The Point

AUGUST 16, 2019

Email preview text is that line of copy that appears below the subject line in the recipient’s inbox. For the reader, preview text provides another layer of information that helps that individual determine which emails to open and which to ignore (or mark as spam.) 5 Tips for More Effective Email Preview Text Click To Tweet.

Effectiveness 157

Effectiveness Tips Forrester CAN-SPAM 157

The Point

MARCH 7, 2019

Recently I was interviewed by the folks at Demand Gen Report as part of an article on current trends in email marketing , an article that you can read online here. With permission, a more complete version of the interview follows: (DGR) What trends are you currently seeing in B2B email marketing today? (HS) Direct mail? Chat bots?). (HS)

Deliverability 150

Deliverability Account Based Marketing ABM Demand Generation Agencies 150

The Point

MARCH 22, 2017

And yet if I were to choose the one thing that dooms more B2B email creative to mediocrity and worse, it would be just that: telling people stuff they already know. Most of the time, however, set-up paragraphs simply bog down the email in a recitation of facts (e.g. “As Everything, in other words, that this email is not.

Account Based Marketing 210

Account Based Marketing SIC ABM Demand Generation Agencies 210

The Point

JUNE 7, 2017

Most BDR emails that make it to my inbox (i.e. But, ever so occasionally, an email makes it through that immediately resonates, or at least grabs my attention. The email below (I’ve purposely omitted both the company and the rep’s name) is one such example. 5 key principles to an effective sales email via @spearmktg.

Best Practices 145

Best Practices Lead Ranking Sales Qualified Leads Account Based Marketing 145

The Point

OCTOBER 22, 2019

Congratulations: your last email campaign generated a really high click-through rate. Email bots. Acting as a spam filter, email bots prevent malicious emails from infiltrating mail servers by auto-clicking the links in incoming emails. and email campaigns become more pronounced. The culprit? Scary stuff.

Marketing Automation Services 127

Marketing Automation Services CAN-SPAM Click Rate Trigger Marketing 127

The Point

JULY 20, 2018

A client asks: “Can I use the landing page from an email campaign for online ads, say: search or LinkedIn, if it’s promoting the same asset?”. Therefore, the objective of an effective email landing page is to 1) validate that decision, and 2) not get in the way. Email landing pages should be short and sweet. via @spearmktg.

Landing Pages 113

Landing Pages Paid Search Agency Ads Cost Per Click 113

The Point

SEPTEMBER 23, 2016

In B2B email marketing , does short copy always win over long? You won’t see or find many shorter B2B emails than the one below from BounceX , a New York-based developer of “behavioral automation tools for digital marketers.” So, for example, BounceX could have led their email with something along the lines of: “At 1.4

Email Campaigns 100

Email Campaigns Campaigns B2B Advertising Agencies 100

The Point

MARCH 18, 2014

Over at marketing automation firm Marketo , CEO Phil Fernandez just wrote a full-throated rant against the evils of unsolicited email and purchased email lists used indiscriminately: “How does anyone think that these are sensible emails to send to the CEO of a fast-growing public company? Stop buying lists.

Demand Generation Agencies 100

Demand Generation Agencies Advertising Agencies Marketo Demand Generation 100

The Point

NOVEMBER 10, 2014

The header is one image, which means the majority of email readers (who turn images off by default) won’t even see the large Integra logo, the smiling man, or the quizzical headline. An effective B2B email immediately delivers the What (the offer), the Why (the key benefit), and the How (the call to action). So why should I care?

Email Campaigns 100

Email Campaigns Demand Generation Agencies Campaigns Copywriting 100

The Point

APRIL 22, 2016

By now we’ve all heard the statistics that as much as two-thirds of all email is opened or read on mobile devices. But no problem – you’re using responsive design for all your email campaigns, so you’ve got that covered, right? Offer email fulfillment so mobile users don’t have to download large files to their devices.

Design 100

Design Landing Pages Marketing & Strategy Mobile Marketing 100

The Point

JULY 16, 2015

Here’s a list of the things I love most about the email below from Allocadia , a Vancouver, BC-based developer of Marketing Performance Management (MPM) software: 1. And, as the primary offer, it’s front and center in the email, which (as readers of this blog will be tired of me preaching) is one of the keys to B2B email success.

CMO 100

CMO Paper Marketing Management Marketing Proposals 100

The Point

JANUARY 9, 2015

I was reminded of this principle earlier today when a colleague forwarded an email received from a inside sales representative at a technology company looking to partner with our agency. What I like so much about this email, besides its brevity and the catchy subject line, is how easy the rep has made it to respond. And dialog.

Demand Generation Agencies 100

Demand Generation Agencies Copywriting Cold Calling Telemarketing 100

The Point

APRIL 22, 2014

It’s not hard to imagine a time, probably in the not too distant future, when all marketing emails will be responsive by default. Today, however, depending on how mobile-centric your audience is, and given the additional resources, skills, time, and cost involved in responsive design, the decision to “go responsive” isn’t a slam dunk.

Design 100

Design Mobile Marketing Advertising Agencies Paid Search Agency 100

The Point

APRIL 23, 2015

A typical business user receives more than 100 email messages alone daily , many of us much more. As an illustration, take the email at right from AnyMeeting , a provider of web conferencing and webinar services, promoting an upcoming Webinar event. Just one problem: none of that information appears in the top one-third of the email.

Demand Generation Agencies 100

Demand Generation Agencies Design Advertising Agencies B2B 100

The Point

DECEMBER 5, 2023

A client asks: “We recently purchased a list of email addresses from a reputable vendor for use in a campaign targeting competitive installations. Senders who don’t adhere to the new regulations may get blocked, meaning their emails won’t reach Google or Yahoo users. How should we approach the campaign differently?”

Deliverability 162

Deliverability Rules Purchase Marketing Automation Services 162

The Point

SEPTEMBER 12, 2013

Email results not what they should be? Make sure that critical information (offer, key benefits, call to action – what, why, how) is “above the fold”, i.e. in the top left 2-4 inches (400-500 vertical pixels) of your email. Include a text link at the top of the email to give the recipient the option to view the email in their browser.

Email Campaigns 100

Email Campaigns Campaigns B2B Copywriting 100

The Point

JULY 25, 2014

At first glance, the email below from security solution provider Symantec seems engaging, attractive, and well-designed. Offer aside, the email is actually well-structured and easy to read. And indeed, it is all those things. From a lead generation perspective, however, the campaign is a hot mess.

Email Campaigns 100

Email Campaigns Design Campaigns Demand Generation 100

The Point

DECEMBER 3, 2013

What is more clear, based on the Webcast invitation I received this week (below), is that it hasn’t done much for Eloqua’s own email marketing. If you must include social links in your email invitation (we recommend against it), don’t make them so prominent that they compete with the primary offer. Here they take up the entire footer.

Webcast 100

Webcast Eloqua B2B Thought Leadership Webinar Metrics 100

The Point

JANUARY 19, 2016

As just one example of where automating sales emails had far from the intended effect, take this recent rant posted on LinkedIn: “As if spray-and-pray emails from marketing automation wasn’t bad enough … now we have BDR follow-up email spam. Most lead follow-up emails have none of the above. And I agree. Well, Mr./Ms.

Marketing Automation Services 80

Marketing Automation Services Marketing Management Software Copywriting 80

The Point

JUNE 20, 2012

The success of an email campaign depends on a number of variables, chief amongst them the quality of your list and the attractiveness of the offer. The growing adoption of marketing automation systems is empowering B2B marketers to develop, produce, and execute email campaigns more efficiently, and more effectively, than ever before.

Template 100

Template Tips Landing Pages Marketo 100

The Point

JANUARY 21, 2014

I received an email recently from Kevin Payne, Senior Director of Field Marketing at customer service software provider [24]7. Kevin writes: “Below is one of our most successful email campaigns. The revised email can be seen in the second thumbnail to the right. Thanks again for your advice!”.

Demand Generation Agencies 100

Demand Generation Agencies Advertising Agencies Campaigns Marketo 100

The Point

DECEMBER 16, 2011

It was only a few years ago that I would have told any client who asked (and many did) that it was never a good idea to purchase an email list, and that moreover, any list of email addresses that was available for purchase was by definition compiled through nefarious means and not worth the risk. That was then. Bulk Rental/Co-Branded.

De-duping 100

De-duping Buy InsideView Broadcasting 100

The Point

JANUARY 8, 2013

An effective email campaign has one goal and one goal only: getting the reader to respond to your campaign. An email that focuses on the product, or the company behind it, or the brand, will simply read like a product brochure. But of course, the email is nothing of the sort – and so this call-out is simply a distraction.

Product 100

Product Email Marketing Cross-Selling Paper 100

The Point

JANUARY 13, 2015

Since email continues to be a dominant channel for most B2B marketers, let me suggest that a good candidate for #1 on your “to do” list for 2015 is to improve the way you measure email campaigns. Unless you’re measuring true email performance – no change you make to copy, design, mobile-friendliness, offer, deliverability, etc.

Lead Ranking 100

Lead Ranking Marketing Qualified Leads ROI Sales Qualified Leads 100

The Point

APRIL 23, 2013

Two email campaigns that arrived in my inbox recently serve as useful illustrations of how best to promote informational content. The other, from email marketing software provider ExactTarget , drives action by communicating the value of the content in concise, compelling language. Using email to promote content?

Email Campaigns 100

Email Campaigns Campaigns Copywriting Demand Generation 100

The Point

OCTOBER 12, 2011

Within the first few sentences of the email (headline and sub-head included), the reader should understand: What the offer is, Why he/she wants it, and How to get it. Every ounce of email copy should be dedicated to driving action, i.e. getting the reader to respond. It means absolutely nothing. Be specific, be tangible.

Copywriting 100

Copywriting Paper Webinar Metrics Marketing Management 100

The Point

OCTOBER 20, 2011

There’s a lot to like about the email below received last week from Radian6 , makers of social media monitoring tools (and recently acquired by Salesforce.com.) Even with images turned off, the only things missing in this email are the illustration and the company logo at top left.). This is content marketing, pure and simple.

Email Campaigns 100

Email Campaigns Salesforce.com Campaigns Demand Generation 100

The Point

JULY 14, 2011

Is your lead generation email ready for primetime? Sure, your product may be wonderful, but the reason people respond to emails is because they want the offer: the white paper, the Webinar, the information kit. Do you make the reader wait until the end of the email before telling him or her how to respond? Get to the Point.

Creativity 100

Creativity B2B Verticals Paper 100

The Point

SEPTEMBER 11, 2012

Take the email below from LogMeIn , a company that markets live chat software as well as remote connectivity, collaboration, and support solutions. If you remove the three instances where the email instructs the reader to “download now,” there is no other verbiage whatsoever that is designed to drive action.

Email Campaigns 100

Email Campaigns Campaigns Demand Generation Broadcasting 100

The Point

JUNE 14, 2011

Case in point: the email to the right, which arrived in my inbox a few days ago. Is this an email design to make art directors swoon? The email would open just as strongly if it started with: “Did you know that over 64% of decision-makers …”. Is the copy cool, clever or otherwise “creative” by most standards?

Marketo 100

Marketo Email Campaigns Campaigns Advertising Agencies 100

The Point

DECEMBER 28, 2010

My point is this: in lead generation, and in email marketing in particular – don’t ask people if they have the problem you can solve. The problem with asking any kind of Yes/No question in an email is that you put the onus on the reader to decide whether he/she should consider reading further. Just tell them how to solve it.

Email Marketing 100

Email Marketing Lead Generation Paid Search Agency Lead Scoring 100

The Point

NOVEMBER 26, 2012

If the secret to success of an effective email subject line is to grab the attention of someone with a potential interest in your product or service, you can be forgiven for thinking that the simplest way to determine that interest is to ask a Yes/No question. Excerpted from the Spear white paper: “ Top 10 B2B Email Marketing Mistakes.”.

Paper 100

Paper Email Marketing Software B2B Marketing 100

The Point

JANUARY 13, 2012

There’s a lot to like about the email campaign I received (image below) recently from Infusionsoft , a maker of sales and marketing automation software for small businesses. Fulfill your offer via email. As I wrote previously in this space , sending the prospect the offer via email (vs. What would I change?

Email Campaigns 100

Email Campaigns Campaigns Practices Fulfillment 100

The Point

APRIL 29, 2011

Can a campaign about how to improve email design be a prime example of how NOT to design an email? If it’s the campaign below, received this week from Lyris , an email marketing software company, the answer is (in the view of this blogger): yes. Now to the email itself. Here, they’re just topics, and fall flat.

Email Campaigns 100

Email Campaigns Campaigns Bandwidth Fulfillment 100

The Point

SEPTEMBER 16, 2010

Most of that resurgence is due to the benefits of using direct mail on its own merits, but there’s another factor: the greatly diminished effectiveness of rented email lists. But the biggest advantage of third party opt-in email lists was cost. Email campaigns were still a fraction of the cost of direct mail.

Opt-out 100

Opt-out Opt-in Response Rate Demand Generation 100

The Point

APRIL 19, 2012

As any regular reader of this space will know, I am a fierce evangelist for the “sell the offer, not the product” approach to B2B email creative. On that score, there’s a lot to like about the email campaign below from CallidusCloud , a leading provider of cloud-based business software solutions. Here’s what else I like: 1.

Lead Scoring 100

Lead Scoring Lead Ranking Paper Verticals 100

The Point

NOVEMBER 9, 2010

I’ve praised Adobe’s marketing design before in this space, and the email below is yet another example of how a well-constructed brand standard can work equally well across multiple media. Here it only appears at the bottom of the email. Introduce the call to action earlier.

Webcast 100

Webcast Advertising Benchmark Email Campaigns Case Studies 100