“10 Tips for Writing
Better Emails”
Adrienne Bartlett, Client Concierge

Today’s Webcast

Is email dead?

Nope.
But it has changed.

Reasons
Content
Mom & Dad

Social technologies
like text messaging
relegated to friends.

“Remember,
you’re not
their friend.”
-Karlyn Morissette

Not a catch-all
solution

“Glue”

Less Search
More Yield?

“Top 10”

1
Know your role.

When to use
email?

Event invites/reminders
Confirmations
Surveys
Notifications
Process Updates

Promote new
(valuable) content
on your site

2
Get to the point.

Throw
Shakespeare
out the
window.

Skip the intro
Keep it short
Say it once

No blocks of text
Design to skim
Bold key words?

Exercise:
What’s the point
of this email?

Make that your
1st sentence.

“You’re invited to
attend our Open House
on October 24th.”

Mind the
scroll line.

Which
words can
you delete?

3
Make the call.

Call to
action?!

Set it off
Bold
Link
Center?

4
Inform your subjects.

Descriptive
Clever

“Hook and label”
Key words first
A/B test

No spammy words
DON’T SCREAM
Don’t repeat school name
Don’t merge first name

“Don’t Miss Out”
“Last Chance”
“We’re Waiting”
“Check this out”

“Open House Invitation”
“Chat with us today”
“Missing transcript”
“Take our campus visit survey”

5
Don’t trust the media;)

Prospects
(especially parents)
often have images
disabled.

Proceed as if the
images aren’t
rendering.

Does the message
still make sense?

Is it readable?

How to do
video...

“Video Message from Brian Niles”

6
Easy on the html.

Too much html :
Screams“marketing”
+
Hurts deliverability

K.I.S.S.
(keep it simple stupid)

Keep the focus on
the call to action

We’re past the
point of “html for
its own sake”

How we doin’
so far?

7
Test. Test. Test.

Links
Multiple Browsers
A/B Split
Subject Lines

The best way to
determine
frequency & timing

Know your audience.

8
No magic day or time.

Have a plan.

Date Message Audience
5/21 1st Email All
5/27 Plain-text followup Did not view/interact
6/9 2nd Email All
6/16 Plain-text followup Did not view/interact
6/16 Link and Instructions Registrants
6/19 “Day-of reminder” Registrants
6/22 Link to video and slides Registrants

The followup
should be part of
the plan.

Flexibility

How much is
too much?

What stage?
WIIFM?

9
Court the ‘rents.

Grad Schools:
Listen Up!

Are you
collecting
email
addresses?

Inquiry Cards
Application
Campus Visits/Events
Website

Lots for “current”
Why not prospect?

http://www.scu.edu/family/parent-email.cfm

Parent Content:
Address Cost Process
Personalize Notifications

10
Segment and personalize.

One size does NOT fit all

Increase # of
campaigns, but
decrease their size

Consider Plans For:
Parents
Guidance Counselors
“Local”
Alums (for Grad Schools)

Another Plan to Consider:
YIELD

Bonus tips:

(Link to)
stories

Be a tease.

Use the
“P.S.”

Feedback &
Measurement

Can’t get the
“upper ups” to
listen?

“Manage up.”
(google it)

Focus on testing --
They can’t argue
with results.

It’s all about
building trust.

The future...

You can bet
we’ll be there;)

November 13th
“Xpert Roundtable”
www.targetx.com/webcasts

What will you
do differently?

Thanks!
bartlett@targetx.com
targetxconcierge