Thursday, February 5, 2015

Just 3 Lines Hold Key to Mobile E-mail Opens

Mobile e-mail optimization is essential now that the majority of e-mails are first opened on a mobile device. So what's the key to boosting mobile open rates?  Just three lines of type, points out a recent MarketingProfs article. A look at major mobile default e-mail displays finds that all automatically show only three vital lines: the subject line, the first line and the From line. When it comes to subject lines, only 20-30 characters are available, and the optimum number of words averages around eight to nine, per studies. But not just any words will do the trick. Marketers need to pull response triggers by making it personal (using first names, or "you" and "I," for example), emotional (using words that evoke the pleasure derived or the pain avoided by a key benefit) and on-trend (referencing pop culture icons will go further than a traditional pitch). Next create a first line that draws opens via continued personalization and a human, conversational tone. Then make the personal approach believable with a From line using a human being's name--not a brand name, "customerservice," "sales" or the robotic "auto." See the MarketingProfs article for real-world examples: http://www.marketingprofs.com/articles/2015/26925/increase-your-mobile-email-open-rates-how-to-optimize-the-only-three-lines-that-matter

Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Top Digital Marketers Share 5 Secrets to Conversion

The top 20% of digital marketers have conversion rates almost twice the average 2.6%, according to Adobe's 2014 Digital Marketing Optimization Survey. How do they do it? As reported by Direct Marketing News, Adobe identified five common traits of the elite digital practitioners. First, they do more testing, with over 70% of champion converters testing, compared to only 46% of the field. Second, they spend more; 60% of respondents in the top 20% said they devoted more than 5% of their budgets to optimization activities, versus just 39% of the rest surveyed. Third, they target content, with 83% in the top 20% using automation to make content decisions, for example. Fourth, they "democratize" marketing, meaning they are 88% more likely to involve other departments in testing efforts, and that approach helped lift conversion to 4.3% instead of the 2.6% average. Fifth, those with the best digital conversion rates make mobile a key part of their strategy, with more than four-fifths of top converters describing mobile as important to cross-channel marketing success, as opposed to two-thirds of the rest of the survey. Of course, the devil's in the details; for more, read the DM News report at http://www.dmnews.com/top-20-percent-is-twice-as-good-at-converting-as-the-rest/article/378105/