a print ad. I mean really - - I am somehow doubting the Jenny McCarthy wants her brand associated with this dribble I received (take a close look at the picture of Jenny McCarthy the used in the last message...couldn't get something more current without her autograph on it?)
   
   
4. Be Consistent. If you are going to send crap, keep the crap consistent at least. It looks like three different middle school kids threw these email messages together for you. This is where the notion of a template is novel. Develop the template once, make it good and just swap out the copy as necessary. C'mon!
   
   
5. Don't hide behind the muse of best practices! I really could go on forever about what is wrong with these messages - from the unsubscribe being part of an image to including header copy that asks me to confirm my interest is receiving email from MCA (which I have NEVER clicked, yet continue to receive email) but what chaps my tushy the most is that when you click the link to unsubscribe I am presented with some bull about Responsible Email Marketing...see below. Responsible - see points 1-4 and tell me what you think!

And wouldn't you know it! As I finish up this post...I just got another...*heavy sigh*

Images in Email Should Add Value

The Hunt

With three kids three and under, I am always looking for ways to keep myself and my family organized - which is no easy task. But some time ago I fell in love with The Container Store and frequent their website for ideas to accomplish this gargantuan task. I look forward to receiving their email because there is always something in there that ultimately helps me out - and in turn drives a purchase with them - their ultimate goal, I would hope. Recently I received a message that I was thrilled to open - the subject line was:

How to organize what's hot now!

Given my plight for organization I felt like they really knew me and were leveraging what they knew about my behavior to provide me exactly what I needed. Then I opened the message...

The Skunk

The message opens with a line stating, "You're a trendsetter." Ummmm....no. I have three small kids, unless juice stains are all the rage in Paris right now, I am the furthest thing from a trendsetter. But I do still like to keep my clothes looking nice, for the rare occasion I don something other than sweats and a t-shirt. So I move past the "trendsetter" label and take a look further to see how the trendy crowd keeps their clothes looking fabulous. But the only supporting image in the message is a shot of a t-shirt and a scarf. So now I am baffled - first is a t-shirt and scarf really setting trends this season? If so, maybe I AM a trendsetter after all! But my question is where is the product? It's not there, anywhere, see for yourself:

Just because you can stick any image you want in an email doesn't mean you should. Images in email should support the purpose of the offer and enhance the experience for the recipient. In the retail industry specifically, image usage typically exceeds best practice, but because it is a very visual and product driven market image-heavy messages still tend to perform very well. However, the images that are included are usually product shots or lifestyle shots that feature the product. This is neither, unless The Container Store recently started selling apparel and I didn't get the news.

The Resolution

I appreciate the approach, and the appeal to the trendy, with the copy of the message - but this could have been easily improved by including an image that demonstrated what really was hot in storing trendy clothes - like the puzzling image on the landing page that suggests you fold your white t-shirts and store them, individually, by day of week, in clear plastic letter trays that you would typically find in your office.

While I certainly don't have the time to be THAT organized - I found the out-of-the-box thinking refreshing and would have liked to actually see that in the email - instead of having to seek it out. The Resolution? Include images that support your message and feature your product!

Bad Customer Experience Cause Email Dis-Engagement

The Hunt

I had a birthday back in May (I still have them, yes) and received a gift card from my aunt (in Florida - I am in Indiana) from The Gap. I knew I had a flurry of summer birthday parties that I was going to be attending, so I had decided to jump online and order a few fun summer dresses with the card. After a lengthy search to find exactly what I was looking for, I was ready to check out. I entered the necessary information from the card and received a response that there were no funds on the card. I know this happens from time to time, so I didn't worry about it. I called my aunt to let her know, as she had spent real money on the card. She went to the store that afternoon and they said it had been resolved. I went back to the site to check out...again...and now found that there was only $0.01 on it. Clearly that wasn't right. I still wasn't upset because it appeared they were really trying to work with us.

The Skunk
But the appearance of cooperation was quickly gone! The next day, The Gap called my aunt and told her that they were no longer going to work with her on the issue as they believed I had used the card and was trying to rip them off. C'mon, really? Is this a problem they deal with frequently, or maybe it’s an issue with their staff issuing cards and using them before the recipient had a chance. Either way, I am now offended and no longer interested in doing business with The Gap.

The Resolution
So what does all of this have to do with email? More than you could know. Your email success is the culmination of your relationship with your customers. That experience results from every interaction, every touch point and every transaction a customer executes with you - and if those experiences are good, you tend to have a better relationship with your customer, and thus more loyalty. Email is a relationship channel - to realize true success with your email messaging, you need to have a solid, reciprocal relationship with the customer and if that relationship goes sour (think break-up) then every aspect of the relationship is compromised.

I no longer shop at The Gap - or Baby Gap - and I certainly don't read their email. I won't even open the email to unsubscribe from it. I just delete it. And will continue to because I don't feel it necessary to spend the time to open the message and scroll to the bottom to click the stinkin' link. No compelling subject line, no great offer, no specific creative format will change the fact that our business relationship is over.

The resolution? The customer IS always right - and every touch point can be negatively impacted - even your email. So if your email conversion isn't so hot - it may have less to do with your email strategy and more to do with your customer approach. Relationships are a two way street - don't forget it!

The Email Creep Factor

The Hunt

So, as you know, I've recently struck out on my own to launch The Email Advisor and in doing so found myself in the predicament of needing to get health insurance. So in lieu of talking to an insurance agent, I jumped on eHealthInsurance.com - filled out my information and waited to get my quote.

The Skunk

Within minutes of hitting submit, I received nothing short of a dozen email offers from independent agents offering me the best deal on my health insurance. That isn't entirely unusual - we are all used to auto responder emails and have even gotten used to ignoring them. I disregarded the emails and went on with my evening...then the phone rang. It was 9 PM on a Tuesday night. I didn't recognize the number, but had to pick it up so the ringing didn't wake up my sleeping children. It was a man. He said, "hey it's Tim," as if I know who Tim is. He proceeded to tell me that he noticed I submitted a request for information about health insurance and wanted to review all the details right then and there. I quickly hurried him off the phone as I began to worry that the call was coming from inside the house!

The Resolution
Look, we all know that big brother is watching in some way, shape or form. Our web browsing behavior, our search behavior, whether or not we've clicked a link or made a purchase is open game for targeting marketing messages. The key for marketers is to be discreet about it. Use that information to customize an offer or an experience and do not call direct attention to the creep factor. Had Tim taken a few minutes to read my application he would have seen that I have three kids - a three-year-old and fifteen-month-old twins and should have quickly realized that a 9 PM phone call was not a good idea. Needless to say, Tim did not get my business-and never will-sorry Tim!