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