The Rebel's Guide to Email Marketing: Grow Your List, Break the Rules, and Win

331 Pages·2013·11.07 MB·English

by  Jason Falls

The Rebel’s Guide to Email Marketing
Grow Your List, Break the Rules, and Win
DJ Waldow • Jason Falls
800 East 96th Street,
Indianapolis, Indiana 46240 USA
The Rebel’s Guide to Email Marketing
Copyright © 2013 by Pearson Education
All rights reserved. No part of this book shall be reproduced, stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the
publisher. No patent liability is assumed with respect to the use of the
information contained herein. Although every precaution has been taken in the
preparation of this book, the publisher and author assume no responsibility for
errors or omissions. Nor is any liability assumed for damages resulting from the
use of the information contained herein.
ISBN-13: 978-0-7897-4969-7
ISBN-10: 0-7897-4969-6
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file.
Printed in the United States of America
First Printing: August 2012
Editor-in-Chief
Greg Wiegand Senior Acquisitions Editor
Katherine Bull Development Editor
Leslie T. O’Neill Managing Editor
Kristy Hart Project Editor
Betsy Harris Copy Editor
Paula Lowell Senior Indexer
Cheryl Lenser Proofreader
Kathy Ruiz Technical Editor
Bill McCloskey Editorial Assistants
Romny French
Cindy Teeters Interior Designer
Anne Jones Cover Designer
Alan Clements Compositor
Nonie Ratcliff Que Biz-Tech Editorial Board
Michael Brito
Jason Falls
Rebecca Lieb
Simon Salt
Peter Shankman Trademarks
All terms mentioned in this book that are known to be trademarks or service
marks have been appropriately capitalized. Que Publishing cannot attest to the
accuracy of this information. Use of a term in this book should not be regarded
as affecting the validity of any trademark or service mark.
Warning and Disclaimer
Every effort has been made to make this book as complete and as accurate as
possible, but no warranty or fitness is implied. The information provided is on an
“as is” basis. The authors and the publisher shall have neither liability nor
responsibility to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damages arising
from the information contained in this book or from the use of the programs
accompanying it.
Bulk Sales
Que Publishing offers excellent discounts on this book when ordered in quantity
for bulk purchases or special sales. For more information, please contact
U.S. Corporate and Government Sales
1-800-382-3419
Praise for The Rebel’s Guide to Email Marketing
“After reading this book, the debate over email marketing being dead is
without a doubt over. DJ and Jason talk about email coming alive and
letting it work for your organization in many ways that you have heard
don’t work. Whether you are newbie or a seasoned veteran, this book will
get you screaming at the top of your lungs that EMAIL IS THRIVING!”
—Andrew Kordek, cofounder and chief strategist of Trendline
Interactive, a strategic email marketing agency
“Social media gets more attention, but email is still the spine of effective
digital marketing. In this practical book that you’ll refer to constantly,
Waldow and Falls shed much-needed light on how to build, operate, and
optimize a knock-out email program. It’s a useful book, perfectly
executed.”
—Jay Baer, coauthor of The NOW Revolution: 7 Shifts to Make
Your Business Faster, Smarter, and More Social
“I would take 1,000 opt-in email addresses above 1,000 followers or
Likes any day of the week. This from one of the biggest social media fans
alive. Email is not dead; it’s stronger than ever for the ones who use it right.
DJ and Jason are the guys to show you how with this masterpiece.”
—Scott Stratten, best-selling author of UnMarketing
“At a time when all the buzz is about social, DJ and Jason’s fun,
insightful, and down-to-earth style will give any marketer a renewed
excitement for email.”
—Halley Silver, director of online services, The King Arthur Flour
Co.
“Non-practitioner pundits have been declaring email marketing dead for
years. They’re still wrong. Email marketing remains the best way to get
people to take action, so read this book if you want your business to grow.”
—Brian Clark, CEO of Copyblogger Media
“You might call email the glue that holds so much of business marketing
efforts together. You might call it the backbone, or the connective tissue, or
the linchpin. But whatever you call it, you need it. And this is the book that
shows you not just why you need it, but how to use it to grow your
business.
“Rebel’s Guide is the book I’ve been waiting for, because this is the book
that talks (in real, relevant, updated terms) about how email is that critical
thing businesses need to market in a digital age.”
—Ann Handley, chief content officer of MarketingProfs and
coauthor of Content Rules: How to Create Killer Blogs, Podcasts,
Videos, Ebooks, Webinars (and More) That Engage Customers and
Ignite Your Business (Wiley, updated 2012)
Contents at a Glance
Introduction: Email Marketing Is (Not) Dead
I The Secret to Email Marketing: List Growth
1 Why List Growth Matters
2 How to Grow Your List
3 Let’s Get Technical
II The Anatomy of an Email
4 Examining an Email’s Body Parts
5 The First Impression
6 The Meat and Potatoes
7 The Finishing Touches
III Breaking the Rules
8 Are Best Practices Really “Best”?
9 My Word! You Must Read This Now!
10 The Perfect-Looking Email
11 The Best Ways to Grow Your List
IV Batman (Email Marketing) and Robin (Social Media)
12 How Email and Social Media Go Together
13 The Power of Pairs
V The Future of Email Marketing
14 What’s Next?
15 Go Forth and Conquer
A Your Prize
Index
Table of Contents
Introduction: Email Marketing Is (Not) Dead
Email Is Dead?
94%
2.9 Billion
Email versus Email Marketing
The ROI of Email Marketing
What to Expect from This Book
Endnotes
I The Secret to Email Marketing: List Growth
1 Why List Growth Matters
List Churn and List Fatigue
30%
A Few Words about Effective Tactics
Endnotes
2 How to Grow Your List
Making the Opt-In Process Obvious and Easy
Asking Website Visitors to Subscribe
Using Humor and Creativity to Increase Opt-Ins
Using Technology: QR Codes and Smartphone Apps to Grow
Your List
Use Social Media
Providing Incentive (WIIFM—What’s In It For Me?)
Growing Your Email List Offline
Endnotes
3 Let’s Get Technical
To Pre-check or Not to Pre-check
Explain the Email List Sign-Up Process
Send a Welcome Email
Remember, Make a Good First Impression
Endnotes
II The Anatomy of an Email
4 Examining an Email’s Body Parts
The Subject Line and From Address
The Preheader
The Header
Table of Contents
Main Call to Action
Secondary Calls to Action
Sharing Your Email
The Footer
5 The First Impression
From Name and Subject Line
Preheader
Header
You Don’t Need a Second Chance Do You?
Endnote
6 The Meat and Potatoes
Table of Contents
Zappos’s Digest TOC Email
MarketingProfs’s Approach to Email Table of
Contents
Main Calls to Action
Secondary and Tertiary Calls to Action
Buttons vs. Links vs. Images
Endnote
7 The Finishing Touches
Social Sharing and Social Connecting