Email Marketing - Science or Art?

Email marketing - is creating an effective offer aThere is both science and art to making a compelling
science or an art?offer that will evoke a good response from a list of
The list is a significant component of promotionalprospects. The science of good offers has been
success, but where many marketers go wrong isdeveloped through years of empirical testing --
failing to make an appropriate "offer" to the list. Theyprincipally through "split-testing" of different offers
may create a beautiful and clever email, they may(sending one offer to group A and another to group B
send it to a well-qualified email list, but they fail to offerand statistically comparing results). Testing in this way
the prospective viewer any reason to act. In effect, anhas proven that different offers have different
email marketing program without an offer is like mestrengths. For example, a sample list of offers is
introducing myself to someone I've been dying to meet,shown below, in order, from strongest to weakest:
and then saying only "Hi, my name is Sean" and then- "Sweepstakes" or contests (e.g. "Win $2,500 cash
walking away. What's the point?and a trip to Costa Rica...")
An offer is an invitation to act -- a call to action. An- FREE!
offer can be as simple as "Buy GeeWhiz today!" or as- 25% Off!
complex as "Buy GeeWhiz at 20% off, while supplies- No Risk, Money Back Guarantee
last, one to a customer; offer expires September 30,- Limited time or quantity (e.g. "Offer good only until ..."
2007". Some offers work better than others but anyor "Only 100 available!
offer works better than none at all.