Smith-Harmon - Make It Pop!

Posted by Amy Hamilton at 4:41 PM
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From: Apple
Subject Line: Fitness made fun with iPod and iPod gear.
Date: Wednesday, January 13, 2010

From: Apple
Subject Line: Sounds like love. Give iPod this Valentine's Day.
Date: Sunday, January 31, 2010

There's no doubt that Apple has AWESOME design sense. Every email I get from them is breathtaking:

They use vibrant, crisp and creative imagery
Their newsletters have a great sense of flow and balance
They're often using new creative treatments like having their images break out of the grid
They include interactive/eye-catching treatments like ratings and videos
They're not always about the "Hard Sell" -- Apple "Adds Value," as we would say at Smith-Harmon, by providing informative content with "Did you Know" sections
They optimize for viewing without images by using HTML text in the majority of their emails

But have you noticed that they're missing a few key best practices? Such as:

A preheader
A View this Email with Images link
Social/Sharing Options

I think a few of those small tweaks could show even more activity for them. But awesome job Apple, you are an inspiration!

I Resolve to Love Kate Spade.

Posted by Darrah MacLean at 7:48 AM
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From: kate spade
Subject Line: i resolve to wear out my passport
Date: Thursday, January 7, 2010

From: kate spade
Subject Line: i resolve to sing in the rain
Date: Thursday, January 14, 2010

Simple, clean and fresh. What a perfect way to start off a new year. Kate Spade is carrying this "i resolve..." handle throughout all their emails this month and I love it. Everything about this email gives me room to breathe. From the photography to the typography, and the free shipping top promo to the social footer. My fave is the "i resolve to sing in the rain". Given that I'm practically rowing a boat to my local coffee joint because of all the rain, the timing on that one was perfection. My only gripe is the landing page experience. When you click on the "Shop the Collection" link, it takes you to a pretty little landing page with a few rain essentials... and a few randoms (why is there a necklace on this page? is it waterproof?). Wish they had more of a selection to really tell the rainy day story. They have two jackets, one boot, two bags and an umbrella. Makes me wonder what a Macy's or a Piperlime or a Nordstroms could do with this type of story, since they have so much more to choose from.

Social Takes Center Stage. Sort Of.

Posted by Darrah MacLean at 9:43 AM
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From: west elm
Subject Line: Get exclusive west elm offers on Facebook and Twitter
Date: Saturday, January 9, 2010

Although this email was sent on Saturday, which according to The Retail Email Blog is the least popular day of the week to send emails, I was pretty excited to see an entire email dedicated to social. There isn't a sales pitch for product to be found, from preheader to footer. I was intrigued enough to become a fan on Facebook.

When I got to the west elm Facebook page, my excitement faded. Fast. There were all kinds of wall posts from other fans, but precious few content gems from the west elm team and only a few photos. And even after I officially became a fan, there wasn't a special offer to be found. Somehow I was hoping that once I got behind the secret fan curtain, there'd be some cool stuff waiting for me. No such luck.

This brings me to my big gripe with companies adding Facebook and Twitter experiences to their emails: Lack of content. It's not enough to just get people to your page, you need and want them to come back and participate. Two steps forward for the social-centric email. One step back for a disappointing experience.

Putting Tweets in Emails

Posted by Darrah MacLean at 1:26 PM
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From: Zappos
Subject Line: Toast The New Year With A New You! Plus, Get Free Shipping
Date: Monday, January 4, 2009

Thanks to the social revolution of 2009, Facebook, Twitter and/or YouTube buttons have become fixtures in the footer or top nav of just about every email in the inbox. While some companies do indeed put together a social strategy, too many companies add the social factor simply because everyone else is doing it. They don't actually invest time, talent and money into creating a true social experience. What I L-O-V-E about Zappos emails is that they raise the bar by including a recent tweet from Tony their CEO. Now that's what I call delivering on the experience. Rather than simply throw in a "Follow Us on Twitter", Zappos creates content around the social experience by including a sample tweet. Very clever. Just wish it wasn't so buried at the bottom of the email.

B2B and Social Media in 2009

Posted by Mike Hotz at 4:34 PM
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From: Business.com
Date: Friday, December 18, 2009

B2B magazine's recent "2010 Outlook" indicates social media marketing will be of rising importance for business-to-business (B2B) marketers.

This was proven with the experience of one of my B2B clients who focus on a professional market. They indicated that Facebook was the winner when it came to driving engagement and Twitter was the winner when it came to driving revenue. What was surprising to me was that professionally focused LinkedIn was well down on their list when it came to engagement and driving revenue.

Their social campaigns have been running for just a few months and they consider the jury to still be out regarding long-term trends. However, their initial campaigns have proven that social, as an important channel to increase engagement, drives sales and provides user generated content to enhance their email programs.

B2B marketers, have you included social media as a part of your 2009 marketing mix? If so, what channels and which have been the most effective in driving engagement, sales and/or leads? Are you using this User Generated Content to enhance your email content? I am interested in your comments.

Cross Channel Campaign - Almost There!

Posted by Greta MacDonald at 11:50 AM
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From: Victoria's Secret
Subject Line: Our Way of Saying Thank You: Special In-Store Offers.
Date: Wednesday, November 25, 2009

From: Victoria's Secret - Facebook
Date: Wednesday, November 25, 2009

From: Victoria's Secret - SMS
Date: Friday, November 27, 2009

Victoria's Secret is leading the way with their strategy for integrating cross channel campaigns to engage their audience at multiple touch points. Case in point, their Black Friday free bag giveaway message was delivered via email, mobile and social. However, in order to be successful, great strategy needs to follow through with great execution. Timing is everything and their timing was off.

Their email should've been a specific Black Friday reminder. The email was sent out Wednesday and included offers for the whole weekend. It's important to map out the timing of your marketing messages against the timing of when your customers are shopping, while also giving them enough time to plan in advance if the call-to-action is a retail store.

Once I received their SMS message, I was already done with my shopping for the day. Don't they know that people start lining up at 4am to get the best deals and by noon most people are back home taking a nap? As for Facebook, they should've talked about the in-store offer for Black Friday, not the Fashion Show. I realize they posted content on the 25th, but a reminder on the 27th would've been more important than the Fashion show, which was several days later.

Overall, they need to close the loop. The SMS link does not take you to a mobile site, nor do they have a mobile store app. There are also missed opportunities with the email and Facebook pages - both are prime locations to encourage mobile sign up, but the only place I could find mobile sign up was on their website. (I understand they do have in-store signage but I've never seen it - and I shop there often).

A great cross channel strategy will only get you so far - the key is making sure the execution ensures the success of the campaign.

Blogger's note: Hours after I finished this blog post, I received an SMS message that Victoria Secret has now launched a mobile website. Glad to see they're headed in the right direction!

On the 12th Day of Christmas

Posted by Heather Goff at 10:20 AM
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From: Fresh Pair
Subject Line: The 12 Thongs of Christmas + Shop Our Biggest Sale of the Year
Date: Friday, December 9, 2009

I want to thank the Smith-Harmon team for building a great blog and allowing us to contribute. It's an honor.

I don't know about you, but I have a ton of emails pouring into my inbox right about now and it takes a lot to get me to open them. The subject line of this particular email made me smile, but more importantly, it got me to open it. 12 thongs of Christmas is a funny theme and it definitely made me want to find out more - isn't that the perfect formula for a winning subject line? 80 percent of respondents decide whether to click the "Report Spam" or "Junk" button without opening the actual message, while 69% base their decision on the subject line. (Source: A survey conducted by the ESPC and Ipsos).

Once I opened the email, the theme and the copy "Getting a little cheeky for the holidays" made me laugh. I'll admit the ornaments in the wreath are racy - and the landing page made me blush - but my level of engagement was up. I would have posted this to my Facebook page, had Freshpair included a SWYN (Share With Your Network) option next to their other social options in the email. I really wanted to talk about this email, so I forwarded it to three friends instead.

Another feature that I really like about this email is how Freshpair created a sense of shopping urgency, and then anticipated my questions about shipping dates for getting my order processed in time for Christmas. Contact information for their Customer Care Specialists is also very easy to find.

I'm looking forward to the next Freshpair email. :)

See What Social Media has Planned for 2010

Posted by Mike Hotz at 10:15 AM
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First off, let introduce myself. I am a Sr. Strategist in the Chicago Responsys office and a loyal reader. I am happy that Smith-Harmon has joined forces with Responsys and now I can contribute to this blog on a regular basis!

Email is the online channel of big shoulders, like poet Carl Sandburg's Chicago. Social media may reach your prospects with your brand message, but email needs to be integrated with your plans, toiling, "under the smoke, dust all over his mouth," to perform the heavy lifting of informing the prospect about your brand, helping them become comfortable with the purchase decision and ultimately drive the conversion.

If you still don't believe that social media and email marketing are partners in crime and not adversaries, Facebook is about to make it very easy for brands to collect email addresses from their fans, pages and applications as soon as next month. This functionality is scheduled to go live this year or early in 2010. (The best guess is in mid-to-late January, according to Michael Lazerow's December 8 commentary published on MediaPost.com.)

Emerging channels are not killing email - they're actually making the channel even more dynamic and powerful. Be sure to include a quick sign up on your Facebook brand pages and landing pages for content linked from Twitter, Digg and Delicious, a vanity URL pointing to an email sign-up form at the end of your YouTube videos, LinkedIn groups and profiles, and other social media content to keep your email program "strong and cunning."

As you're wrapping up 2010 marketing plans, don't forget about email. It is there - a "tall bold slugger" working as hard as ever to help you meet your marketing goals. Treat social as a natural extension of your email and lifecycle marketing strategy and harness the power of multichannel marketing in 2010.

Giving Back- An Effective Marketing Strategy

Posted by Shirley Salmeron at 5:37 PM
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From: Chase
Subject Line: Your Communities. Your Vote. Our $5 Million.
Date: Friday, December 11, 2009

As we're all rushing to buy and wrap presents, decorate our homes and offices, snap that all-important family picture and figure out what to do with Great-Aunt Esther's annual fruitcake [insert your choice of atrocious holiday tradition], I'm reminded to take a breath and appreciate the small things that bring us holiday cheer. I was jolted back into a true appreciation of the season with an email forward from a coworker on a viral email that was making the rounds. Many of you have already seen this email or read about it on the blogosphere, but if you haven't - I urge you take a look at video.warmup.com.

I was reminded of this effective strategy today. My bank teller at Chase wished me a happy holiday, but instead of her usual reminder of other Chase products and services, she asked me if I supported any local charities and if so, to check out Chase's effort on Facebook to give away $5 million dollars this year to customers' favorite charities. When I signed into my bank account, I saw the following banner ad. Chase has set up an ingenious effort to generate "fans" and spread this goodwill and holiday cheer by asking users to "vote" for their favorite local charity and put them in the running for a $25,000 grant. I voted for my favorite local organizations as well as spread the word throughout my network by posting my "vote" on my wall.

I was grateful for Chase's effort to help me slow down and think about these other acts of giving. I won't ever receive the much-needed gift of time from an email or an online marketing campaign, but they can cement my brand loyalty and loosen my purse strings. Now, if only a company could figure out how to email me idiot-proof instructions to assemble my kids' dollhouse ...

Love The New Facebook Privacy Settings

Posted by Ed Henrich at 4:41 PM
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From: Facebook
Subject line: New Privacy Settings
Date: Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Great job by Facebook making it easier to share and not share. Once you have lots of people on Facebook you are bound to have a mixture of who you know (from college buds to in-laws). You need to post on a "need to know" basis. Now you can.

The "Specific People" option lets you choose friends individually or from your predefined Friend Lists.

So for a small business, you could do social posts just like you send targeted email. Don't think you can do that yet for a large business due to restrictions on Friend List sizes.

Tweet Your Sins

Posted by Darrah MacLean at 4:40 PM
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From: MGM Grand
Subject Line: Tweet your sins for a free night at MGM Grand
Date: October 28, 2009

Been meaning to blog about this one since... October 28. Don't let my tardiness in posting it tarnish the brilliance behind the idea. LOVE the clever use of Twitter here. The subject line absolutely draws you in and the fact that Las Vegas is involved makes it that much more tempting. Being the angel that I am, I confess that I didn't tweet my sins, so I can't speak to the total experience. However, I do think this is a really interesting approach to integrating social in a whole new way with your email program. On the best practices front, this email has some work to do, but the concept is sinfully genius.

Glamour is Contagious. Share with Friends.

Posted by Darrah MacLean at 1:58 PM
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From: The Zoe Report
Subject Line: Ain't No Jeans Wide Enough
Date: September 28

I am an admitted Rachel Zoe Project addict. I can't get enough of the fashion antics and celeb appearances. If you haven't seen this decadent indulgence, check it out on Bravo. In the meantime, let's talk about Rachel's daily emails. As far as blog-type newsletters go, hers just rock. IMHO.

Glamour shot aside, what I love about the emails is that they truly read the way Rachel talks, complete with her fave fashionisms and all. Why is this such an important thing to note? Because it feels like a conversation. As an occasional ghostwriter myself, it's also worth noting that there is a chance that Rachel is not always writing these on her own, and understandably so. She's a busy gal with a lot on her plate. So the coup d'etat here is that if a copywriter is penning these precious gems, she (or he) is a writer who truly understands voice and how to carry it through. Love that.

I'm also drooling over the clever FTAF language: Glamour is contagious. Share with friends. See, SWYN doesn't have to be boring.

Ridiculous Products Get Clicks

Posted by Amy Hamilton at 2:37 PM
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I find that the emails I tend to click on and forward the most are the ones containing the most outrageous products, just for the humor of it. So if you sell something along those lines, don't be shy to put it in your email - it may just be your top shared and/or clicked email of the year! This is also a great place to use social networking links to give the opportunity to easily share with even more people. If you have found this to be true with your email/s, please share your story!
From: Buckle Subject Line: Shop Fall's Latest Footwear! Date: Thursday, September 17, 2009	From: Forever21 Subject Line: Animal Instincts - Shop Animal Prints Date: Wednesday, September 9, 2009	From: Abercrombie & Fitch Subject Line: Looks and a sense of humor! Date: Thursday, August 20, 2009

What Were You Born to Do?

Posted by Darrah MacLean at 3:26 PM
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From: The Gap
Subject Line: Get Up to $15 Off Cords
Date: September 10, 2009

Really, really bright yellow type aside (you may want to get out your sunglasses), this email feels so clean and directed. They kept the fluff at a minimum and focused on the offers, keeping them front and center with clear shopping CTAs. The only thing I'm confused about is the subject line. Wondering if this should actually be a "Save" vs. a "Get" story. To me, "Get" implies that I have to do something, like use a coupon code. That's not the case in this situation as the cords are already on sale. Hmmm. I'm sure someone could argue the other side of it, but if it were me, I'd go with Save.

I also like the way they've added some movement to the SWYN banner at the bottom. It's hard to tell from a jpeg, and I didn't catch the right phase here, but they used a rotating copy story to draw your eye. The full sequence starts with "What were you born to do?" (this jpeg shows it mid-sequence) and the social buttons say "Tell Us on FaceBook, YouTube, Twitter." What a clever way to get the conversation going. A lot of folks simply say "Follow Us", which feels very one-sided. Keep it on the down-low, but I'm going to have to borrow this idea. It's a goodie. To see the animation, click here.

Another Way to Say TGIF

Posted by Darrah MacLean at 5:29 PM
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From: Tobi
Subject Line: 20% Off, Happy Friday!
Date: Friday, August 28, 2009

Just when you thought you were out of clever ideas for how to spin a sale...check out Tobi. They're TGIF approach is refreshingly simple and cleverly executed, not to mention that it's 20% off regular-priced merchandise...not sale and clearance! While most retailers are waiting to use the Labor Day handle for their big fall savings push, Tobi's smart approach makes sure all their loyal fans spend their hard-earned cash on their site first. Nice thinking. Still wishing they had a preheader and FTAF in their emails, but they do have the SWYN icons at the bottom, so that's a step in the right direction. And let's not overlook the straightforward subject line that tells the entire story in only four words and still has personality. Well done.