Email Marketing
The Art (and Science) of From Fields
Email Marketing
We’ve talked before about how important it is to make a good first impression in the inbox. As email marketers, we know that we have to build and sustain a good relationship with subscribers for the long haul. That means building trust is essential. One of the key ways to do that is through an effective inbox display. Recently, we chatted with our phriends and subject line experts, Phrasee, and consulted the email geeks community about the three major opportunities to win in the inbox.
Inbox display is the first thing a subscriber sees when looking at your email in the inbox (subject, from name, preheader). It’s important because it give you (the marketer) 3 opportunities to encourage the recipient to open the email. – @JohnThies, Email on Acid
https://twitter.com/ImJeannetteC/status/1148617297172369408
Inbox display is the email thing together. To me “display” is a misnomer. It’s the Inbox Experience. It’s the complete omnichannel customer experience currently being offered through the email channel. It should feel congruent, clear, and valuable or it’s going to be deleted. – @MatthewSmith, Really Good Emails
— 🦋 Ted Goas (@TedGoas) July 9, 2019
In exactly the order you just listed them: Name, Subject, Preheader/Subheader. From Name is often more important than Subject. – @JenCapstraw, Iterable
Worth bearing in mind, though, that poor subject lines over time erode subscribers' perception of your brand and its emails, rendering the from name less impactful #EOAChat
— Phrasee (@phrasee) July 9, 2019
In the order you listed them! The subscriber needs to recognize who the email is coming from before you can attempt to hook them with your subject line and preheader text. – @CampaignMonitor
Plus, the #emailgeeks weighed in:
Hey #EmailGeeks: What do you think is more important? Tell us why after you vote!
— Sinch Email on Acid (@EmailonAcid) July 3, 2019
A3: I'm not sure if I would say they are "falling short". I think it's more around education. Email marketing is complex and a lot goes into sending a successful campaign. I think it's our jobs to educate others in the opportunities they have in order to be successful. #EOAchat
— John Thies (@johnethies) July 9, 2019
A lot of brands are using spam tactics to get people to open emails. In one of my previous roles we would try and think of ways to trick people to open our emails i.e. ‘Your appointment details’. We saw high opens at first but overtime our audience picked up on it. – @Roxy_Cameron
Don’t be clever, be consistent. Ex: “John from Company” is a ✨fun ✨ sender name alright, but what happens when John leaves? The entire subscriber list must now learn a new sender name. – @TedGoas
Read this whole thread:
A3: It's such a bummer when brands use From Name tricks to confuse subscribers into opening. It can harm credibility. There are instances where it makes sense to use a person's name in the From, but fooling folks into engagement can harm credibility and brand sentiment. #EOAChat https://t.co/2kDeTnOhls
— Jen Capstraw (@jencapstraw) July 9, 2019
Always use brand compliant language that relates to the content of the email… and don’t trick people! FREE BEER is not ok for a subject line (unless you’re actually giving away FREE BEER). And ALWAYS test test test – what works one week, might not work the next. – @VicPeppiatt, Phrasee
A4: Ensure your subject lines are in context with the email and sub/preheader/review text. Build trust. Now days – trust is key! Just like mentioned before – people don't like to be tricked or feel manipulated. #EOAchat
— John Thies (@johnethies) July 9, 2019
It’s important to not use emojis to replace content. This makes your message invisible to folks using screen readers. – @JeannetteC
A5 Overall, I'm ok with emoji in subject lines. Most brands I subscribe to use them well.
— Shannon *Kirkland Signature* Crabill (@shannon_crabill) July 9, 2019
However, I'd seen some use a 🔴 or 🔵 in their subject line so that it looks like a new notification which is misleading and tacky imo 😬. #EOAChat
As our CEO @ParryMalm likes to say: emojis can make a good subject line better, or a bad subject line worse. – @Phrasee
A5⃣: Emojis can be 😇or 👿! DEPENDS 👏ON👏HOW👏YOU👏USE👏THEM👏
— Jen Capstraw (@jencapstraw) July 9, 2019
🤪🐐🧸☠️🐍🌴#EOAChat https://t.co/5NnlHuSzku
Sender Name(s) (okay to have more than one!) should NOT be an afterthought/last minute decision. They need to be part of a thoughtful, holistic strategy. They can be literally anything, but they have to complement your brand and not employ silly tricks. – @JenCapstraw
A6.
— Sinch Email on Acid (@EmailonAcid) July 9, 2019
👉 Be clear & consistent.
👉 Don't confuse your subscriber about who the email is from – they may mark it as spam, which will hurt your deliverability.
👉 If you do use a different sender name for different types of emails, it should be logical. #EOAChat
A7. Preheader Text:
— Sinch Email on Acid (@EmailonAcid) July 9, 2019
📱 Think mobile first! Many devices display an average of only 35-50 characters, so keep it short and sweet.
♿️ Be accessible! Siri reads the 1st 499 characters of an email, so craft text with her in mind.
👉 Reference this chart.
2/2 #EOAChat #EmailA11y pic.twitter.com/VVH6JVkm8n
Want to read through the full chat? Just search the #EOAchat hashtag on Twitter.
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