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Why Timberland Emails are Always Welcome in my Inbox
Some emails linger in my inbox waiting on me to acknowledge them. Days pass with them unopened and nearing expiration before I act. When I do, my typical response is to sort by the sender and delete in mass without opening them. Most of the time, I’m shaking my head at the list of subject lines that appear.
Some are worse than others…
Over the last two weeks, I received emails with the following subject lines from one company:
- Final Day – Free Standard Shipping
- 3 Day Only Free Standard Shipping
- [Company Name] Outlet Event – Save 20%
- Final Day – 15% Off Site Wide
- 3 Days Left – 15% Off Site Wide
- [Company Name] Outlet Event – Save 20% more
- Take 15% off site wide with our apologies
Is there any wonder that people suffer from email fatigue? (BTW, if your email subject lines look like this, stop it. Now. Earn your salary by creating instead of copying.)
Then there’s Timberland…
Timberland takes a different approach. During the same time, there are four emails instead of seven. The subject lines read: [Read more →]
Why Social Media is the Best Thing to Happen for Direct Mail
It has always bothered me that a 3% response rate is considered successful in direct mail prospecting. I know all of the arguments. (”It’s part of the acquisition costs. We’ll make it up with the next mailing.” “The breakeven is low, so a lower response is profitable.” And, my personal favorite, “It’s how things are done in the mail order industry.”)
I’ve even been known to offer a little justification myself. But there is an indisputable fact: a 3% response rate equals 97% failure. For those of you uninitiated in the mail order industry, this rate is only acceptable when you are prospecting. Even so, it is a scary number.
The reason I adapted to the status quo was that I couldn’t find a better way. It doesn’t matter how much data you have, it is impossible to select prospects with a high rate of accuracy. This is due to individual preferences that only appear when you get to know someone very well. [Read more →]
Why Direct Mail Still Works in a Social Media World
Many purveyors of social media have declared that traditional marketing is dead. In their minds, direct mail was the first casualty in the battle between viral and old school sales tools. Their rally cry “Stop marketing and start engaging” is gaining traction as companies seek new ways to generate revenue without increasing costs.
The idea of going viral in a social media world is appealing. It’s easy to imagine your company racking up page views on YouTube, tweets on twitter, and posts in blogs around the world. It is only a matter of time before mainstream media picks it up and your shopping carts and cash registers are filled. [Read more →]
