Email Advice…From Lady Gaga?

Sometimes inspiration comes from the strangest places. On my way to work today, Lada Gaga radio on Pandora was straight killing it. As I seat-danced my way into the office, I started thinking about what an awesome businesswoman Gaga is.

In the interesting way that my brain sometimes works early in the morning, I exclaimed at a red light, "Lady Gaga is the perfect email marketing advisor!" to no one in particular.

I know what you're thinking. She's totally brilliant, but what could Lady Gaga possibly have to do with email marketing? Stick with me for a few, I promise the similarities are there.

Sure, she's a world famous pop star and all, but Lady Gaga's work ethic and business techniques apply to so many industries besides music. Quirky and one of a kind, the girl can do no wrong. Follow this advice and you can have a #1 hit too: your email campaign!

+ Take Risks: Don't be Afraid to Change

Early in her career, Gaga (known then as Stefani) was just your average brunette. There was nothing earth-shatteringly eccentric about the New York City native. She wore clothes from Abercrombie and generally fit in with the crowd until realizing that being average wasn't enough to get noticed.

Just because you've had the same web form on your sign up page for 2 years and your plain text email has a consistent open rate doesn't mean that you should always stick to what you know.

What if changing to HTML causes a significant boost in loyal readers? What if asking for less information on your web form causes more people to sign up to your newsletter? Give it a try - switch things up! Then split test and find out what truly works for you. Don't know what to test? Here are a few split test ideas to get you started.

+ Set Yourself Apart From the Crowd

In a musical sense, Lady Gaga set herself apart from the crowd from the get-go. Amidst a sea of cookie cutter pop princesses, Gaga made a name for herself by being daring, unique and multi-talented. Did you know that she writes all of her own music and is a classically trained pianist?

In order to make an impact with email marketing, you have to be different. If you set out to be like everyone else in your industry that sends email, you won't have the greatest results.

What are your talents? What is it that your business is especially good at that other companies cannot come close to? Focus on your strengths - they are the core of a successful campaign, and they're different for everyone.

+ Embrace Your Fans

Lady Gaga is quite humble when it comes to the influence her fans have on her success. She credits them, her self-dubbed "little monsters," with much of her mainstream popularity. She even went so far as to tattoo "Little Monsters" on her arm!

While you don't have to be as zealous as Gaga (explaining a tattoo of your list name to your grandkids could prove to be a tad difficult), remember that your list would be nowhere if it weren't for your subscribers.

If you've been sending email for a while, or even if you're just starting out, you have a group of people rooting for you - your very own "little email monsters!" Show them your appreciation for your by offering a giveaway or hosting a contest only open to people on your email list.

+ Learn From Other Stars

Like many creative performers, Lady Gaga turns to the bands she has always loved when she's looking for inspiration. (Powerhouse artists like David Bowie, Queen, Madonna, Michael Jackson and Elton John are her biggest influences.) Looking to the past and observing what other heavy-hitters are up to is a good idea no matter what industry you're in.

In order to easily monitor what other email marketers are sending and how often they're sending it, create a free email account with a service like Gmail, Yahoo or Hotmail. Sign up for newsletters from similar companies and brands that you admire, then make note of the things that you're particularly impressed with. Next time you're sending an email, you can include them too!

+ How Does Your Campaign Fare?

Is your relationship with your email campaign more a Love Game or a Bad Romance? (Couldn't help it...just had to make the reference eventually!)

Let us know how you shake things up and set yourself apart from the crowd in the spirit of all things Gaga. We'd love to hear from you!

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Via: Inbox Ideas

Threadless’ Frequency Alert: Hot or Not?

Did your New Year's resolution involve overhauling your email marketing campaign?

Maybe you resolved to get on the ball and send more often. Or maybe you suspect you've been overwhelming your readers, so you plan to send less.

Either way, you've got some decisions to make. Do you tell your readers to expect the change in frequency? If you do, where, when and how do you tell them?

Let's take a look at how Threadless handled a recent frequency change. Would you do things the same way?

Awesome Emails: California Tortilla

Every week, a group of hungry AWeber workers pile into cars at precisely 12:02 on Tuesday afternoon. We quickly buckle up and head to the nearest California Tortilla for what has become a weekly lunchtime tradition: Taco Tuesday

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It all started on a whim, really. Our web designer Bob had a hankering for a burrito and his partner-in-crime Eric suggested California Tortilla. Soon enough, developers and CS members caught on and began to tag along

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One day, as sometimes happens when you work for an email marketing company, the lunchtime conversation turned to the topic of email. "Dude, California Tortilla sends me awesome emails," Eric stated mid-bite.

Dude, awesome? After such a bold claim, I had to see these "awesome" emails. Skeptical, I asked Eric to forward them to me when we got back to the office so that I could see for myself. He was right! Their emails are pretty awesome and they include easy things that you can do so that your email marketing campaigns are awesome, too.

Send an Informative Welcome Email

When you dine at California Tortilla as much as we do, it's beneficial to become what they call a Burrito Elito, or a card carrying member of their loyalty reward program. From the moment you sign up, they shake up your inbox with fun and informative emails about your account.

Their welcome message is particularly engaging, because it does a few important things that every email campaign should do. It clearly explains:

• What they will receive: The first email summarizes exactly what members will receive as Burrito Elitos.
• How they will receive it: The message explains how members can redeem their reward points in the restaurant of their choice.
• When they will get further messages: They explain that subscribers can expect to receive further emails from California Tortilla on a monthly basis.

Offer Free Stuff

Part of the reason that we go back to California Tortilla every Tuesday is their rewards program. After a few trips, each of us earns enough points to enjoy a lunch for free.

When we're close to receiving a free burrito, Cali Tort sends us a reminder via email to let us know that we have free goodies coming our way. Giving freebies via email is a great way to build a loyal subscriber base. If it's something you're interested in doing, you should always:

• Make sure the giveaway is relevant to your list: If you sell men's shoes and you're giving away a pair of high heels, chances our your subscribers will stop taking your messages seriously.
• Write up a quick guide to your industry or offer a free sample: As long as your free gift is relevant to the content of your newsletter, it's the perfect incentive for prospects who might be on the fence about signing up.

Send Birthday Messages

While lots of businesses send birthday emails, California Tortilla's message is extra sweet. On your birthday, you get a free burrito! In our office, this is a big deal and grants the birthday girl or boy bragging rights for the day.

Sending a special message to your subscribers at the beginning of their birthday month, you can really catch them by surprise with a personal touch by:

• Offering an exclusive coupon or discount: When sending a Birthday gift, remember to send something that's actually of value to your subscribers. Something that really says thank you for being a subscriber, please come back!
• Boosting return business throughout the year: Perhaps your subscribers visited your store or restaurant earlier in the year and signed up for your email list, yet haven't been back since. Birthday emails get them back in the door and encourage return business throughout the year.

Why Do California Tortilla's Emails Work?

As you can see, their emails aren't intricately designed. In fact, each one contains only an image or two and some text. Their content is what makes their series a success - they infuse personality into each message.

California Tortilla has fun with their subscribers and the playful atmosphere of their restaurants carries over to their emails. After all, subscribers don't want to read emails that sound too corporate or too impersonal. They want to know that companies are human, too.

Do your emails set the tone? Are they playful and welcoming? We'd love to know! Tell us more in the comments below.

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Origin: Inbox Ideas

For Relevant Email, Keep It Current

In today's absolute hailstorm of buy-this-now messages, how do you write a marketing email that will actually get noticed?

Generic discount alerts and %-off offers won't cut it. Everyone sends those. Dull and disconnected from any audience, they might as well be churned out of an ad factory.

Instead, focus on connecting with your readers. Show that the solution you're offering is right for their needs, because you understand those needs - you're right there with them, experiencing the struggles and joys of these times.

And how do you do that?

Whether it's the long-awaited rescue of the Chilean miners or the finale of Dancing With the Stars, your subscribers are always talking about something. Talk about it with them, and suddenly you're their buddy at the water cooler and they're all ears.

Not quite sure how to pull this off? Well, we recently stumbled upon a few emails that did this well. And if you promise not to copy them exactly, we'll share them so you can get your own ideas flowing...

Goodness knows there were plenty of ways to get creative with Christmas emails, but even with the holidays past, there's plenty nto talk about. If they hear it from you first, they'll be impressed. Plus, they'll appreciate the fact that they're now in the know.

Here, Mike's Cigars frames their wares in terms of the new NASA project. Readers get two perks: a discount and a topic for lunchtime conversation. Next time Mike's emails, they'll be twice as likely to open for more.

If your readers are observing Election Day - well, so are you! They won't be able to help but notice when your message reflects what's already on their minds.

Gourmet gift store Harry and David wanted to showcase all the available varieties of their trademark snack mix. So they presented each as a contender in their own electoral race.

While the voting took place on Facebook, the main body led back to an order page - always a good place for readers to go.

Cocktail parties, the office water cooler, your email campaign...no matter where you are, the weather is always a relevant topic.

Barnes & Noble knows this. During a recent snowstorm in the Northeast United States, they sent subscribers in that region a very appropriate offer.

First of all, B & N knew we were snowed in - impressive from the start. Secondly, they provided something for us to do (other than e-shop). And finally, in case non-Nook-owning subscribers felt left out (which I did), they offered other ways to read the e-books. Who could resist?

What's going on in the next month? Check a calendar. Check the news.

Does anything you see tie in naturally with your business? Is anything especially fitting for a celebration with your subscribers? Or is an upcoming event the perfect launch for that new product? Stay on the lookout!

And if current event emails just don't work for your brand, here are six other techniques you can try.

How do you make your emails more relevant? Tell us below - we want to hear your stories!

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Hat Tip To: Inbox Ideas

Thinking of Buying an Email List?

Dear Email Marketers, You do know this is a bad idea, right? What? You don't?

Maybe you're new to the email marketing community. Or maybe you've been chatting with the Wrong Sort of Marketers.

And maybe you believe the promise that these leads specifically requested information just like yours.

News flash: they didn't.

It's time to set the story straight. Here's what's really going on.

Think about it - have you ever requested that your email address be spread far and wide so you could get a slammed with a ton of new, random email offers?

Yeah. Neither has anyone else. And yet list vendors have huge databases of names and email addresses. So the question is...

Basically, any address left lying around the web can end up in those databases.

Vendors scrape them off old lists. They pick them off web sites. They collect contact lists from conferences. They advertise free products, then stockpile the information that respondents provide.

Which means the people you're emailing may not be remotely interested in your topic. And even if the vendor did use legitimate subscription tactics, none of these people expect to hear from you.

Some of you are nodding - you see the problem.

Others are rolling their eyes, thinking,"Yes, but I need customers," your fingers itching to toggle back over to that list supply site.

Well, keep those fingers steady for one more minute. The problem won't just be your recipients' - it'll be yours, too.

Sending to a bulk list might not mean a one-way ticket to the spam house - the first time, at least. But it will at a minimum mean a lot of unpleasantness. Here's why:

1. The addresses on those lists get sold to all kinds of marketers. So they get all kinds of mail. So, they lodge all kinds of spam complaints. If ISPs like Gmail and Hotmail notice, they might put you on a blacklist, blocking your emails from all their users in the future.
2. Because of the way these lists are compiled, many of the addresses you receive will be misspelled, abandoned or non-existent. When a big chunk of your emails goes to such addresses, ISPs, again, might notice. Again, they might block all future emails from you. List merchants know this. It's such a sure thing, they even offer a refund of credit for those addresses up-front.
3. And if you're sending through an email service provider and you get blocked, other messages they send from the same IP address could also be blocked. So you'll actually find that no reputable ESP will let you import a purchased list anyway.
4. Finally, let's talk sales. Aren't they the ultimate purpose of your emails? Unprepared recipients aren't likely to think, "Oh gosh, I was just hoping for yet another offer from a company I don't know! Let me click over to their site and buy something!" If you were hoping to sell to this list, you might want to adjust your expectations.

So yes, perhaps you'll have a very large list for a few minutes. But after the bounces, spam complaints and lack of response, you're likely to find yourself worse off than when you started.

Plus, you'll be associated with spam. Is that how you want to spend your marketing budget?

Okay, you're saying. I get your point. But I still need to make sales, and I need people to sell to.

We get that. So we've written up lots of ideas for building your list. They're simple, they're above-board, and they work.

In the words of our Import Specialist, Chase Kramer, "What's really important isn't sending to a bunch of people that aren't all that interested and hoping for a few sales. It's positioning yourself so that a month from now, a year from now, two years from now and beyond, the sales are coming to you."

And beyond the sales, you'll find you have something immeasurably valuable: a list of people who are truly interested in what you have to offer - your own village of customers.

Sincerely,

Amanda & the AWeber Team

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Credit: Inbox Ideas

Social Media vs. Email: a Look at Commitment

Social Media. Email marketing. Both are mediums through which you talk to people, people who are interested in what you have to say.

We've posted about the relationship of Facebook and Email, and about how it is important to use all forms of communication to get the word out to people who will listen about your business.

But are all listeners created equal?

Meet Us at MarketingSherpa’s 2011 Email Summit

AWeber will be at MarketingSherpa's Email Summit from Monday 1/24/11 until Wednesday 1/26/11. If you're headed to the conference, we'd love to meet you. Amanda and I (Justin) are going, so keep a look out for us or drop @aweber a line on Twitter. If you're not going to be there, you can keep up with what's happening and the data and lessons being shared, by following the #SherpaEmail hashtag on Twitter. Hope to see you there!

Credit: Inbox Ideas