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Dear Harry,
 Do you want more people to open your emails and click on your links? If your answer is yes (and I'm guessing it is), then this issue of Hints & Tips is right up your alley. This month's articles and resources focus on two "make or break" areas of your email campaigns: your subject lines and calls to action. Do you have a favorite subject line or call to action (yours or one you've seen)? Please visit our Hints & Tips forum and share it! As always, please let us know if this issue was helpful (or not). Your feedback is valued and helps us determine what to cover in future issues. Best Wishes, 
Editor, Hints & Tips e-Newsletters |
In this Issue of Hints & Tips
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  How to Get More Opens and Clicks8 tips for writing powerful subject lines and calls
to action
By Gina Watkins, Regional Development Director, Washington, D.C.
Never underestimate the power of a subject line.
It is your first opportunity to engage your readers. In fact, according to a 2007 Jupiter Research report*, more than one-third of your readers will open your email based on what you write in your subject line.
And when they open, you are only part of the way to your ultimate goal of getting them to take the action you desire, such as clicking-through to your website, picking up the phone, or registering for an event. This is where the "call to action" (CTA) in the body of your email kicks in. A strong CTA can inspire higher sales, clicks, or whatever results you are striving for.
Below are three effective techniques for writing subject
lines that can increase your open rates, as well as my "quick five"
call-to-action checklist that will help your readers take that important next
step.
Get Gina's tips
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Award-winning copywriter Bob Bly is the author of 70 books, including The Copywriter's Handbook, The Online Copywriter's Handbook, and the Complete Idiot's Guide to Direct Marketing. In this interview, Bob shares tips from his copywriting toolbox that can help you write compelling subject lines and calls to action (CTAs) that get you the results you want.
HT: Bob, you are an expert in direct response copy, the type used in subject lines and CTAs. Can you define this category of copywriting and explain how it is different from other types of promotional copywriting?
BB: Direct response writing has the objective of generating an inquiry or order by getting the prospect to respond to a specific offer. This contrasts with writing for general advertising or branding, in which the primary objective is to communicate a message, not generate immediate action.
HT: What are some proven direct response
words or phrases you use?
BB: I don't have
a checklist of words or phrases that I deliberately seek to work into my copy. However, when writing a CTA
there are certain words and phrases I do rely on. Here is a
partial list: free, yours free, no
obligation, risk-free, no-risk, guaranteed, money-back, click here now, call
today, I urge you to hurry, time-limited offer, act now, free trial.
HT: What about words to avoid?
BB: Avoid big
words that the reader is unlikely to know. Your goal is to express, not to
impress. In email marketing, steer clear of
words and phrases that trigger spam filters
unless there is an overriding reason to use them. For instance, I use "free"
because it increases click-through and open rates. But I never use "!!!" because it triggers
spam filters and is completely unnecessary.
Read Bob Bly's full interview | |
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Learn how to create
an effective subject line that will set you apart in the inbox and increase your
open rates.
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Give your email communications a longer life
Add Email Campaign Archive to your Constant Contact account and you can instantly turn the emails you've already sent into easy-to-view web pages.
Simply click on the "Emails" tab in your account and then on the "Archive" link to learn more.
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New to Hints & Tips?
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Want to host more images in your Constant Contact account?
You can! Constant Contact customers can upgrade
to Premium Image Hosting to upload, store, manage, and
resize over 1,200 images and easily add them to email campaigns. Learn how to upgrade |
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Fur-Get Me Not
Email marketing wags the tail of Washington, D.C. area pet business
The pet care business is booming according to Tammy Rosen, founder and CEO of Fur-Get Me Not pet services of Washington, D.C. and Arlington, Virginia. Tammy started the business in 2000 after leaving a career in corporate IT to pursue her real passion: animals. She began Fur-Get Me Not as a pet-sitting service for cats and dogs and over the years grew the business to include services such as day care, boarding, training, and a pet taxi. Her facility in Virginia also boasts a retail shop and a do-it-yourself dog wash. In short, she provides her customers with everything they need to care for their pets.
Challenge: Sending emails that are "best in show"
Tammy started using email to communicate with her customers six years ago. She says, "I used to send out plain text emails through Microsoft® Office Outlook®, and then
I realized I could probably send something that was a little more design savvy."
As her business grew, Tammy wanted the professionalism of her emails to grow as well, but she couldn't afford to spend hours working on HTML campaigns or to hire someone else to do it for her. She also wanted to measure the impact of her emails by knowing how many customers opened them and clicked through to her website, information she couldn't get from Outlook.
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Do you have an email marketing success story?
Share it with us, and you may be featured on Constant Contact's website or in Hints & Tips.
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"How to" Tips for SpeakUp!TM Email Marketing
This month's "how to" tips all come from our support blog. If you haven't visited it before, you should check it out. The folks who write our FAQs also write for this blog. Their goal for the blog is to help you discover some of the useful, lesser-known things you can do with Constant Contact.
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What's New with Constant Contact
Contact capture widget and new templates
 New! Contact Capture Widget -Talk about a time-saver! Our new desktop widget lets you add contacts, up to four fields, without opening your Constant Contact account. Whether you're meeting prospective clients at a tradeshow, or behind the counter at your store, you'll find this desktop widget is a fast, simple, and convenient way to capture contacts and build your list. Download it now!
New! Email Marketing Templates - You asked for them. We've delivered! Our newest newsletter templates help meet the communication needs of Parks and Recreation, Legal, and Municipal professionals. Ready to "Go Green"? Our new "Green" Promotion template lets you share with your customers ways to meet their green goals, and shows them how you're supporting the environment, as well.
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