The Power of Personalization
One of the smartest things you can do when email marketing is to “personalize” your messages. What exactly do I mean by that? It’s really quite simple, actually.
Most good autoresponder services or software packages allow you to use “custom variables” to insert the recipients name or other personal information into your messages — use it!
Studies have shown that “personalization” can increase sales by a large amount — sometimes by as much as several hundred percent.
Your subject line is a great place to personalize. Why? Because the subject line is probably the single biggest factor in whether or not your email gets opened. If it arouses curiosity, or emotion, or appeals directly to the recipient, your subject line can be a powerful motivator — or a big turnoff.
The advice here is simple. Use the “custom variables” in your AR to add the recipient’s name to the subject line of your email.
It’s also a great idea to open your email with a cheery “hello [[name]]” greeting.
By the way, always use “Hi” or “Hello” for your greeting. Why? Because if your database does not contain a name for every recipient, that field of your email will either be left blank, or something like the word “friend” will b inserted there to “fill in the blank”.
Experts agree it’s also a good idea to try to sprinkle the recipient’s name at least once or twice within the body of your email. Don’t overdo it, of course. That is just as bad as leaving the name out altogether.
In one case, you may seem overly familiar, while in the latter case, your “impersonal” email comes across as “boilerplate”. Of course, it *is* exactly that, if it’s part of an automated campaign, but the point is to try to give your recipient the impression yours is a more personal communication, written just to them.
Writing a personalized message rather than a “to whom it may concern” message can be vital to the ultimate success of your email marketing campaigns. Learn how to do it right!