Hi [blank], what makes you actually read an email?

I belong to Aweber and there was a great post on email personalization.

Let me ask you two questions:

1. What prompts you to take the time and read an email? (Rather than open, see it’s just a marketing message, and quickly close.)
2. How many chances will you give someone before unsubscribing?

You get a gazillion email messages a day . . . which ones do you actually open and READ?

I subscribe to many lists and personalization is almost always there is some form, and usually in the subject line. But many times the body of the message itself doesn’t always have a personal feel to it.

I really believe the key is to focus on the message first! And then a subject line that grabs the reader.

Some observations from others in the post that I thought were worth sharing with you:

Focus on the personalization in the message itself. If you’ve done your homework and created a target market profile, you should have a crystal clear picture of who you’re writing to – keep that person in your mind while you write.

Test the message by reading it aloud a few times. One reader commented that this would prompt her to re-edit because the reading just didn’t match the tone or level of personalization she was going for.

Consider not using the person’s name in the subject line of the email. Maybe use it in the body instead. When you send emails to friends, do you put their name in the subject line? No! So why do we think if we do that in our email marketing that it’s really doing the job of personalizing? This is making me reconsider the value of using someone’s name in the subject line.

Communicate consistently with your list so they get to know you. Too many people go through the effort to build a list, and then don’t communicate consistently enough with those who volunteered to get information in the first place. If you’re not consistently providing value they won’t remember you anyway!

One last thing I’ll mention. There’s a line between consistency and overdoing it. When I start getting multiple messages a week and the majority are promotional, I begin to wonder if it’s worth being on the list anymore. An increase in frequency can often lead to a decrease in relevance.

I’ll answer those questions above:

1. I read emails from those I deem likeable, credible, and who have gained my trust through sources other than email. I also love wit and humor in a message.
2. I usually give someone a month.

Thoughts? Would love to hear from you.