| Like me, you probably receive many personalized | | | | emails make a more personal connection by |
| email marketing messages addressed to you by | | | | addressing customers one-to-one, as individuals rather |
| name. Messages like, "Caroline, Discounts on Spring | | | | than anonymous prospects. |
| Flights." While there are good reasons why businesses | | | | Not everyone likes the personal touch |
| personalize email marketing campaigns, there are | | | | Not everyone likes the "best pals" approach from |
| hazards too. | | | | strangers. Names are very personal, known only by |
| This article looks at the pros and cons of personalized | | | | people that have some kind of relationship with us. |
| email marketing, to help you decide if personalization | | | | Personalization backfires when marketers don't |
| will help or hinder the success of your own email | | | | respect this and overstep the mark with overly-familiar |
| marketing campaigns. | | | | emails. To avoid this, experienced email marketers limit |
| As with all marketing options, this should ultimately | | | | personalization to just a few points in the email. |
| depend on whether or not personalized email | | | | Personalized email is not always appropriate |
| marketing is right for your particular customers and | | | | Personalization can add a light, friendly and casual air |
| your particular campaigns. | | | | to emails, but it's not always appropriate. For instance, |
| Higher response rates | | | | consumers of highly-personal products and services |
| Personalized emails receive higher "open" and | | | | may value anonymity and find Subject lines like, "Suzie, |
| "click-through" rates. That is, people are not only more | | | | Clear Acne Forever," or, "Bob, No More Hemorrhoids" |
| likely to open the email, they are also more likely to | | | | altogether too personal. |
| clink links in the message. | | | | So, think carefully about the distance, or level of |
| For instance, MailerMailer's latest statistics (based on | | | | intimacy that your customers are comfortable with |
| 200 million permission-based messages) show that | | | | before opting for personalized email. |
| personalized emails (subject line and message) | | | | Bloopers abound |
| received 47% higher open rates and 90% higher click | | | | Personalizing email campaigns can be a tricky |
| through rates than emails that were not personalized | | | | business. Get it wrong and you can end up with some |
| at all. | | | | real bloopers. Get it right, and you can also end up with |
| Personalized email gets noticed | | | | bloopers. Email lists are not neat and tidy collections of |
| Getting noticed in the inbox is important, but it's not | | | | first and last names. They are a hodgepodge of real |
| necessary to stand out like a sore thumb. Anything | | | | names, nicknames, usernames, misspelled names and |
| that achieves this is likely to get your email deleted as | | | | blanks. |
| spam. Personalization is a safe, subtle and effective | | | | It may flag your email as junk |
| way to draw attention to your email. | | | | Most people use a variety of names online, including |
| Personalization indicates permission to send | | | | bogus names designed to help them flag unwanted |
| Personalization is a simple way to indicate that your | | | | mail in their inbox. This is because it's often necessary |
| email is sent with permission - that it is not spam. | | | | to join an email list to get access to information - to the |
| Recipients may not remember giving this permission - | | | | rest of an interesting article, to certain website pages, |
| joining your list - but the presence of their name in the | | | | and so on. |
| email suggests that at some time they did. | | | | As a result, legitimate emails lists have their fair share |
| Personalized emails are valued | | | | of bogus names. When you personalize your email |
| People don't sign up for any old information by email. | | | | campaign - including these names in the Subject line - |
| They request information that they expect to find of | | | | you run the risk that your email will be flagged as junk, |
| value and interest. So, when it is clear - because it is | | | | and deleted. |
| personalized - that an email is sent with permission and | | | | Personalized email is not guaranteed to succeed |
| by request, the natural assumption is that it contains | | | | As you can see, personalization may enhance the |
| information of value and interest. In this way, | | | | success of your email campaigns, or do more harm |
| personalized emails are not only less likely to be | | | | than good. Either way, it is not a magic wand. The |
| deleted, but more likely to be read. | | | | success of an email campaigns depends on a variety |
| Personalized emails help build relationships | | | | of factors, such as targeting and relevance, without |
| Marketing aims to build relationships that lead to sales, | | | | which a campaign is doomed to failure, personalized |
| today or at some time in the future. Personalized | | | | email or not. |