In Focus

7 brands with bad-ass email programs

Rethinking "best practices"

What is "right"? Is there a correct way? Do best practices always work?

The answer to these and almost every other question in email marketing is, "It depends." I know it's a cop-out of an answer, but in all honesty, there is no right answer. There's no global best practice that makes your campaign stats jump, no design layout that wins every time. It takes constant trying, tweaking, analyzing, and risk-taking. Calculated and meticulous risk-taking, I might add. And yes, in the end there is no "right," only good job, mission accomplished, and what's next?

Yet over the years of not just observing thousands of email campaigns but also creating them, I have weeded through the good and the bad to find those brands that are marketing in ways that move audiences and drive results. This isn't about presenting you with empirical campaign data. This is about what works for me, and why.

Here are seven brands that are doing it right.

 

Comments

Naveen singh
Naveen singh July 30, 2010 at 7:21 AM

articles mentioned here are worth reading, but need more details on different success strategy or ideas specified on details. Also, expecting more of examples on retail fashions industry or domain pertaining to indian market. I am more interested on geographically domain examples and their success.
kindly guide me on this.
regards
Naveen singh
09900020361
Bangalore. India.

Tim Bottiglieri
Tim Bottiglieri June 9, 2010 at 8:43 AM

great article dylan, eye opener for me...i will always look to read where your name appears...easy reading with All the info,,,if you edit your own work...you are a master, thanks for the info!

Angelique and Friends
Angelique and Friends June 7, 2010 at 2:16 PM

Timberland's email message isn't any different from those I receive from dozens of clothing companies. I'm not saying it's bad in any way, I'm just saying it's not unique.

I do have to disagree with you about the magazine, however; to me it looks like a chore to read.

Marc Haseltine
Marc Haseltine June 7, 2010 at 1:19 PM

Bolen,

Here's a link to today's National Geographic Channel email newsletter: http://ow.ly/1Vbq4

You can sign up to receive this email -- and all our other newsletters -- at http://ow.ly/1Vbs3

Regards,

Marc Haseltine
Email Manager
National Geographic
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/

Ghulam Nabi Rezbi
Ghulam Nabi Rezbi June 7, 2010 at 12:42 PM

I don't think your "it depends" comment is a cop-out at all: It's realistic.

The fact is, as with basically everything in marketing, the only way to know if something is working is to test it.

By testing each and every element, sometime through a long and tedious (but necessary) process, can yuo know for certain what works and what doesn't.

And even then you have to keep testing because factors change over time.

Best,
Rezbi
http://www.eadim.com/
http://commonsensedirectmarketing.com/

Bolen High
Bolen High June 7, 2010 at 12:02 PM

Great article with excellent, but I wish you had included links to the 7 emails you described.

This way we could experience what you were discussing in the flesh.