By Jeanniey Mullen, ClickZ, Jan 5, 2009
Columns  |  Contact Jeanniey  |  Biography

Happy New Year! Now that you are back at work and focused on making 2009 the best year ever, I want to share the one secret to success that will put you light years ahead of your competition: the subject line.

I'd like to proclaim 2009 the "year of the subject line." In the world of e-mail, with so many choices on how to best affect results, I have chosen the subject line, in large part, due to the economy's financial state. The reality is, we are in a recession. And, one thing that all recessionary times foster is innovation. And in a time of technical innovation, you can be sure that 2009 will bring the introduction of new ways to communicate with each other electronically. Think about it, we are already reading e-mail in diverse places. We access our e-mail accounts on our PCs, laptops, mobile devices, social networks, NintendoDS and other gaming systems, on some airlines and even through hotel networks and cable TVs. Next up on the list will include access to e-mail inside our GPS systems in our vehicles, via MP3s that are not iPhones, inside appliances (like your refrigerator), and possibly even integrated into personal appliances we travel with like alarm clocks, digital photo frames, and more.

When e-mail is available to you wherever you are and surrounds whatever you are doing, the success of it breaking through the clutter of a normal life will be based on how well the subject line matches your current frame of mind.

Think about it. If you are in a doctor's office waiting room with nothing else to do, even the most mundane subject line may get you to open an e-mail because you need to pass the time. On the contrary though, if you receive that same e-mail while you are walking to your departure terminal at the airport, the chances that you will open it will be slim to none.

So how can you make sure your subject line will drive the most impact in 2009? Here are three tips of simple, innovative, and fun ways to increase your impact:

• Call your media planner (or Microsoft directly). Ask them to share their Hotmail e-mail reading trends with you. Microsoft gathers no personally identifiable data around what types of personal e-mails get read, so it can more appropriately advise on how to buy banners around the e-mail inbox. You might think that people plan to buy your product on a certain day or time of day, when in reality the buzz about it is happening at a different time. This route can increase your results by 600 percent or more.
  
  
• Poll your family and friends. Face it, we are in the media business. We all think electronically. Try polling your friends and family who are not in marketing and ask them what their priorities are for the next week or month. You might be surprised to hear people say things like: to go shopping after holiday discounts, or to get ready for the Super Bowl. In any event, that gives you a huge hint as to what themes to use with your subject line. In my last column, I used a $0 offer and got many, many people to respond saying that they opened it because it was in line with their seasonal thoughts and priorities.
  
  
• Don't forget the non-responders. Just because someone doesn't open in 72 hours doesn't mean she's not interested. E-mails perform that best when the same message is sent to a non-responder three times (in a bit of a different creative shell of course). Many companies always focus on the 30 percent who open and cast off the 70 percent who don't. A subject line with "last chance" or "final offer" can help activate up to 50 percent of your non-responders.

While I am confident that the subject line of your e-mail will be the key to great results in 2009, don't forget other important aspects of your e-mail program. These include: delivery and reputation, opt-in capture and profiling on your Web site, and integration with other media channels like banners or social networks. Remember these points and your 2009 will be off to a great start.

For more tips and hints, check out this free preview of my book, "Email Marketing: An Hour A Day." "Email Marketing Book: An Hour a Day."

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Biography

Jeanniey Mullen is the chief marketing officer for Zinio and its sister company, the exclusively digital magazine VIVmag. Jeanniey is recognized as a pioneer and visionary in the digital marketing and advertising space, with an expertise in e-mail marketing.

Prior to Zinio, Jeanniey was the senior partner and global executive director of the e-mail marketing and digital dialogue practice at OgilvyOne Worldwide. She worked with such clients as IBM, American Express, and Yahoo. In the mid-2000s, Jeanniey founded the Email Experience Council, the world's largest e-mail marketing trade organization. She currently serves as the executive director of the EEC, which is now owned by the Direct Marketing Association. Before that, Jeanniey ran her own advertising agency. And in the late 1990s, Jeanniey created the global e-mail marketing division inside an advertising agency at Grey Direct.

Jeanniey is a frequent speaker on a variety of topics including e-mail and digital marketing, brand development, and publishing. She is also a published author with two books in her portfolio, including "Email Marketing: An Hour A Day." She sits on the advisory boards of a number of innovative organizations, including the Social Media Advertising Consortium and the Online Marketing Summit.

» Contact Jeanniey Mullen

Article Archives by Jeanniey Mullen:
» 2009: The Year of the Subject Line - Jan 5, 2009
» Read This Holiday Column for $0 TODAY - Dec 22, 2008
» Did You Remember My Birthday? - Dec 8, 2008
» First Impressions: E-mail's Drive in 2009 - Nov 24, 2008
» Paying Homage to E-Mail in the Digital Revolution - Nov 10, 2008
» How Video Drives E-mail and E-mail Drives Social - Oct 27, 2008
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