You’ve worked up a content strategy, applied it across your marketing channels and delved into your reporting, ready to expand on what works. But what voice do you speak to customers with and how do you know if your company’s voice is striking the right tone?

Even if you long to be playful, sarcastic or hip—like the publications and blogs you follow online—pulling that off in a corporate environment, with a range of collaborator talent and marketing goals, can be very challenging. How do you know when you’re being too casual, or when you’re being too stodgy? Marketing expert and consultant Noah Fleming, who has worked on customer retention strategies for small-to-medium sized businesses, large companies and entrepreneurs, has some easy tips for finding your company’s voice and letting it shine through in your content.

Know your company’s character

“Every company has a character,” Fleming points out. “If you were to think about your company as a person, what would they be like? Would they be fun and exciting or would they be mellow?”

Just as you’d find it jarring if your favorite TV character suddenly acted in a way that didn’t make sense, your company voice and personality should be consistent. Make sure that every person taking part in content creation or social media marketing understands what the company is about and what it stands for, as well as how you want to be perceived by people. It’s fine for contributors to take a slightly different approach but the overall tone and feel should fit that same voice, so that your content is always characteristic of your brand.

Be more human

“Everyone always says that people need to be authentic, but the problem is that nobody says what that means,” Fleming explains. “I think what it means is that you enter into a real and legitimate dialogue with somebody in the way you speak to them.” That means that your writing and speech should be conversational. This allows you to communicate with people in a way they can understand, as if you were having a discussion with them face-to-face.

If you regularly interact with clients one-on-one either at events or even via phone or email, it can become a bit easier to determine how they’d react to certain types of information or language, and whether material would be too difficult or too easy for them to understand. As your business grows, making sure that people who have client-facing roles express that information to those creating content is key. This helps bridge the gap between those creating content for clients and those who regularly interact with them.

Build trust by giving it straight

It can be tempting to make things sound more sophisticated than they really are, but the key is to speak to people in a way that makes it easier for them to understand what you’re saying. This creates trust.

“I trust people when I can understand them, as opposed to someone who always seems like they’re trying to talk over me. When someone’s always trying to speak above me, it doesn’t create that feeling of trust,” Fleming points out.

This doesn’t mean that content must be dumbed down, or that you can’t address the pressing needs of your readers who want to delve beneath the surface or approach problems from a more sophisticated angle. It just means that you want to create content that can serve the needs of readers at various levels of experience and skill, so that they can all benefit from the information you are providing.

How casual is too casual?

It can be tempting to get very casual with your content, especially if you see your colleagues doing the same. However, it’s important to consider the needs of your audience first.

“It’s not a matter of casual just for the heck of it,” Fleming says. “It’s speaking in a way that resonates with your audience.”

The words you use can be entirely different depending on who you are speaking to, even if your company has different content for different demographics.

“A group of brain surgeons can speak conversationally, in simplistic ways to their audience, but they’re not going to be overly casual,” Fleming explains. “Think of it like a cocktail party. What kind of cocktail party discussion would you have with your ideal customer outside of work?” It may be casual, but not overly casual, or it may be a little more formal, depending on who is attending. The key, Fleming says, is learning how to resonate with your ideal customer.

Seek feedback

The best way to know whether your tone and voice is resonating with your clients and prospects is to see how they respond to the information. Are they asking questions about posts that you thought were self-explanatory? This can help you see whether or not you are on the right track.

Using qualitative feedback and other metrics to track audience response can be helpful. Specifically, look for social media shares and comments, blog comments and dialogue around your content to see whether or not your users are responding to your voice.

This post contributed by guest author, Yael Grauer. Grauer is a Minneapolis-based freelance writer and editor. Find her online at Yaelwrites.com.

© 2013 – 2014, Yael Grauer. All rights reserved.

The post Getting Your Company’s Voice Right appeared first on Vertical Response Blog.

Successful email subject lines are eye-catching, attention-grabbing and tempting. But there are also annoying, boring, careless, lazy, desperate, or worst of all, deceiving subject lines that give all other hardworking subject lines a bad rap. The purpose of writing an enticing subject line in your email marketing efforts is to achieve an open (which could eventually lead to a sale), but there are good and bad ways to go about gaining it. Let’s bust the worst subject lines ever and kick their bad habits to the curb:

• THE ALL CAPS SCREAMER – It’s tempting to write a word (or worse, many) in all caps to emphasize importance, however, it also comes off as if you’re SCREAMING! And, that’s the last thing you want to do to a current or potential customer. To highlight something, consider using (one) exclamation point or words/phrases like “New, Last Day, Don’t Miss Out,” to create a sense of urgency or excitement. Your copywriting skills should display the importance you want to relay, not caps lock.  The same goes for wAckY CApS – Don’t go CRazAY.

• The From Label Repeater – This is a minor subject line infraction, but the “from label” of your email should usually be your company name or the name of the person a subscriber has the relationship with, so there’s no need to repeat your company name in your subject line. Repetition is not only redundant and obvious, but it takes up precious space suited for your delightful subject line.

• Zzzz… The Generic Snore i.e. “[Your Company Name Here] Weekly Newsletter” – Telling your recipients what they can expect from your email will go the distance. Your email subscribers already have loaded inboxes, so give ‘em the goods right away and tell them what’s inside. Generic subject lines like, “Weekly Newsletter,” “Monthly Wrap up,” “Daily News,” aren’t enticing or descriptive and they’re a snore. When sending an email newsletter, highlight your two most interesting topics in the subject line and your third in the pre-header.

• The Deceiving Sneakster i.e. “Get 75% off the whole store… just kidding!” – Deceiving anyone doesn’t bode well in the long run, ever. Plus, when it comes to your subject line, lying or including misleading information is actually illegal! Yup, you read that correctly. Meet: CAN-SPAM – An act that states an email’s subject line must accurately reflect the content of the message. If people are subscribed to your emails, legally, they want to hear what you have to say, so give it to them straight.

• The Symbol Fanatic – Symbols such as hearts and happy faces are fun, eye-catching, and pretty darn cute, but use too many, too often and they go from cute to “cut it out!” quickly. Symbols garner engagement, but make sure they’re appropriate for your content and audience, and only use one, occasionally.

• The Desperate Crier i.e. “Open Me!” – Desperation’s rough enough, but begging for an open is hitting rock bottom and won’t give you the engagement you desire. Put on your copywriting hat and come up with something clever, we know you’ve got it in you.

• The Grammar/Spelling Mistake Sore Eye – Everyone makes mistakes, so everyone also deserves a “Get out of jail free” card when it comes to a grammar or spelling mistake, but it shouldn’t become a common occurrence. Make sure to use spell check, have at least one other person proof your subject line (and the rest of your email), and when in doubt, refer to some of our favorites: The AP Stylebook, The Chicago Manual of Style, Dictionary.com and Grammar Girl.

• The Novel – Don’t give everything away in your subject line, that’s your email’s purpose. To find out what your audience really likes subject line-wise, you have to test it, however, the majority of the time, less is more. Keeping the subject line short and to the point will entice your recipient to open and to read on.

• The Premature Sender i.e. “test.” – Whoops, did someone accidentally hit “send” without a proper subject line? It happens, and when it does, people love to point it out! Doh. Always give your email a proper subject line right from the get-go. Going in, you may have an idea what your email is going to be about, so give that subject line a shot and change later if necessary.

• The Copy Cat (sending multiple emails w/the same subject line) – If you’re sending a series of emails, say a promotion over a course of three weeks, don’t be tempted to use the same subject line over again. This will cause people’s eyes to glaze over, or worse, they’ll delete the email thinking you either 1) sent it to them twice, or 2) they already read that email; delete! Rework your original subject line with a slightly different spin.

•  The Pre-header Repeater – Repeating your subject line in the pre-header qualifies as the worst pre-header, ever. A pre-header acts like a secondary subject line and is your second chance at grabbing a potential reader’s attention. Take advantage and tell ‘em what other wonderful things they can read inside. Subject line feels too long? Cut it in half and put the rest in your pre-header.

•  The One Word Spam Alert i.e. “Hi” – If you’re trying to catch a recipient’s attention by being mysterious, do so by asking a question:  “…they generate 92% higher comment rates than non-question posts,” on social media according to Buddy Media. Try it in your subject lines, too. Including just one word in your subject line screams “spam alert!”

• The Punctuation Abuser!!!! – Like all caps, punctuation shouldn’t be abused. Use more than one punctuation mark and it also seems as if you’re screaming (!!!), you don’t remember proper punctuation rules, or you must think everything is important. One exclamation point or question mark serves its purpose.

• The False Alarm i.e.”URGENT!” – As our Public Relations Manager, Connie eloquently put, “Unless you’re only sending to one person, it’s not ‘exclusive.’ Same goes for “breakthrough,” “pioneering,” “revolutionary” and all those other fluffy adjectives…” Granted, she’s speaking about press releases, but the same goes for your subject lines. If something isn’t really “urgent” or “breaking news,” exaggerating could let readers down. Plus, many people don’t open their email until days after it’s been received, so the sense of urgency may be lost.

• The Fake Reply –Including Re: in your subject line indicating that it’s a reply is sneaky. “Oh look, someone’s replied to an email I sent them! But wait, I don’t know who this is? What’s this all about?” Sure, you’ll get opens, but the key is to engage and connect with your readers. This tactic will likely get your message deleted. If you really want to entice readers, try asking a question.

Have any other email subject lines you’d like to add to the list? Let’s bust ‘em!

Get started with your email marketing with VerticalResponse. It’s free!

© 2014 – 2015, Colleen Corkery. All rights reserved.

The post Busted: The Worst Email Subject Lines, Ever! appeared first on Vertical Response Blog.

Do you want quality content to share on social media sites and better SEO rankings? How about increased traffic to your website? (I’m going to assume you said yes.) Then guess what? You might want to consider blogging. So let’s get down to it and face that road stop in your mind that reads, “I don’t have time.” Oh, you do! Here are 5 tips to get your blog flowing in no time.

1. Write about what you already know.

If you spend your days herding cattle, you probably know more about herding cattle than average Joe browsing the Internet. And, in turn, it would be much easier for you (as a cattle herder) to write about what you do everyday than to do research and write about something entirely different (such as how to dance tango). In fact, the very things that seem routine about your job are likely interesting (and valuable) to the masses looking for more information about it.

2. Interview an expert.

Maybe you need to write a blog about managing a virtual environment and you don’t know the first thing about it. In that case, you’ll need to be creative. If you’re working at a large company, odds are you have access to someone who knows considerably more about the subject than you do. So seek within your environment. Ask for a 15-minute interview with that person and take good notes (Trust me, it’s faster and more interesting then sending them an email!).  If you don’t work for a large company, look within your network. There may be a customer, a partner, a vendor, or even a friend who knows more on the subject that you can interview or learn from.

3. Read other blogs.

All good writing starts with reading. So if it’s coming up with ideas that take you the longest time, take a look at what your peers are writing. By doing so, you’ll learn what’s appealing to the general audience (just look at how many social media shares the posts are getting). Like a good brainstorming session, reading other people’s work will lend itself to new ideas and subject matter to build on. Take a few minutes a day to see what’s out there and jot down a few notes of things you want to write about when you have time. That way you’ll always have a starting point when it’s time to produce. We’ve also got a list of how our content marketing team gets some of their ideas here.

4. Don’t over-think it.

Sit down, put pencil to paper or your fingers to the keyboard and write. Just let the ideas flow without putting too much pressure on the final outcome. Try to block out other distractions and allow yourself to get “in the zone.” Once you have a good chunk of content you can worry about trimming the hedges later. In fact, it’s always a good idea to step away from what you’ve written and come back to it later with fresh eyes for editing or have a second person edit for you.

5. Hold yourself accountable.

This is the hardest part for most people. When you have a business to run, there are many other important things to do before blogging. Well, first be aware of why blogging is important. Second, create a deadline and share that deadline with another person. It can be a colleague or a coworker who will be editing the blog for you or uploading it to the website. (Let’s face it — If you’re the only person who knows about it, then that deadline doesn’t really exist!).

Do you have your own tips for faster/more efficient blogging? We’d love to hear them.

© 2014 – 2015, Amanda Day. All rights reserved.

The post 5 Easy Ways to Blog in Less Time appeared first on Vertical Response Blog.

When you’re writing about your own product or service, it’s easy to fall into the habit of hype. It’s understandable. After all, ultimately you’re hoping your PR press release, pitch, brochure, email or website marketing copy will capture attention and get readers to do something. So, you have to impress with your words.

But these days, both press and consumers alike are more skeptical than ever when they know they’re being marketed to. Some adjectives are used so often that they no longer have any real meaning and do nothing but clutter up your copy.

Think twice before using these eight “fluff” words in your next PR pitch or marketing copy:

Groundbreaking (or its cousins, breakthrough and late-breaking): Very few products are groundbreaking in the sense that they figuratively broke new ground, or created a new market where none existed before. The Ford Model T, typewriter, iPod and sliced bread come to mind.

Revolutionary: Did your product or service start a revolution? Probably not.

Advanced: I see this word applied to almost everything. “Advanced ingredients.” “Advanced technology.” “Advanced processes.” It’s being used so much that it has lost its value.

Bleeding edge: This is a favorite in the technology industry. Apparently when “cutting edge” wasn’t enough, marketers started using “bleeding edge.”

Pioneering: Unless you’re leading the way in research or development of new ideas or products, it’s probably best to avoid this one. Also, see groundbreaking, above.

Exclusive: Unless your product or service is only available to one person, it’s not exclusive.

Unique: We all think we’re special. But a better approach is to let your reader come to the conclusion that what you offer is unique, by describing its real features and benefits. Just saying that it’s unique, outright, does nothing to convince.

Best: Similar to the word unique, you’re better off letting your readers determine whether you’re truly the best. Instead of saying you have the best XYZ, get a quote from a customer (who has ostensibly compared you to your competitors) who says you’re the best.

I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve used these words plenty of times in my writing throughout the years, and sometimes they still sneak through. But as long as you’re aware, you can hopefully catch yourself before you publish a piece of content about your groundbreaking, revolutionary, bleeding edge, exclusive and totally unique product or service!

Want more marketing tips and tactics? Sign up for the free VR Buzz.

© 2014 – 2015, Connie Sung Moyle. All rights reserved.

The post The 8 Most Overused Words in PR and Marketing appeared first on Vertical Response Blog.

You probably learn a great deal from interacting with your clients or customers. Often, they have success stories from using your product or service in an innovative way, or they love working with your team and are advocates for your company.

This is why crowdsourcing, (getting quotes, information, ideas, etc. from your current customers), is an excellent way to tap into the collective knowledge of your customer base and create content at the same time. This can also help raise brand engagement, and give you ideas for improving or developing your product or service. Here are some ways to leverage content created by your biggest fans or power users, and incorporate it into your marketing mix.

Q+A

Anyone you interact with who asks you a question about your services, or about your area of expertise, is giving you some valuable information about the mindset of other prospects – who likely have the same question. Keep a spreadsheet, a Google Doc or notebook handy to add these questions to the list. You can refer to it when working on a Frequently Asked Questions section for your site (or product), or topics for blog posts or emails to send to your list.

Don’t be afraid to go back to the person commenting for more information, especially if you feel it’s already been answered elsewhere on your site. Their question may be more complex than you think it is. 

Testimonials
Those raving emails or comments on Facebook or Twitter singing the praises of your product are gold. With permission, you can repurpose them as testimonials. There are even some WordPress plugins, such as Tweetstimonials, which will show those positive comments directly on your website. 

Case studies
Case studies are also a great way to tap into the information sent in by your readers – or which you solicit yourself. Case studies will not only help you understand the direct impact your product made on one of your customers, but they will also help your readers or prospects better understand how others interact with your services. 

Crowdsourced blog posts
You may want to gather tips from valuable contributors – be they experts, customers or thought leaders in your industry, and ask them for tips on a specific topic by a deadline you agree upon. Simply ask them to answer a question in just a few sentences, explaining to them that the answers you select will be published on your company blog or sent out to your email list. 

These tips can then be compiled into a blog post. Many of the contributors will share the post to their own networks, increasing your reach. 

Critiques
If you’ve built up a lot of rapport with your readers, they may allow you the opportunity to publicly critique their work in an area that you teach. This is especially true if there’s an educational component to your business. Beginners may be interested in targeted feedback about the skill you teach, whether it’s classical guitar, gardening or illustration. 

Contests
Ask your readers to share photos or videos with your product on your Facebook page or a shared Pinterest board, or even via email. You can post a slideshow of these images and have readers vote on their favorites. Make sure to acknowledge participants publicly so they can have bragging rights – or a prize!

Contests don’t have to be limited to photos and videos. Ask readers to share their favorite recipes using your artisanal sauces, a list of top three rules in your industry, or a caption for an image you share. As a rule of thumb, always adhere to the contest rules for any social platform you use as they vary and change constantly. 

Some words of wisdom

Quality
Just because information is crowdsourced doesn’t mean quality doesn’t matter. Make sure to carefully sift through responses, selecting only ones that tell a compelling story that will engage readers.

Ownership

When crowdsourcing information, copyright and ownership are always an issue. Make sure to receive permission to use any written work or images, and have a backup plan in place in case, for example, a user takes down a YouTube video that you’ve posted. If you’re planning on using crowdsourcing for a logo or any graphics, or work of that nature, make sure that you have a contract granting you permission to use the images you’ve selected. 

Enjoy
Using crowdsourced content can take time in a different way from creating it on your own, but make sure to take a moment to appreciate your customers’ experience, and let their unique perspectives inform and inspire you. 

How have you used crowdsourced content for your business? Share your experience in the comments! 

Want more marketing tips and tactics? Sign up for the free VR Buzz.

© 2014, Yael Grauer. All rights reserved.

The post Need Content? Tap into the Crowd! appeared first on Vertical Response Blog.

We’ve all done it. In an effort to craft a quick email, we commit a marketing word crime. You know what we’re talking about. From using trendy words like “epic” too often or writing redundant phrases like “extra bonus” – we’ve all innocently broken a marketing law or two.

This post was inspired by a song released by Weird Al Yankovic called “Word Crimes,” which pokes fun at the many grammatical errors we all commit. so we created a list of word crimes you should try to avoid. 

1. Check out these epic styles

Sound the alarms. We’re declaring the use of the word “epic” illegal. We know it’s trendy and all the lots of us are saying it, but there comes a time when a word can get over-used and played out. Have you noticed how “epic” everything is?

“Millions of un-epic things are now being described as epic,” says Peter Dawyot, managing director of Publicus Community, a marketing and advertising agency. Take this shoe sale, for example. Apparently, it’s epic.

The next time your fingers type this word, try another and let this word rest in epic peace.

2. Get a free gift
If you give a gift, would you expect the recipient to pay for it? Of course not. Gifts are free, so there is no need to say “free gift.” It’s redundant, Dawyot says.

Have you committed this word crime before? No worries. Plenty of big brands use it; just look at the example below:

3. Preview our new arrivals in advance
A lot of businesses try to build hype around a new product. We get it. You want people excited and ready to buy. There’s nothing wrong with sending an email to prime your recipients about something new, but before you break out the pom-poms and rev up the email band, make sure you don’t repeat yourself.

Refrain from saying “advanced preview” or “preview our new arrivals in advance.” A preview, by definition, takes place in advance of an event. Instead, say something like “Check out our new fall purses before they go on sale.”

4. Get a sneak peak of our summer sale
Can anyone spot the marketing crime in the statement above? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller? Peak is spelled wrong. A peak is a mountaintop, not a secret look at something. You want to use the phrase “sneak peek.” Don’t worry; if you’ve committed this crime, we won’t slap the handcuffs on you just yet, even veteran journalists sometimes get it wrong. 

5. Come to our 1st annual event
Here’s a question for you, how can you have a first annual event if it’s never happened before? Even though you plan to have this event annually, you can’t break out that term until the event has actually taken place.

“The phrase seems correct when you first read it, but it doesn’t make sense,” Dawyot says. Try using words like “inaugural” or “launch” in place of annual.

We hope you’ve enjoyed our 1st annual list of epic marketing crimes. To those who read this article, please consider it our free gift to you. Next time we create a list of this nature, we’ll be sure to offer you a sneak peak or a preview in advance so you can contribute to our growing list of marketing crimes.

Ready to whip up your next email? Get started with VerticalResponse.

© 2014, Lisa Furgison. All rights reserved.

The post Are You Guilty of These Marketing Word Crimes? appeared first on Vertical Response Blog.

Microsoft Word is open on your computer. You’re staring at the blank white screen. You type one sentence. You hit “delete.” You try again with a different sentence. “Delete.” You sigh. You stare. You bang out a few more words. Again, “delete.”

You’ve got nothing.

Writer’s block. We’ve all been there. When asked about the most frightening thing he had ever encountered, Ernest Hemingway said, “A blank sheet of paper.”

Although it’s frustrating while you’re in the moment, writer’s block doesn’t have to be completely crippling. Here are a few strategies to try the next time you’re feeling stuck and those words just aren’t flowing freely.

1. Start Anywhere But the Beginning

“One of the most difficult things is the first paragraph,” said novelist Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Often you’re so caught up in writing the perfect first sentence or first paragraph that you’ve placed yourself in a rut right off the bat.

Who says you have to start from the beginning? Try starting in the middle of your article, or even the conclusion. Don’t worry about the perfect opening and go straight into the nitty gritty. Once you’ve got all the pieces and points of your article, email or even social post down, you’ll have likely found a groove and can go back to the introduction and transitions. (Case in point: When drafting this blog post, I started with this paragraph first, just because I use this approach all the time and I knew it would be the easiest point for me to write.)

2. Freeflow

If you know what you want to say but the words and sentences just aren’t coming to you, try capturing your ideas a different way – draw pictures or charts, organize with arrows or columns, or jot down major points and supporting points on index cards for easy rearranging. The goal is to get everything down first, organize and then wrap them with complete sentences.

3. Break It Down

Mark Twain famously said, “The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one.” When it comes to writing, that white paper or how-to guide might seem formidable, but if you break it down into smaller parts, it won’t seem so huge and you’ll feel like you’re making progress faster.

For example, say you’re trying to write a guide about the top 10 ways to do something. An easier way to tackle it might be to first jot down the 10 things in list form, and then go back and add descriptions or explanations.

4. Take a Breather

Sometimes, the pressure to perform really does build up until it becomes almost paralyzing. If the above strategies to overcome writer’s block aren’t working, there’s nothing wrong with taking a break. But instead of logging onto Facebook or surfing the Web, step away from the screen; you want to clear your head instead of cluttering it with potentially distracting information. Make a cup of coffee or tea. Take a five minute walk. Stare out the window. Then try writing again. 

What do you do when you’ve got a case of writer’s block? Share your tips in the comments!

Get more marketing and small business tips by subscribing to the VR Buzz weekly newsletter. 

© 2014, Connie Sung Moyle. All rights reserved.

The post 4 Ways to Banish Writer’s Block appeared first on Vertical Response Blog.

Your company’s description, or “about us” section is usually one of the most popular pages and/or pieces of content on your website – are you putting your best face forward there, or could your story use a makeover?

Read on to review what you should and shouldn’t do when writing your company’s description. These dos and don’ts will ensure your company’s story is as compelling and informative as possible.

1. Do: Tell a story

This is an area where small companies have an advantage over the big guys. People enjoy supporting others with whom they feel a connection, and sharing your personal story is a step toward establishing a relationship. In your company description, talk about why the business was started or the history behind it.

Instead of simply listing all the services they offer, Emerald Auto & Brake shares the company’s story on their site’s “about” section. Here, we learn it’s a family-run business, passed down from father to son (and possibly down another generation!):

2. Don’t: Fudge the facts

You want to stand out from the crowd, but steer away from any inclination to pad the numbers, client list, achievements, etc. It’s just not worth the risk to your business and the reputation you’ve worked so hard to establish.

3. Do: Use visuals/photos

The old saying, “a picture is worth a thousand words” definitely rings true in many cases. Staff pics, behind-the-scenes peeks and old photos add context and color to your company description.

Hat company Goorin Bros., founded in 1895 and passed down four generations, does this very well. The company’s vintage photos and memorabilia, which show its evolution through the decades, complement the story it tells and visually reinforce the brand’s history and commitment to old-school craftsmanship:

4. Don’t: Use copyrighted photography

Just because you found a photo or image on a search engine doesn’t give you the right to use it commercially on your website. Copyright law is serious stuff and most, if not all, professional photographers maintain strict copyrights on their images. To avoid this problem, use a stock photo site like Thinkstock (rates start at $49 for five downloads). Many amateur photographers (and non-photographers) share their images on Flickr under a Creative Commons license, which dictates how you can and can’t use their work.

5. Do: Use numbers

Any data or statistics you can tout to show why people should buy or work with you is great validation that should be included in your company description. Here at VerticalResponse, we often say that email marketing brings in $41 for every $1 spent, according to industry reports. That’s a pretty compelling figure for a business that’s on the fence about whether or not to give email a try.

Earth Baby, a compostable diaper service in the San Francisco Bay Area, uses numbers to explain their impact on the environment:

6. Don’t: Write a novel

It’s hard to get people excited about a long block of text, so keep your company description short and sweet. Tell an interesting story, but don’t bog people down with it. After all, the point of the company description is to encourage readers to take an action – whether it’s to call you, buy something or visit your establishment – so don’t make it a roadblock.

7. Do: Show your personality

Being a little funny (if that’s your style) can definitely help you stand out among your competitors and help customers feel connected to your company. Just keep it PC and authentic!

When one thinks of letterpress printing, images of fancy wedding invitations and feminine designs might come to mind. Cranky Pressman, a letterpress company based in Salem, Ohio, takes its name seriously and its website copy is written from the perspective of – you guessed it – a cranky old pressman. “This is not some cute boutique,” it declares on its homepage. Read on for more snark:

In short – when it comes to your company description, be interesting, be accurate, and above all, be yourself! 

What do you love, or not, on company website “about” pages? Share in the comments!

Subscribe to our email newsletter and receive helpful posts like this in your inbox once a week.

© 2015, Connie Sung Moyle. All rights reserved.

The post 7 Dos and Don’ts for Writing Your Company’s Story appeared first on Vertical Response Blog.

Thousands of emails flow through the Internet every day. That’s why it’s critical to have a compelling email subject line. In this video, our email pros highlight six email subject line writing tips to help your subject lines stand out in your subscribers’ inboxes.

For more subject line inspiration, check out the 50 All-Time Greatest Subject Lines.

© 2015, Derek Overbey. All rights reserved.

The post 6 Tips for Creating Compelling Email Subject Lines appeared first on Vertical Response Blog.

Savvy business owners, copywriters, and designers know how language influences emotions and persuades action. Certain words and phrases are time-tested to boost response and conversion rates almost across the board. Of course, different motivating words and phrases work better in different situations, and it’s up to you to figure out which work best for your business. It isn’t all that difficult to figure out, though: If your intuition doesn’t tell you, your customers will. Test the following 30 “magic marketing words” in your next email, social media or blog post, on a direct-mail postcard or website to see which yields the best response.

1. You – Write as though you’re speaking to the customer and about the customer, not about yourself.
2. Because – Give customers a reason why they need to take action.
3. Free – “Because” we all like free things, right?
4. Value – This implies customers are getting something versus losing something (i.e. money when you say “cost” or “price”).
5. Guaranteed – Give customers a guarantee to minimize risk perception, so they feel they have everything to gain and nothing to lose.
6. Amazing – Customers will respond to something that is incredible.
7. Easy – Make it simple for customers to take the next step in the purchasing process, and let them know how much easier life will be with your product or service.
8. Discover – This implies there is something new and unknown to the customer, something that has supreme benefits and gives them an edge.
9. Act now – Motivate an immediate response with a limited-time offer.
10. Everything included/everything you need – This establishes that your product or service is all your customers will have to buy in order to achieve their goal.
11. Never – Point out a “negative benefit,” such as “never worry again” or “never overpay again.”
12. New – Your product or service is the cutting edge in your industry.
13. Save – The most powerful word to showcase monetary savings, or even time savings.
14. Proven – Remind customers that your product, service or business is tried-and-true.
15. Safe and effective – “Proven” to minimize risk perception for health and monetary loss.
16. Powerful – Let customers know that your business, product or service is robust.
17. Real results/guaranteed results – Your customers want results, after all.
18. Secret – Not everyone succeeds, and there are secrets to success. Let customers know you can reveal those secrets.
19. The – This implies your solution is the “end-all-be-all.” Consider the difference: “3 Solutions for Marketing Success”/”The 3 Solutions for Marketing Success.”
20. Instant –Instant access or downloads are more appealing than waiting.
21. How to – Start off with a solution so customers read the rest of your copy.
22. Elite –Your customers are among the best in the world. Invite newbies to join a highly desirable club.
23. Premium – Premium helps denote high quality.
24. Caused by – If your marketing literature builds a case for your product, transitional phrases such as “caused by,” “therefore,” and “thus” can help reinforce the logic of a purchase.
25. More – Do you offer more than your competitors? Let your customers know, because they want the best deal, after all.
26. Bargain – Because customers want a great deal, remember?
27. No obligation – Create a win-win situation for your customers.
28. 100% money-back guarantee – Again, no risk.
29. Huge – A large discount or outstanding offer is difficult to resist.
30. Wealth – If you’re selling products and services related to money, wealth is a desirable word for customers.

They key to success is to combine these words into phrases that trigger buying behavior. For example: “Get real results instantly – 100% money-back guarantee – act now!” Keep your copy short and sweet, play on emotional triggers with these words and phrases, and you’ll increase your conversion and response rates.

Editor’s Note: This blog post was originally published in January 2014 and has been revamped and updated for accuracy and relevance.

[Sources: Forbes, 60 Second Marketer, Vocus]

© 2015, Contributing Author. All rights reserved.

The post The 30 Magic Marketing Words You Should Be Using appeared first on Vertical Response Blog.

It’s spring cleaning season — time to air out closets, clean house, and switch your wardrobe for warmer weather. It’s also a good time to air out your subject lines and freshen your email campaigns with seasonal flare.

Just as you’re ready to be done with being bundled up in a winter coat, hat, and scarf, the folks on your email list might be getting tired of the same old subject lines. They’re probably also ready for something light and refreshing in their email inboxes after the months of hard selling they endured during the lead-up to the end-of-year holidays. Spring gives you a chance to breathe new life into your email campaigns. You can do this with subject lines that capture attention as well as the spirit of the season, and with compelling campaigns that capitalize on what people are experiencing as the seasons change.

Breathe fresh air into subject lines

Anyone who’s ever engaged in email marketing — or opened a promotional email, for that matter — knows subject lines make all the difference in getting your message opened and read. An eye-catching, curiosity-piquing subject line convinces recipients to open your email. Dull ones mean the recipient will delete your email before the next one in the queue loads on the preview screen!

Spring clean your email subject lines with these four tips:

1. Lighten up with some humor

The dark days of winter are slipping away and the bright colors, sounds, and scents of spring are here. People are feeling lighter, and they’re ready to enjoy a chuckle — or a belly laugh. Give it to them by infusing humor into your subject lines. You can do this in a number of ways, from connecting together two things that don’t normally relate, to poking fun at current events like the presidential primaries. (No dearth of material, there!) For more advice on how to infuse humor into your subject lines, check out our blog 25 Comical Subject Lines + Tips for Funny Writing.

2. Try out some new action words

All marketers have their go-to words that they rely on to create interest and excitement in their subject lines. You probably have some too, but spring is a great time to try out some new action words. Active verbs and vibrant nouns capture the reader’s attention and encourage recipients to open up your email. Need some ideas for fresh word choices? Check out our blog on choosing words that sell.

3. Tug on their heart strings

Sure, Christmas gets the accolades for being the most joyous time of year, and Valentine’s Day is all about love, but spring is also full of some very emotional cultural events. With Easter, Mother’s Day, graduations, and Father’s Day piling up throughout spring, speaking to recipients’ emotions is a great way to freshen up your subject lines during this warm, fuzzy season! Read up on how to write emotionally evocative subject lines.

4. Move things along faster …or better

Spring is a great time to practice making your subject lines shorter and pithier. A Marketing Sherpa study found that subject lines of 61-70 characters (about 15 words) get read the most. However, the second-highest read rate goes to subject lines of 91-100 characters and 51-60 characters, and the third-highest for shorter ones of 10 characters or less. What do these wildly divergent results tell you? Generally, brevity is better but if you’re going to go long, be brilliant! Practice honing both skills this spring with our guide to Successful Subject Lines Deconstructed.

Spring ahead with seasonal email campaigns

Whatever your product or service, chances are there’s a seasonal element to your business. If you’re in retail, maybe your emails in the last quarter of 2015 were full of special offers and sales pitches. If home repair is your bag, you might have spent the end of last year sending informational emails on common winter maintenance tasks. While if you’re an accountant you probably barely have time to read your email, let alone send any out, between Jan. 1 and April 15, once tax season dies down you might turn your attention to financial education.

Spring means it’s time to seasonally adjust your email campaigns to give recipients information that’s relevant to them at this time of year. Here are three ways to spring ahead with seasonal emails:

1. Update the look

Email providers like VerticalResponse offer a variety of templates to choose from when you’re crafting your email campaigns. If you’re still using the same template and colors you chose for winter promotions, why not switch things up by trying something new? A clean, fresh design in brighter or lighter colors will fit well with seasonal content.

2. Offer something relevant to the season

What’s on your customers’ minds this spring? Are they thinking of buying or selling a house? Getting a child ready for graduation? Enjoying some time outdoors on their decks or working in their yards? Finding just the right gift for Mother’s Day or Father’s Day? Tie your email campaigns into what’s going on in their lives this season. For example, an email newsletter with spring cleaning tips or an offer for a Mother’s Day discount on select merchandise will appeal to customers with information that’s relevant to them at this time of year.

3. Work on freshening your mailing list

Spring is a great time to freshen up your email list to make sure you’re sending to valid addresses and to ensure you’re reaching the right customers with the right offers. If your website doesn’t already have a page where new and existing customers can sign up to receive your emails, it’s time to add one. If you already have one, review how well it’s doing. Is it compelling? Is it easy to find on the site and does it make enrollment simple? Check your open, read, click through, and bounce rates. Weed out bounce backs and send out a ping email asking subscribers if they’re still interested in receiving email from you.

It’s also a good idea to revisit how you segment your list. Are there new ways to crunch customer data and organize customer groupings to reach new groups with fresh information? Consider targeting based on different common demographics, from geographical location to buying habits.

Before you know it, the light, refreshing days of spring will sizzle into summer. Taking steps now to freshen up your email marketing efforts can help ensure you won’t have to sweat to get results come summer!

© 2016, Tori Tsu. All rights reserved.

The post From Subject Lines to Email Lists, It’s Time to Spring Clean Your Email Marketing Efforts appeared first on Vertical Response Blog.

Happy New Year! 新年快乐! Feliz Año Nuevo! !سنة جديدة سعيدة Bonne Année!

Can you believe it? 2016 is nearly at an end and the New Year is upon us. Champagne is chilling, resolutions are being made, and before you know it, it’ll be 2017!

In the spirit of ushering in the new, we took a look at our inboxes (past and present) and picked out some of our favorite email subject lines for the occasion: 20 for New Year’s Eve and 17 for New Year’s. Because let’s be honest, choosing 2,017 subject lines would just be crazy!

Countdown… 3… 2… 1…

Getting ready for the ball drop dominates NYE subject lines. And don’t forget the power of emojis! Use this last email of the year to drum up last-minute revenue, offer special sales, or simply wish your readers a Happy New Year:

1. One day left: NYE reservations | OpenTable
2. Happy New Years Eve: The Top 15 from 2015!  | GrubMarket
3. COUNTDOWN: $10 Coupon + 40% off all Meat, Olives, Fish, Caviar and Crackers | World Market Explorer
4. When the clock strikes 12… | Uber
5. Celebrate New Year’s Eve with Free Shipping on ALL Orders! | Pottery Barn
6. The Best Cookbooks (and Finger Foods) of 2015 | Epicurious
7. End 2015 with a WIN | Yahoo Sports
8. Hold on to these at midnight | Snowe
9. Last Chance: Win a $500 Gift Card by Voting for T+L’s Destination of the Year! | Travel + Leisure
10. ENDS THURSDAY: Find NYE Looks for $20.16 | Rent the Runway
11. ⭐️ New Year Countdown! Save 16% Until The Ball Drops ⭐️ | LivingSocial
12. 3, 2, 1, Guess What? | uforia studios
13. Skip the Auld Lang SIGH | Jonathan Adler
14. Start counting down to dressing up! | Nordstrom
15. The Procrastinator’s Guide to NYE | 7×7
16. Countdown to Chic | Etsy
17. It’s the Best of the Rest of 2015 | Wakefield National
18. It’s been quite a year! Just look at what you helped us accomplish. | Casper
19. Wishing you a very happy New Year | Crate and Barrel
20. Give by midnight to double your gift | SF-Marin Food Bank

Happy New Year!

“New Year, new you” dominates emails after January 1. Whether your business focuses on retail, fitness, hospitality, or services, there’s an opportunity for everyone to take advantage of a seasonal pun.

1. Happy New Year! Shop resolution-ready favorites for less | Wayfair
2. Your post-NYE recovery plan | Tasting Table
3. Joshua Tree Yoga Retreat  A New Year, A New You | Yoga Lately
4. Conquer Your Cooking Resolutions Next Year | Panna
5. Start the year by learning something new | Coursera
6. NYE 2016 Giveaways: The Flaming Lips, Chet Faker, Flying Lotus, Girl Talk… | DotheBay
7. Out with the old and in with the new year | Zipcar
8. Start Your New Year Off at The Pad | New Year’s Day Workshop, Detoxes, & REBOOT’s back! | The Pad Studios
9. New Year. New Styles. | Everlane
10. Hungover? 13+ Cures From Around the World | Travel + Leisure
11. New Year. New Socks. Only in the Pop Shop. | Pop Physique
12. Happy New Year | Banana Republic
13. 15 Satisfying, Healthy Recover Recipes | Food & Wine
14. Bright New Year | Move Loot
15. New Year Resolution: Hydrate! 20% Off SodaStream + EXTRA 20% Off CLEARANCE | Williams-Sonoma
16. Happy New Year ! $12 activewear pants today: cardholders, get a running start on your resolutions | Old Navy
17. Welcome the New Year with New Shoes, Of Course | Barneys New York

Christmas and Hanukkah are just five days away — don’t forget to start setting up your New Year’s email campaigns too! 

© 2016, Tori Tsu. All rights reserved.

The post 20 New Year’s Eve and 17 New Year’s Day Subject Lines appeared first on Vertical Response Blog.

Successful email subject lines — the ones that inspire readers to click on them — are eye-catching, attention-grabbing, and tempting. But there are also annoying, boring, careless, lazy, desperate, or (worst of all) deceiving subject lines that give all other hardworking subject lines a bad rap. The purpose of crafting enticing subject lines in your email marketing efforts is to achieve an open, which could eventually lead to a sale. There are good and bad ways to go about gaining it. Let’s bust the worst subject lines ever and kick these 15 bad habits to the curb:

1. THE ALL CAPS SCREAMER — It’s tempting to write a word in all caps to emphasize importance; that said, all caps come across as if you’re SCREAMING! And, that’s the last thing you want to do to a current or potential customer. To highlight something, consider using one exclamation point or words/phrases like “New,” “Last Day,” or “Don’t Miss Out,” to create a sense of urgency or excitement. Let your copywriting skills, not your caps lock, convey the importance of your message.  The same goes for wAckY CApS — Don’t go CRazAY.
2. The Punctuation Abuser!!!!! — Like all caps, punctuation shouldn’t be abused. Use more than one punctuation mark and it seems as if you’re yelling (!!!), you don’t remember proper punctuation rules, or you think everything is vitally important. One exclamation point or one question mark serves its purpose just fine.
3. The From Label Repeater — The “from” label of your email should usually be your company name or the name of the person a subscriber has the relationship with. With that in mind, there’s no need to repeat your company name in your subject line. Repetition is not only redundant and obvious, but it takes up precious real estate in your delightful subject line.
4. The Generic Snore, i.e. “[Your Company Name Here] Weekly Newsletter” — Telling your recipients what they can expect from your email will go the distance. Your subscribers already have loaded inboxes, so give ’em the goods right away and tell them what’s inside. Generic subject lines like, “Weekly Newsletter,” “Monthly Wrap Up,” or “Daily News” aren’t enticing or descriptive and they’re a bore. When sending an email newsletter, highlight your two most interesting topics in the subject line and your third in the pre-header.
5. The Deceiving Sneakster, i.e. “Get 75% off the whole store… just kidding!” — Deceiving anyone doesn’t bode well in the long run, ever. Plus, when it comes to your subject line, lying or including misleading information is actually illegal! Yup, you read that correctly. Meet CAN-SPAM, the federal act that states an email’s subject line must accurately reflect the content of the message. If people are subscribed to your emails, legally, they want to hear what you have to say, so give it to them straight.
6. The Fake Reply — Including Re: in your subject line indicating that it’s a reply is sneaky. “Oh look, someone’s replied to an email I sent them! But wait, I don’t know who this is? What’s this all about?” Sure, you’ll get opens, but the key is to engage and connect with your readers. Much like other deceitful tactics mentioned above, this tactic will likely get your message deleted. If you really want to entice readers, try asking a question.
7. The Emoji Fanatic — We love the skillful deployment of emojis, some of which are actually considered art, in subject lines and emails. But as with many things in life, too much of a good thing can be terrible. When used too frequently, especially in the space of one email, emojis go from cute to “cut it out!” Make a greater impact by using only one or two, and not every time.
8. The Desperate Crier, i.e. “Open Me!” — Begging for an open is hitting rock bottom and won’t give you the engagement you desire. Put on your copywriting hat and come up with something clever; we know you’ve got it in you.
9. The Grammar/Spelling Mistake Eyesore — Everyone makes mistakes, so everyone also deserves a “Get out of jail free” card when it comes to a grammar or spelling mistake. Once, anyway. Prevent grammar and spelling errors by using spell check; asking at least one other person to proof your entire email including the subject line; and, when in doubt, referring to these sources of wisdom and expertise: The AP Stylebook, The Chicago Manual of Style, Dictionary.com, and Grammar Girl.
10. The Novel — No one wants War and Peace to show up in their inbox, especially when their smartphone screen will cut off everything after the first handful of words. With subject lines, less is more. In fact, studies have shown that people are more likely to click subject lines when they max out at 49 characters including spaces. (Here’s a quick and free way to count the characters in a line of text.) Don’t give everything away in your subject line — that’s your email’s purpose. Keeping the subject line short and to the point will entice your recipient to open and to read on.
11. The Premature Sender, i.e. “test.” — Whoops, did someone accidentally hit “send” without a proper subject line? It happens, and when it does, people love to point it out! Uh oh. Always give your email a proper subject line right from the get-go. Going in, you may have an idea what your email is going to be about, so give that subject line a shot and change later if necessary. See above about asking someone to proofread your entire message, too.
12. The Copycat, i.e. sending multiple emails with the same subject line — If you’re sending a series of emails, say a promotion over a course of days or weeks, resist the urge to use a subject line more than once. Repetitious subject lines make people’s eyes glaze over. Even worse, they may delete the email thinking you either 1) sent it to them twice, or 2) they already read it. Rework your original subject line with a slightly different spin.
13. The Pre-Header Repeater — Repeating your subject line in the pre-header qualifies as the worst pre-header ever. A pre-header acts like a secondary subject line and is your second chance at grabbing a potential reader’s attention. Take advantage of this opportunity to tell readers what other wonderful things they can read inside. Does your subject line feel too long? Cut it in half and put the rest in your pre-header.
14. The One Word Spam Alert, i.e. “Hi” — If you’re trying to catch a recipient’s attention by being mysterious, do so by asking a question. Including only one word in your subject line and hoping it creates curiosity really just screams “spam alert!”
15. The False Alarm, i.e. “URGENT!” — “Urgent,” “exclusive,” “breakthrough,” “pioneering,” “revolutionary,” and many other fluffy adjectives are so overused as to be nearly meaningless. If something isn’t really “urgent” or “breaking news,” exaggerating can let readers down. Plus, many people don’t open their email until days after they receive it, so the sense of urgency may be lost.

Subject lines are the gateway to clicks and conversions. By spending a few more minutes crafting subject lines that make readers sit up and take notice for all the right reasons, you’ll avoid these subject line fails with ease.

Editor’s Note: This blog post was originally published in January 2014 and has been revamped and updated for accuracy and relevance.

© 2017, Contributing Author. All rights reserved.

The post Busted: The worst email subject lines, ever! appeared first on Vertical Response Blog.

Studies have shown that 47 percent of people decide whether to open an email based on the subject line alone. Are your subject lines strong enough to stand out? Remove the guesswork with Subject Lines 101, our free white paper that explains how to create compelling subject lines every time.

This white paper is packed with best practices, ready-to-use tips and clear examples to help you cut through the clutter and command readers’ attention.

Tons of tips to get more clicks

You’ll find everything you need to know to write irresistible subject lines, including:

• When and how to use emojis to boost open rates
• 15 mistakes to avoid at all costs
• The ideal length of a top-performing subject line
• Tactics to test and optimize messages
• Easy ways to revitalize tired subject lines with just a few tweaks
• Ways to avoid spam filters
• Creative ideas for seasonal subject lines
• Tricks of the trade from email professionals

With all this information at your fingertips, you’ll be writing powerful subject lines in no time. Start your smart subject line strategies in Subject Lines 101 and watch your open rates soar. Download the free white paper today.

© 2018, Bella Girardi. All rights reserved.

The post The essential guide to writing click-worthy subject lines appeared first on VerticalResponse Blog.

A newsletter is one of the most important building blocks of your email marketing program. Well-executed, email newsletters tell the story of your business in a way that keeps your readers informed and interested — and keeps your brand and services in their minds.

More than that, newsletters are an excellent internal tool as well. Employee newsletters are an effective way to keep your own team engaged and excited, so that they continue to offer customers and leads the best possible service.

All your newsletter questions answered

Newsletters are so vital to email marketing that we created a free white paper, Email Newsletters 101, explaining everything you need to know about them.

1. Why do you need a newsletter?
2. What should you put in an email newsletter?
3. How should your newsletter look?
4. How can you attract sign-ups?
5. How do you know if your newsletter is working?
6. What should you put in — and leave out of — an employee newsletter?

No more newsletter writer’s block

In addition to tackling these common newsletter questions, Email Newsletters 101 offers dozens of potential newsletter topics to spur your creative juices. Instead of staring at a blank screen wondering what to tell your customers, adapt one of these proven newsletter subjects to your own business.

If an email newsletter isn’t already part of your regular customer outreach, it’s time to start. If you’re running a regular newsletter but aren’t sure it’s doing everything it should, we have help for that, too.

Email Newsletters 101 takes the guesswork out of newsletters. Download your free copy today.

© 2018, John Habib. All rights reserved.

The post Get answers to all your newsletter questions appeared first on VerticalResponse Blog.

Nestled between the demanding holiday shopping season and the busy summer months sits springtime — the often-overlooked retail shopping season. Spring is the Jan Brady of shopping seasons to the Marcia, Marcia, Marcia of winter and summer.

You shouldn’t ignore the spring months for marketing your business. In 2017, Americans spent $18.4 billion for Easter and $5.3 billion on St. Patrick’s Day. That’s a lot of Easter candy and green beer.

While other businesses are coming down off their holiday high or gearing up for the summer, savvy business owners know they can stand out with delightful deals in shoppers’ inboxes during the spring.

Lest you think you only have Easter and St. Patrick’s Day to hang your hat on, we have a list of the holidays and events that make for excellent email marketing in the spring months from March through May.

• Academy Awards – March 4
• March Madness – March 13 through April 2
• Daylight Saving Time – March 11
• St. Patrick’s Day – March 17
• First day of spring – March 20
• Opening day for Major League Baseball – March 29
• Good Friday – March 30
• Easter – April 1
• April Fools’ Day – April 1
• Friday the 13^th – April 13
• Tax Day – April 17
• Earth Day – April 22
• Star Wars Day (May the Fourth Be With You) – May 4
• Kentucky Derby – May 4-5
• Cinco de Mayo – May 5
• Mother’s Day – May 13
• Memorial Day – May 28

If you want your open rates to bloom this spring, you need to freshen up your email subject lines. We’ve got a garden of great ideas to help you spring into action this season.

Here are 10 email subject lines from other businesses to get those creative juices flowing:

• The Latest Spring Catalog is Here! See What’s Inside… | Williams-Sonoma
• Indulge in a Spring Fling | Milk and Honey Shoes
• Be snap-happy this spring | P&O Cruises
• Spring’s biggest deals are here. Get ’em before they’re gone. | Best Buy
• Spring Into These New Arrivals | Gwynnie Bee
• Florals For Spring? Shocking, We Know! | Le Tote
• Our Spring BLOWOUT. You NEED to see these prices | Wayfair
• Spring into Summer with our latest campaign | Marisota
• Spring Yo Self! | Busted Tees
• You’re invited! Soak up spring with us… | MetroStyle

And, because the thought of spring has us in the mood, here are 25 email subject lines — broken down by month — that you can personalize for your business. They’re sure to put a little spring in your step.

March

1. Spring forward for savings!
2. Save more than time during Daylight Saving Time
3. Get sprung on these deals
4. Slam dunk deals for March Madness!
5. We’re saving you a lot of green this St. Patrick’s Day
6. It’s your lucky day – an exclusive coupon just for you
7. Hit a home run with these pitchin’ deals
8. March into savings!

April

9. This sale is no joke!
10. Don’t be a fool: Everything is 25% off today only!
11. We’re giving you a break for spring break
12. We’ve got eggs-celent deals – just for you!
13. Big sales event – Hop to it!
14. Go down the savings rabbit hole
15. Ears to you – an exclusive coupon just for you!
16. Tax Day Sale: You’ll love these deductions
17. Save money & save the planet this Earth Day

May

18. Here’s a deal you MAY enjoy!
19. The best deals in the galaxy
20. This is the sale you’re looking for
21. Prices worth taco-in’ about
22. Perfect gift for a mother like no other
23. It’s the mother of all sales!
24. Yes, we’re open on Memorial Day!
25. As temperatures rise, our prices decline

For more creative ideas all year long, check out our infographic, 12 months of inspiration for engaging with your email subscribers.

© 2018, Sonia Mansfield. All rights reserved.

The post 25 email subject lines for springtime appeared first on VerticalResponse Blog.

This year, Mother’s Day falls on May 13. As we all prepare to celebrate the special moms in our lives with flowers, Sunday brunches and heartfelt cards, business owners have one extra item on their to-do list: planning Mother’s Day email campaigns.

If you’re starting to prepare your marketing strategy for the holiday, you may be wondering what a great Mother’s Day email looks like. What should it say? How can a brand get its message to stand out when subscribers’ inboxes are flooded with similar promotions? To help you design your emails and create content that gets noticed, here is some Mother’s Day email marketing inspiration.

1. Put the spotlight on real moms

While stock photos and graphics are certainly useful when designing emails throughout the year, you can take a more personal approach with a holiday like Mother’s Day. Incorporate pictures of your own mom into your email or put out a request on social media for customers to send in photos of a mother they’d like to have honored in your next newsletter. This email from Life is Good uses a photo of one of the company’s employees and her daughter to promote products that make great Mother’s Day gifts.

2. Create a gift guide

Finding the perfect gift for mom isn’t always easy. Give your customers a hand by creating a guide. This playful email from Mouth offers suggestions based on personality type. One of their subscription boxes is great for “moms who love to explore,” another for “moms who keep their gin up” and yet another for “moms who like to nosh.”

3. Give your copy a little love

In a pinch, a simple “Happy Mother’s Day” message can work just fine. But if you really want your email and brand to stand out, put some thought into your email copy. Why is Mother’s Day important to your company? How are you celebrating? Why would your products or services make an excellent gift? Try to answer these questions for your readers in a few sentences.

You may choose to write something funny or something sentimental, but don’t worry if you aren’t a master wordsmith. Just make sure that your business’s personality comes through in the copy. This email from Alamo Drafthouse theater chain uses alliteration (“movies, mimosas and memories”) and movie references to bring the message to life.

4. Have fun

Holiday emails are an excellent opportunity to stretch your creative muscles and have some fun with your readers. So don’t be afraid to veer away from the conventional “Happy Mother’s Day” email. Have a Mother’s Day mother lode sale, create a funny CTA button or celebrate the holiday in a silly way that hits home with your niche audience. Bark, for example, sent out an email in honor of “dog moms.”

20 Mother’s Day subject lines

Once your message is ready for the special day, you’ll need to come up with an eye-catching subject line to make sure your subscribers open the email. For inspiration, here are a few of our favorites.

1. She’s not like a regular mom. She’s a cool mom. | BoxLunch
2. Just in time for Mother’s Day…50% off tops & dresses | Banana Republic Factory
3. What does your mom love? (Besides you) | Mouth
4. Mom loves a good deal | Uniqlo
5. All about Mom: special savings on duvets, throws, frames & more | Pottery Barn
6. Because we love our moms 15% off sitewide | Zazzle
7. Order Mother’s Day gifts TODAY and save, like mama taught you | Parabo
8. Gifts mom will L-O-V-E | Etsy
9. Still looking for a Mother’s Day gift? | Prynt
10. Gifts she’ll love on Mother’s Day | Nike
11. Got it from my momma | Nicole Miller
12. Happy Mother’s Day (plus, mystery gift for everyone) | Aveda
13. To all the moms, with love | Harry & David
14. Moms, kick back & get 25% off all orders | Lillian Vernon
15. For your #1 since day 1. Shop Mother’s Day sale | Lush Cosmetics
16. Don’t forget Mom! Hours left before the big day! | Charming Charlie
17. Mother’s Day Gifts for any budget | Sur la Table
18. Celebrate mom with better family photos | Olympus
19. Last minute Mother’s Day Gifts? We’ve got you covered! | Godiva
20. Tell mom wine is on the way — Mother’s Day free wine kit | Midwest Supplies

Whether you’re planning a sale, throwing an event or simply saying “thank you” to all of the moms who have contributed to your business’ success, Mother’s Day is a great opportunity to reach out to your customers.

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© 2018, Amber Humphrey. All rights reserved.

The post 20 subject lines + 4 tips for Mother’s Day emails appeared first on VerticalResponse Blog.

If you’ve got a regular email marketing newsletter you deliver to your customers, chances are you might be trying to sell something — and that’s ok. But a strictly salesy newsletter doesn’t make for the most riveting read, and it could drive customers to unsubscribe. Keep them engaged and buying with content that supports your sales messages. Let’s look at three newsletters that strike the right balance between sales copy — and news customers can use.

Flower Duet

SALES – Los Angeles-based Flower Duet highlights its Irish Spring flower arranging class just in time for St. Patrick’s Day. While the copy clearly promotes the class, it’s fun, festive and friendly. And there’s nothing like the Bells of Ireland to get people ready to celebrate.

CONTENT – The newsletter contains articles with step-by-step instructions and photos to help them design a daffodil pavé. From storing daffodils to arranging them without floral foam, customers can access a wealth of tips to use and share with friends and future subscribers.

Flower Duet also used their newsletter to cultivate customer confidence by sharing this exciting news:

Do your subscribers know what they’re signing up for? Be clear up front about what they’ll be receiving from you, so they can look forward to it. Here’s an example of how Flower Duet set expectations right from the start:

View the entire newsletter here.

Power Writing by Daphne Gray-Grant

CONTENT WITHIN CONTENT – Written by communications pro Daphne Gray-Grant, Power Writing points customers to resources they need to write faster, better. And just like a Matryoshka Doll, it delivers content after content after content. In the below paragraph, customers can link to Daphne’s email and submit a question. They can also link to her YouTube channel to hear her answer that question and other questions about writing. If they’re more comfortable reading a transcript than watching a video, subscribers can link to that too. The newsletter is packed with links to her blog, helpful articles and tips that can be implemented right away.

SALES – Daphne uses her newsletter to promote her online courses, one-on-one coaching sessions and the like. But she makes her sales copy more palatable by focusing on what’s in it for subscribers. Read the newsletter excerpt below:

Kitchen Window

CONTENT and SALES – Kitchen Window, in Minneapolis, does a great job of blending sales copy with the gourmet content foodies crave. The newsletter’s fun theme — Take a Culinary Trip to Greece — lends itself to plenty of creative content, including several view and print recipes, fun facts about the country and mouthwatering, professional photography. In keeping with the theme, the newsletter highlights the kitchen products needed to make the delectable featured recipes.

In addition to selling high-end kitchen products, Kitchen Window offers monthly cooking classes. The newsletter promotes these classes and an upcoming grill expo where customers can enjoy free seminars, clinics and tastings while they shop. View the entire newsletter here.

Remember, subscribers are interested in what you have to say. That’s why they signed up for your email newsletter in the first place. So aim to produce a balanced newsletter that is 90 percent educational and 10 percent promotional. Link your readers to ebooks, white papers, case studies, videos and more, and watch your sales soar.

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© 2018, Bella Girardi. All rights reserved.

The post How salesy should your newsletter be? appeared first on VerticalResponse Blog.

Memorial Day is coming up May 28, and there’s no better way to grab your customers’ attention than with some clever, seasonal subject lines. With the weather warming up and the long weekend ahead, now is the time to have fun, get festive and let your creative light shine. If you need inspiration, check out a few of our favorite subject lines below, along with some ideas to customize for your own promotions:

• The Countdown to Memorial Day Sale starts now | J.Crew
• Chill, Grill & SHOP! 50% Off ALL Dresses & Rompers! | Charlotte Russe
• Salute-worthy savings in honor of Memorial Day | Wayfair
• yay for long weekends + big savings! | GAP
• Sun’s out, sale’s (back) on | LOFT
• Knock Knock. It’s Memorial Day Doorbusters | Michaels
• Plan your staycation! Extra 15% off bed & bath at our Memorial Day Sale | Macy’s Home
• We are OPEN Memorial Day Monday | Menlo Pilates & Yoga
• Plans for Memorial Day? | Thousand Trails Campgrounds
• Order Your Post Memorial Day Recovery Kit Now | Project Juice

BONUS: 10 subject lines to customize for your Memorial Day email marketing campaigns

1. A long sale for a long weekend
2. Start saving on the unofficial start of summer
3. Stars, stripes & savings
4. Your 3-day weekend just got better
5. Save and get in a summer state of mind
6. It’s time for grillin’, chillin’ and fillin’ your shopping cart
7. It’s time to ketchup on your shopping
8. Our sale is worth relishing
9. Big deals for your big 3-day weekend!
10. Save 50% on these Memorial Day markdowns

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© 2018, Contributing Author. All rights reserved.

The post 10 subject lines to celebrate Memorial Day appeared first on VerticalResponse Blog.

As the weather gets warmer, everyone’s thoughts turn to fun in the sun. It’s difficult to get prospects and customers to pay attention to your emails, let alone get them to pay for your goods and services. But if you want to stay in business, your email marketing doesn’t get a summer vacation.

Don’t worry, we won’t let the big box stores kick sand in your eye this summer. We’ve got some hot takes to help you turn up the heat on your email marketing.

There’s more to summer email marketing than just the Fourth of July. Here’s a list of seasonal holidays and events to help you plan out your summer email campaigns.

• Early June: Graduations
• June 14: Flag Day
• June 17: Father’s Day
• June 21: The first official day of summer (and the longest day of the year)
• July 4: Independence Day
• Mid-August: Back to School (the unofficial end of summer)
• September 3: Labor Day

We don’t want your business to get burned this summer, so we’ve put together a list of 20 summer-themed email subject lines from other businesses to inspire your best sun-soaked ideas:

1. Seas the Day | Swimwear365
2. Let the sun shine, not your skin! | Shiseido
3. Fire Up the Grill: Let’s Get This Summer Started! | Country Door
4. Bright summer ahead: 40% off dresses | Express
5. Soak up the sun & savings – up to 50% off | Hotels.com
6. Sizzling Summer Sale | Up to $20 Off | Alibris
7. Beyond the Beach Towel! 20+ New Styles | Swoozies
8. Beach Me Up! Summer’s HOTTEST Swim Trends + Semi-Annual Savings | Bare Necessities
9. Set SALE into Summer with 30% Off Apparel | Maisonette
10. It’s Sunny Somewhere | Cuyana
11. Grab up to 50% off* in our big summer sale | The Body Shop
12. 3 Days Left on Hot Buys! | Costco
13. It’s HOT out and so are these DEALS | Ashley Homestore
14. Your Ticket to Summer Fun Starts With Thomas & Friends! | Mattel Shop
15. Sip. Savor. Summer. | A Trio of Savings | Illy
16. It’s melting, it’s melting! Save up to 75% NOW | Jockey
17. You’re invited: July 4th Free Shipping! | Burlington Coat Factory
18. A Swell Of Savings Coming Your Way… 80% Off Canvas! | Easy Canvas Prints
19. Your new summer fling = these hot beauty buys | Sephora
20. HOT OFF THE GRILL: 60% off summer styles | J.Crew Factory

For even more summer subject lines, we’ve got you covered.

And, because summer gets us all hot and bothered, here are 20 email subject lines — broken down by month — that you can personalize for your business to heat up your customers’ inboxes.

June

• We’ve got hot stuff waiting for you
• Hello, sunshine! Don’t you glare miss this deal!
• Flag down these savings
• Dads and grads are rad!
• To beach their own … exclusive coupon code!
• We’re all up in your grill with 50% off sitewide
• Don’t sweat it! We’ve got big savings for you

July

• Red, white and new deals
• Stars, stripes and sales
• Go Fourth and save!
• Star-spangled bargains — just for you
• Savings that make a splash
• Get ‘em while they’re hot
• We’re making waves with this sale

August

• We’ve got a shell of a deal just for you
• These deals are more than okay for vacay
• We won’t flip-flop on this deal
• Hot flash sale! 50% off everything
• Cool down with these sizzling deals
• Our prices are droppin’ like they’re hot

Bonus tip:

If you have a brick-and-mortar location, you may want to mention that your store has air conditioning. It might encourage customers looking for a break from the heat to visit your location, cool down — and do a little shopping while they’re there.

For more creative ideas all year long, check out our infographic, 12 months of inspiration for engaging with your email subscribers.

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© 2018, Sonia Mansfield. All rights reserved.

The post 40 sun-sational subject lines for summer appeared first on VerticalResponse Blog.