'elf Express Extra

If your email subject line doesn't get read—nothing gets read!

And it is worse now!

**DoubleClick Q2 E-Mail Trends Report, published in September 2002, reveals that e-mail marketing click-through rates DROPPED in Quarter 2-2002 to 4.9% from 6.8% in Quarter 1-2002! These findings are based on 1.7 billion emails sent out by hundreds of clients. The report also reveals a bounce-back rate of 12.6%!—an all time HIGH in Quarter 2-2002.**

The writing on the wall is clear! Email marketing strategies have to be redefined and innovated.

And the FIRST STEP begins with the subject line! All the hard work that you have put up in setting up your email becomes useless if it is deleted.

The 5 different methods listed here will add a strong psychological punch to the subject line, which will increase the chances of your message getting opened!

These suggestions are based on research data and my own personal experience, where I get a click-through ratio of over 8%.

#1—Keep The Subject Line Short And Different:

The shorter the email subject line, the better. Add a little mystery to it. If possible, associate it with money.

For example: "John's $49.99 Refund!" The above subject line is what I use after my fifth follow up for upgrading my eBook to the deluxe version.

Inside the body of the message the first sentence is the exact "refund message" he will be getting if the customer chooses a refund after upgrading. I have been receiving a click-through ratio of about 7.5 to URL http://www.learnhomebusiness.com/upgradeglobal.htm.

#2—Innovative Personalization On The Subject Line:

Note the above subject line again! "John's $49.99 Refund!"

If the customer name is John, it is better to say "John's $49.99 Refund!" than to say "John, your $49.99 Refund."

This works best from your third follow up onwards. Or if your are giving something valuable like a FREE gift, you can use it on the first email. For example: "John's FREE Gift!"

#3—"RE" In Subject Line Is Very Important To People:

Is there a different way to use "RE"?

Consider these two examples:

The usual one: "Re: John, your income stream!" The one I use: "John -re: Your Income Stream!"

The second one is the one that I use to drive traffic to the 50%-commission affiliate program for all my 38 info products. Again I get a click-through ratio of 7.5% to the URL, http://www.learnhomebusiness.com/affiliate.htm.

#4—Use Quotation Marks In The Subject Line:

Using quotation marks in the subject line arrests a person's eyes on the subject line. For example: "John's $49.99 Refund!"

#5—People Like To Be Updated, Upgraded, and Remain Current:

Use the word "update" and "upgrade" intelligently in the subject line. For example: "John's important update. Open!"

Whenever I add a new affiliate program, an email with the above subject line goes out to my valuable customers. The response rate has been good enough—especially when I am inviting them to join under me at: http://www.learnhomebusiness.com/homebizoptions.htm.

*Additional Tip*

You can use the personalization suggestion given above even in your autoresponder. For example, if the personalization tag given to you by your autoresponder is < fname>, all you have to do is Insert:

"< fname>'s $49.99 Refund!—which will read as "John's $49.99 Refund!" (Watch " and 's)

I hope this article is of use to you. There are many more "email subject tricks" to be discussed, which I will be covering in a future article, as I have already stolen a major chunk of your valuable time!