VerticalResponse Email Marketing Blog for Small Business

Nailed Your Copy? Think Again.

My team and I produce a lot of content for VerticalResponse. In doing so, I also edit a ton of copy. Sometimes after reading the same content for what seems like the millionth time, I have a "Eureka!" moment. In these moments, copy that I have read and re-read, or wrote and rewrote, takes on a new perspective, or I see it though a different filter and everything changes (much to the chagrin of my team). You may have encountered this yourself when you had copy that you'd been using fairly successfully and felt pretty good about. Then one day, someone comes along and reads it, asks you a question, or points something out that you never thought of and, "Eureka!"

So if you're fairly happy with your copy, and the results you're getting from said copy, then good for you. But, if you want to get even better results, then maybe it's time to take your copy, turn it on its head, and have your own "Eureka!" moment.

Most recently, I was re-editing some emails we send to folks who're participating in one of our free VR Social trials (you can get one of your own here). Some of the messages were time-based and referenced the fact that the trial would expire in "X" number of days. I focused specifically on the subject lines of these messages, which included a "countdown" until the trial ended. While this was great for driving a sense of urgency and giving the user a reason to take action, it became clear the messages sounded threatening and off-putting, considering we were "giving" a free trial.

Previously, we were reinforcing: "Your free trial is ending in 60 days," "Your free trial is ending in 30 days," "Your free trial is almost over." The messages continued with these "threats" and I felt like I'd been hit over the head with a bat. What were we trying to do? Bully our users? Of course not. So I took the copy and turned it on its head. I made a few simple changes and completely changed the tone going from the negative to a more positive, action-oriented subject line.

Here are the BEFORE subject lines:

Here are the AFTER subject lines:

These email subject lines are still being tested, but what's your marketing hunch? Will they beat the original versions?

What other copy flips can you perform? Consider the following:

• Short copy vs. Long copy
• Benefit copy vs. feature copy
• Email solo vs. a series of emails
• Single idea subject lines vs. multi-topic subject lines
• Conversational tone vs. business tone
  

Ultimately, you need to match your copy and tone to what is appropriate for your business and industry, but sometimes it's also nice to do something a bit unexpected to see what happens. We recently created an 'out of the ordinary' series of promotional emails and used food as the inspiration. We had fun creating catchy subject lines that would really pop in the inbox. For example, the first email put combined email marketing and cupcakes...(really).

Here's a glimpse:

In the subject line (circled in red) we pushed the limit with our quirky, "Hey Cupcake" greeting. Turned out that we got some great replies including, "That's Mr. Cucpake to you!" So in this case, our customers responded to the playful tone and also responded to the offer with hundreds of purchases made. Talk about the icing on the cake!

How can you see your copy through a new filter? What changes can you make? I'd love to hear in the comments!

 

Posted by Kim Stiglitz.

Kim Stiglitz is the Director of Lifecycle Marketing at VerticalResponse. Connect with her on Twitter at @Stiggy1.

Subject Line Length - Is Longer Better?

I've spent years in the trenches of email marketing cranking out my fair share of messages. Hence, I've also done a heck of a lot of testing around the basics, including subject line length. For years, we lived and breathed the golden rule of "keep your subject line to 40-50 characters." Why? Most email browsers cut off anything longer, and that put the kibosh on your open rate.

Fast-forward to 2012 and a few things have evolved in the wild world of email marketing, including devices we use to read email, like mobile phones and tablets, and the emails we receive, like flash sales (which have the longest subject lines known to man). So, does your subject line length need to evolve too? Let's examine some facts first:

In a recent article on the EmailAudience blog, Jordie van Rijn cites a study from Adestra in which nearly a billion email marketing messages were analyzed. The study shows some thought-provoking results which vary pretty drastically between messages targeted at businesses (B2B) and consumers (B2C). According to the article and study, "in B2B emails, longer subject lines work better than shorter subject lines. Also when looking at the number of words. Subject lines with 6–10 words will drive open rates, but don’t deliver the clickthroughs. In the report 6-10 word subject lines are advised for awareness emails that don’t necessarily have a direct need for a call to action to click.

After 130 characters, there is a drop of the open rates, but also a huge increase in the number of clickthroughs. Anything over 16 words can deliver on both opens and clicks."

And the study further notes, "The differences in B2C are much bigger than in B2B. Subject lines with 3-5 words appear to have a very bad effect on open and clickthrough rates. Subject lines with 3 or 4 words perform around 40% worse than average both in open rate and in clicks.

The subject lines with over 80 characters do hugely better in B2C email marketing. It seems to be that making your subject line stand out, is ever important. A long subject line can do just that in B2C, with the added information and length to account for higher open and clickthrough rates. A 20-word subject line appears to be the real champion in this research, with a 115% uplift in opens and 85% uplift in clicks."

Does this mean that all your B2B email subject lines should be long, and all your B2C emails should be 20 words? Nope. That would be far too easy, and it's truly not all about how long or short your subject line is, but also about how targeted your email is to your audience. As with many things, one subject line length does not fit all, or even most. But, the good news is your subject line is one of the single fastest and easiest things you can test in an email.  

Inspired by daily deal sites and our own desire to provide more context, we recently began testing longer subject lines for our weekly VR Buzz newsletter. Like many of you, we struggle to pick just one topic from the newsletter we think will resonate with most of our readers. So, we started using longer subject lines like the following:

In this example, we made the subject line longer (using about 67 characters) and included 2 topics vs. just one, as we'd done in the past. Over a nine-week period, we saw about a 1% improvement in open rates from our most engaged subscribers. This isn't earth-shattering, but what's interesting is that it led to a marked improvement in our CTRs (clickthrough rates) - an improvement of nearly a percent and a half. To make things really interesting, the longer, multi-topic subject line newsletters also produced significantly higher revenue (ca-ching!). So, what seems to be hitting the mark for us, is not just the length, but also the multi-topic inclusion.

How can you make your subject lines hit the target with your readers? It might be time to try multi-topic subject lines or to test out the length. Longer may be better for the new iPhone 5, but will it get results for your subject line?

 

Posted by Kim Stiglitz. 

Kim Stiglitz is the Director of Lifecycle Marketing at VerticalResponse. Connect with her on Twitter at @Stiggy1.

How to Create a Successful Email from Head-to-Toe

Ever wonder what makes an email look great and work successfully? You probably have, we get this question a lot. To help answer that question we’re going to go through an email from head-to-toe and point out components that will give you a successful email.

Let’s start at the top:

From Label – This should be your company name, as most people will recognize your company more quickly than say, your personal name, and since you have just a few seconds to get someone to open your email, you want quick recognition.

Subject Line - Once your reader understands who sent the email, the subject line is what will entice them to open it. Write something catchy or interesting, but also informative (easier said than done, right?) Check out our free Savvy Subject Line Writing for Success guide for help!
 

Background – Use an email background color or pattern that's easy on the eyes. The colors in the example below aren't too bright, dark or distracting. Using black text (dark gray is good too) on a white background is the easiest to read.

Social Sharing – Make it easy on your recipients to share your email socially. These buttons are built into our system so they’re easy to add, plus you can put them anywhere in your email.

Pre-header – We can’t talk about this enough! Some email programs (including iPhones) pull the first line of text in the email into the subject line. Take advantage of this feature to get better open rates.

Table of Contents – If you have a longer email, include a table of contents to show your readers the great info found further in your email.

Links – Give your reader lots of opportunities to get to your website and do what you want them to do. Link your images, text, pre-header, buttons, etc. Plus, link clicks are tracked, so this will give you more insight into your recipient’s interests.

Industry News – Including blog posts, third-party articles, statistics, and industry news that's relevant to your business and recipients will keep your email readers engaged. Plus, your readers will look at you as a knowledgeable resource - Just make sure to give appropriate source credit.

Keep in Touch – Include several ways to get in touch with your company, including a direct email link. If you have a brick-and-mortar store, also include business hours. And, with the holidays rapidly approaching, it’s a good place to list any special holiday hours.

Forward to a Friend – Including this link will allow your readers to share your great content with their friends or colleagues. And anyone who receives an email forwarded this way will have the option to be added to your mailing list - An easy and free way to keep your list growing.

Two things I would add to the already great email example above:

Call-to-Action Buttons – Buttons are more compelling to click than text links, and easier for mobile readers to touch. Include a couple buttons in your emails and you could see your clickthrough rate go up. We have a free tool to help you create them too!

Social Buttons – In addition to the social sharing buttons, include buttons that link to your company's social accounts: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, wherever you have an account for your business.

Easy, right? Hopefully the answer is yes. Most of these components can be added to your emails through your VerticalResponse account via the tool bar, in either the Wizard or Canvas editors. Try them out in your next email and see if you get better engagement.

Have you tried using any of these tips in your email? What were your results?

 

Posted by Jill Bastian.

Jill Bastian is the Training and Education Manager at VerticalResponse. Connect with her on Twitter @Jillieb3.

Symbols in Subject Lines... ♥ Them or ☹ Them?

As far as marketing best practices go, I'm a bit of a purist who subscribes to "playing by the rules" when it comes to subject lines. Lately, I've been surprised by how many emails I've received with symbols in the subject lines. I asked around the office and my coworkers concurred they were experiencing the same. Which begs the question: Does cute ✈ when it comes to email subject lines or should marketers ✂ them out of the mix? 

Here are a few things to consider before you try adding symbols to your email subject lines:

Do symbols make sense for your business?

Because of the novelty and cute factor that comes with using symbols, they aren't for everyone. If you own a flower shop, inserting a flower icon in your subject line may make total sense both to the subject matter and your audience. However, if you're a law firm, or a funeral home, you should most likely not use symbols in your subject lines.

Here's an example from my inbox that arrived from Pottery Barn Kids:

The symbol in this case perfectly fits a brand that sells children's clothing and furnishing items. Being playful and cute is totally appropriate. The heart symbol is also simple and makes sense in the subject line. In this case they've replaced the word 'love' with the heart so it still reads properly.

Hearts and stars are, not surprisingly, the most frequently used special characters. I can imagine as summer moves along we'll see more suns, and with back-to-school the addition of symbols like pencils and books. Fall will bring leaves and pumpkins, and maybe a few spiders or cats; and as winter rolls in, be on the lookout for an onslaught of snowmen and snowflakes on your inboxes' subject lines.

Another example comes from Sublime Stitching:

In this case, the symbols don't compliment the message as much, and start to feel a bit spammy in my honest opinion. If you're going to use symbols, remember the rule of less is more. Limit the use to 1 or 2 at most in your subject line or risk having your message feel less than professional.

Not all symbols are created (or render) the same.

Many email clients, such as Gmail, Hotmail and Yahoo! support Unicode symbols. However, just like the email clients listed above, your messages may render differently on varying mobile devices including the Big 3: Android, BlackBerry and iPhone.

From the Pottery Barn Kids example above, here's how the subject line looked on my MacBook:

And here's how it appeared in my Gmail inbox on my iPhone:

See the subtle difference? Test your emails before you launch them and view in different email clients and devices. Try a service like Email on Acid which will show you 48 variations.

Use symbols for a reason. Not just to "use symbols." 

Special characters or symbols can be used in three different ways: 

1. As a separator or punctuation (i.e. Thanks for signing up! ★ Download your free guide)
2. To replace a word (like the heart in the Pottery Barn Kids example).
3. As a decorative or design element (as in the Sublime Stitching example)

Want to try using special characters or symbols in your own subject lines? I used these simple directions from wikiHow: How to Make Symbols on a Mac.

I'd love to hear what you think about using symbols in subject lines. Share your feedback in the comments!

 

Posted by Kim Stiglitz.

Kim Stiglitz is the Director of Lifecycle Marketing at VerticalResponse. Connect with her on Twitter at @Stiggy1.

 

 

Related Posts:

•  9 Mistakes We Make with Our Email Marketing
• Yep, Subject Lines Are Still Crucial to a Successful Email Marketing Campaign

To Personalize or Not to Personalize - Which Drives the Best Results?

There’s been a lot of back and forth regarding the use of personalization in email. Many argue personalization (in the subject line for example) can leave your emails feeling spam-like and generate negative results when it comes to open and click rates. Others swear by personalization, claiming it increases clicks and engagement. What’s the verdict? Like most things in life, there is no right answer. Testing your email to find what works best with your audience is key. See below for tips on using personalization in email and determining which method of personalization works best for your business.

Personalize with a purpose – Including personalization for the sake of attaining an extra open or click will get you just that…an extra open or click. To truly engage recipients, include personalization to address a subscriber's preferences and needs. Use the data you have on purchase history, demographics, location or customer status to personalize messages and give a more intimate and tailored feel. For example, a winery may include the name of a particular Sauvignon Blanc a customer has purchased paired with suggestions of similar flavors; or an airline may include a merge field for the number of frequent flyer miles each recipient has earned along with suggested travel locations.

Example of Loyalty Points Personalization

 

Use the appropriate salutation – Including a recipient’s name in the introduction or greeting of an email is one of the most common forms of personalization. The salutation one selects to pair with the first name can determine whether your email sounds causual or more formal. A simple “Hello, {First Name}” or “Hi, {First Name}” is appropriate in most communications (remember to include a default such as "Valued Customer" in case your list or data is missing the first name for one or more list members). It can be especially important in B-to-B, or more formal communications to include the first name merge in your greeting. It'll appear professional and will make recipients feel as if they're reading a message that was composed for them specifically.

Example of First Name Personalization and Default Value

 

Get creative with your data – Think outside the box and get your recipients’ attention by using crafty personalization tactics. Your customers will be more likely to engage with an email they notice, will appreciate your effort and your business will appear clever, timely and relevant. This subject line from last Valentine’s Day, "The clock is ticking! Send Rebecca a Valentine's Day Bouquet" merged in the name of a recipient's loved one - a great example of using personalization wisely.  

Example of Personalization in the Subject Line

 

Not sure whether or not you should personalize or which salutation will get your recipients to respond? Perform a split test and  send one email with personalized information and one email without. Testing is the best way to determine what will give you the best results. It really comes down to whether or not the information you include in your email is relevant, interesting, and useful. Once recipients find your content engaging, they'll continue to open your emails and interact with what's inside.

Posted by Savannah Stewart

Savannah Stewart is a Lifecycle Marketing Coordinator at VerticalResponse. Connect with her on Twitter at @savannahstewart.

 

Related Posts:

9 Mistakes We Make with Our Email Marketing

The Results Are in! Takeaways from VR Email Tests: Personalization Edition

Content Marketing's No Joke - How to Keep it Sweet & Succinct

9 Mistakes We Make with Our Email Marketing

At the end of the day, we're all using email marketing to accomplish business goals. From growing our subscriber list to generating more sales, email marketing is the workhorse of our marketing plans. So, why is it that we keep making the same mistakes over and over? Perhaps it's because we don't even know we're making them. I've compiled a list of 9 mistakes we make with our email marketing and quick tips to fix them. Read on.

 

1. Buying or renting an email list.

At VerticalResponse you can't use our system to mail to a rented or purchased list. We do this because we know from more than 11 years in the email business, the best results come from lists that are grown the right way. When a customer or prospect opts in to hear from you, it's their own choice to receive communication from you. Think about your own inbox and how you manage it. It's likely that you look at the From Line and see if you know the sender. If not, chances are the message ends up in your trash or reported as SPAM.

2. Frequency - mailing too little or too much.

When a customer or prospect opts in to your mailing list you should have a statement about how often you plan to send email.

For example:

Get The VR Buzz Newsletter

Stay current with email tips and best practices delivered once a week.

If you do this you'll manage your subscribers' expectations about how often they'll hear from you. Now your end of the bargain is to keep that up. If you mail too infrequently, your subscribers will forget about you. If you mail too frequently, you may become annoying. The key is to deliver on what you promised. And, if for some reason that changes, communicate it to your subscribers so they know. Remember, being on your list is their choice and they can unsubscribe at anytime.

3. Having a lame subject line.

Your subject line is one of the single most important components of your email. Did you know that more than 50% of subscribers base their decision to open your message based on the subject line alone? So, you gotta deliver the goods in your subject line. Think of it as the headline of your email. We have countless resources for creating effective subject lines in case you need some inspiration. Check out our short guide, Savvy Subject Line Writing for Success and our under-30-minute recorded webinar, Subject Line Savvy.   

4. Not following best practices.

Being in the email marketing business, I get a lot of email. And, I'm a picky reader/subscriber because of it. There are a few things I immediately scan an email for once I open it.

Is there preheader text? The preheader serves as a secondary subject line to give your reader more context and more reason to open the email in the first place.

Next, do the images have alt text? I can't tell you how many times I get an email and the alt text says something like dog.jpg. Ack! Because many email browsers have images turned off by default, most readers will initially see your message this way. So, don't use the default file name. Instead, replace it with something more compelling related to your content like "25% off personalized dog name plates through Sunday." See the difference? The second example provides relevant information. Every component of your email should be working toward your goal. Waste no space.

Also, is your email optimized to render on mobile devices? Sounds complicated but it's not that hard, and of course we've got some easy to follow tips. Watch our 30-minute Email for Mobile Phones and learn. We also found some great tips from our friends at Email on Acid to ensure your entire email renders by default on the iPhone and iPad.

Lastly, proofread your email from beginning to end. That includes the subject line. Read one word at a time so any mistakes will jump out at you. Recruit a diligent coworker or friend to be a fresh set of eyes for a final edit. Ask them to check for typos and grammar, and to click on every link. Use this handy checklist to make sure all your bases are covered before you hit launch.

5. No call-to-action.

You take the time to build an engaged list of subscribers and then you create an email. But is it crystal clear to your readers what you want them to do with it? Is there a clear call-to- action? What is a call-to-action you might ask? In simple terms, it's what you want the people who get your emails, visit your site or see your ads, to do. Your call-to-action can be as simple as a "buy now" graphic on a web page or in an email, a "Visit our website to get your 20% discount at www ..." in a direct mail piece, or "Call 800...for your free..." Any way you display it, it needs to drive people to act, and act now!

You can communicate your call to action through your copy, your images, and even with web buttons that tell your reader what to do, like Read More, Buy Now, Learn More, Get the Deal. We've put buttons to the test and they got us 26% more clicks than when we used text link calls to action. To learn more read this quick post on 5 Ways to Get More Action from Your Call to Action.

6. Your links stink.

How frustrating is it when you click on a link in an email and it's broken? C'mon folks, we're better than that. You want your subscribers to have a flawless experience so they can help you meet that goal. So test every link, every time you send an email. Also, go ahead, get bold and link your images. People want to click them, so allow them to and have them link somewhere relevant.

7. Target your list

Does every person on your email list need to receive every message you send? Or can you get more strategic and target different offers or messages to different segments, or portions of your list based on location, prior purchases, etc. For example, we recently wanted to invite customers to a special conference that was taking place in Austin, TX. Instead of sending it to every customer, we targeted those that lived in the closest proximity to where the conference was and would have the greatest propensity to attend. You can use our list segmentation tool to build different lists based on fields you have in your list. Learn more here.

8. You're not social.

Adding social to your email mix can do a ton of good. You can expand the reach of your message to your social networks and possibly the people in your readers' social networks when they share or like your message. We know none of our emails get a 100% open rate, so posting your messages to your Facebook Timeline, LinkedIn, or Twitter allows people to interact with your message in different ways. Providing many channels for your message to be interacted with greatly increases your chances of people reading it and following the call to action. In fact, a recent VerticalResponse study showed that customers that used email and social marketing together achieved a 28% higher open rate on their messages!

9. Your content isn't great.

Content is king for a reason. Because no matter what else, from your subject line to pretty pictures and perfect links, if your content isn't great, no one is going to continue to read, let alone take your intended action. The best messages tell a story and tell it in a compelling way. One of my favorite examples is a winery that shot a video of a day in the life at the winery to link to from their email. The hook? The video was shot from the point of view of the winery's dog! Content marketing is so important we recently dedicated an entire post to it here.

There you go! 9 Mistakes We Make with Our Email Marketing. I'm sure now your emails will have a newfound sense of purpose and deliver great results.

 

Posted by Kim Stiglitz

Kim Stiglitz is the Director of Lifecycle Marketing at VerticalResponse. Connect with her on Twitter at @Stiggy1.

 

 

Related Posts:

Clicking Send is Just the Beginning - Put Your Reporting to Work

Content Marketing's No Joke - How to Keep it Sweet & Succinct 

How Not to Sell to Another Business - A Lesson in B2B Email

How to Reel in Your Readers with a Table of Contents

As small business owners, we work hard to send out relevant and timely email newsletters to our subscribers with compelling subject lines. Did you know that typical subscribers spend just 51 seconds reading the average newsletter?

And, according to our friends at Marketing Sherpa, 69% of at-work email users usually view emails in their preview panes so you gotta hook 'em with your most important content right up front. That means the pressure is on, to not only provide great content, but also make it easy to access from the crowded inbox.

I'll walk you through a few of my favorite fast and easy tactics to make your e-newsletter catch customers' attention; hook, line and sinker!

Cast Your Bait - When a reader opens your newsletter you have 5-7 seconds to command their attention so ensure you have a table of contents in the upper right, left or top portion of your message. This will make it easy for your reader to quickly scan the contents and decide if they want to read something.

We use the TOC (table of contents) below in our weekly VR Buzz newsletter.

 

Drop Anchor - Employ one of our favorite tactics by anchor linking your table of contents to the desired content in the newsletter, allowing your reader to jump straight to what they want to read without all that annoying scrolling. And in doing this, you can also lead them down through your content and hope that other compelling information will grab their attention too. You can also anchor link pre-header text to drive readers down through your content.

Reel Them In - The real secret to success is to make it easy on your readers. Provide them with great content that they need and desire and half your work is done. Then provide it in short chunks or bulleted lists that are easy to scan. Also, remember to place your most important, interesting or desired content at the top. In old school terms, "above the fold." Many readers won't scroll, so it's often better to use short copy vs. long. If you have lots to say, you may be better off breaking your content into a series to run in multiple newsletters.

There you have it. Some simple tactics to reel your customers in using a table of contents, anchor links and great content. Want more tips? Join our Creating a Successful Newsletter free webinar today at 1 pm PST. Or check out our other webinars here.

 

Posted by Kim Stiglitz

Kim Stiglitz is the Director of Lifecycle Marketing at VerticalResponse. Connect with her on Twitter at @Stiggy1.

 

 

Related Posts:

The Results Are in! Takeaways from VR Email Tests: CTA Edition

How to Customize Your Email Marketing With Little to No Effort

Calling All NonResponders - Don't Give Up on Them Yet!

Emails We Love - Just in Time for Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day is quickly approaching and our inboxes are heating up with plenty of love-fueled messages touting everything from wine, to chocolate, massages and cards (yes please to all of the above!). Big Insight projects spending to rise nearly 9% over last year to reach $17.6 billion. With that much cash on the line, everyone is vying for a piece of your heart and your wallet.

I perused my own inbox for a few of my favorites based on using email best practices and thought I'd share the love.

Starting at the top with some standout subject lines:

• Hurry, Cupid's Counting Down! Send a Special Greeting Card
• Show your files some love
• For love or money?
• Valentine's Day gifts for your one and only.
• Free Shipping On Last Minute Valentine's Day Gifts
• You'll ❤ Key Pieces for the Season
• We've got a crush (or two). How about you?
• Make Valentine's Day Oh-So-Dreamy! Plus, Get $15 Off $100
• Ten Ways to Say "I Love You"
• The clock is ticking! Send Rebecca a Valentine's Day bouquet from just $29.99
• Cupid's Here with Wine, Chocolates & $0 Shipping
• Who's the object of our fashion affection this month?
• Here's 50% off for Valentine's Day. Go on, take it. Nobody's watching...
• Will You Be Our Valentine? Sweepstakes, News, & More To Show Our LUV
• The Perfect Couple: NOOK and a Free $25 Gift Card
• New ♥ PDF Pattern & Made with #%*!?
• Last Chance to Get the Look You Love Before V-Day

Of course, I am always a sucker for cute creative this time of year and these had me swooning:

Invino was totally brand aware with their cork heart!

 

Next up is Southwest Airlines who used the classic conversation hearts to start a Valentine's Day conversation with their subscribers:

Next is Uncommon Goods who delivered the good with their top ten gift list:

 

And, showing the B2B companies can get into the Valentine's spirit, this example from YouSendIt.com:

 

How will you share the love this Valentine's Day and get a piece of that $17.6 billion?

 

Posted by Kim Stiglitz.

Kim Stiglitz is the Director of Lifecycle Marketing at VerticalResponse. Connect with her on Twitter at @Stiggy1.

 

Related Posts:

How to Put the Love in Your Valentine's Day Marketing

The Best & Worst of Black Friday & Cyber Monday Emails

25 Holiday Subject Lines that Dazzled Our Inboxes

How to Tackle the Super Bowl Hype & Score with Your Customers

Regardless as to whether you’re cheering for the Giants or the Patriots in the upcoming Super Bowl on February 5, chances are you’ll tune in to watch not only the game, but the commercials too. Advertisers are bringing sexy back as H&M debuts a 30-second ad starring David Beckham wearing nothing more than his boxers, and Go Daddy has Danica Patrick and Jillian Michaels painting the body of a super model.

The Times reports that NBC is charging an average of $3.5 million for 30 seconds of airtime. Sponsors are already creating hype around the expensive ads to get the best return on their investment.

So, without a gazillion dollar budget and Hollywood celebs or super models, how can your small biz leverage the Super Bowl hype and score with your customers? Prepare to take the snap and execute a strong offense with these tips:

Just Do It: Super Bowl hype is building. Even if your business doesn’t cater to the “typical” football crowd, you can still capitalize on the theme. For instance, use a football themed subject line to capture attention in the inbox and leverage the theme in your email marketing template or in your messaging. Just because you don't sell TVs, food or beer doesn't mean you can't have some fun and be creative with your message.

Try subject lines like:

• Are you ready for some savings?
• Kick off the savings in time for the Big Game!
  
• Big Game Super Deals
• Score! Save 50% off + Free Shipping
• Down, Set, Savings!

Last year, fashion retailer Banana Republic pulled this off in a winning campaign cited in Sherry Chiger's article on the The Big Fat Marketing Blog. BR used a staid subject line for its email, sent Friday before the game: “Super Bowl savings: 25% off! + FREE Shipping Every Day.” The body of the message, however, played off a corny joke: “What was the cheapskate’s favorite football play? To get the quarterback.” Amid drawings meant to resemble a coach’s play diagrams, and a headline read, “This weekend only get a quarter back. 25% off all full-priced items.” Banana Republic managed to link a sporting event to women’s fashion in a simple yet effective way.

 

 

I was super impressed with the email I received from Kiva this past Friday with the subject line, Super Bowl Friday. It grabbed my attention because I thought what does Kiva have to do with the Super Bowl? Turns out that's exactly what they intended and it worked. They even wrote a blog about it here. Kiva does a brilliant job spinning the Super Bowl into an opportunity to get their users and prospects thinking about making a microloan.

Check out the top of the fold creative from their email:

 

 

Kiva set up two lending teams based on the Giants and the Patriots and does a great job with their messaging. Touchdown Kiva!

Go Small: Yep, I said go small. While the big guys will be paying out the wazoo for a 30-second ad, you can produce your own mini commercial and upload it to YouTube. Include a link to the video in your email and use a subject line like, "Check out VerticalResponse's Big Game Commercial!" All you need is a camera or phone with video recording capabilities, some creativity and you're good to go.

Use Your Special Teams: While email marketing is your quarterback for delivering your message to your receivers, make sure you call in your special teams: Facebook, Twitter & LinkedIn, to reach a wider audience. You can send a link to your above-mentioned video to your social networks and cross your fingers it goes viral!

Party: That's right, I am telling you to have a party. Rent a big screen TV and show the game in your location. Offer food and beverages and special savings to anyone who shops during the game. You can offer discounts based on the score, the number of touchdowns, etc. You can even use our Event Marketing tool to plan a great event.

Target the Non-Ballers: Though 111 million people tuned in to watch the Super Bowl last year, that still leaves lots of folks who are tuned out and looking for something, anything to do that doesn't involve football, so cater to these people too. This is especially beneficial if your business is slightly less attuned to the whole football aesthetic. You can host a special event or sale for these folks too. Theme it around a football respite or, "Who Cares About the Super Bowl?" Your non-ballers will certainly appreciate it.

What will you do to promote your biz during the Super Bowl?

Posted by Kim Stiglitz.

Kim Stiglitz is the Director of Lifecycle Marketing at VerticalResponse. Connect with her on Twitter at @Stiggy1.

 

 

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How to Put the Love in Your Valentine's Day Marketing

Valentine's Day 2012 is coming fast! According to the experts at the National Retail Federation, retail spending for the holiday will increase nearly 13 percent this year - that's huge! On top of this, the average person will spend $116.21 on traditional Valentine’s Day merchandise this year, an increase of 12.8% over 2011’s total, with expenditures on jewelry and clothing expected to rise substantially.

This makes this Valentine's Day the fourth most popular shopping holiday of the year, just behind the winter holidays of Christmas/Hanukkah, Back-to-School and Mother’s Day.

How can you share in the love-fest and reap the rewards this Valentine's Day? The good news is, no matter what industry you're in, or kind of business you have, you can capitalize on the theme. And, the time to get started is now!

Here are a few quick tips and tactics to get you and your readers feeling the love:

Work with the theme, but be a bit unexpected - Since everyone and their brother will be sending out emails with hearts, cupids and roses on them and subject lines with references to love, you'll want to ensure your emails and direct mail pieces stand out from the crowded mailboxes both online and off.

One way to catch your subscribers' attention is to put a creative spin on the theme and use the basics of content marketing 101 - tell a story to connect with your audience. For example, if you sell jewelry, tell a story behind symbolism of a particular precious stone that's used, or share a story of how a piece is created. You can even share the meanings behind Valentine's traditions or fun facts, like how many roses or how many pounds of chocolate will be sold this year. (The answer? 110 million roses and 1.1 billion boxes of chocolates will be sold throughout the U.S.) This way, you'll draw your recipient in and will hopefully get them to react.

Gift guides make shopping easy - Send an email marketing campaign or direct mail postcard with gift ideas by price point for him and her. If you're sending an email, try including a call-to-action button that encourages your readers to Buy Now. You can also use this free tool to make your own free custom button.

Use social to share the love - It's easier than ever to extend the reach of your messages to potential and new customers by sharing your email content on your social networks. Check out Roost by VerticalResponse, a free tool that lets you easily and quickly create a campaign of posts across all your social networks. The best part is you can do it all from one place and not have to log into Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn separately. You'll have your Valentine's Day campaign ready in a flash! You can also extend the life of your email campaign by sharing the hosted version to your social networks. You've spent the time to create it, now make sure as many people as possible can see it.

Be careful with your subject line - This is a great tip from our pals at the Retail Email Blog about not shortening Valentine's Day to V-Day in your subject line or tweets to save characters. V-Day has a number of meanings and associations, generally violent. Email marketers are always looking to trim characters from their subject lines, but this may not be the best way to shorten "Valentine’s Day."

How will you message your audience this Valentine's Day?

Posted by Kim Stiglitz.

Kim Stiglitz is the Director of Lifecycle Marketing at VerticalResponse. Connect with her on Twitter at @Stiggy1.