Our subject line today is the model of perfection … according to online marketing firm Marketo.

Why?

It’s clear and direct … not clever.

‘Unclear subject lines’ is the first of eight biggest email mistakes marketers make according to Marketo in this white paper. They cite a case study reporting that clear subject lines received 541% more clicks than clever ones. So, they say, “Still doing it the old way?” is not going to out pull “3 Seps to Winning Customer Loyalty”.

In their report, Marketo offers more specific advice to avoid each mistake. In the case of subject lines …

• Tell your recipients exactly what they’ll get by opening the email.
• Front-load the most important words (or numbers), such as “Tips” or “Tricks”.
• Focus on all metrics, not just open rate. The best subject line in the world is worthless if it doesn’t result in click-throughs.
• When in doubt, test it out.

Here are the seven other biggest mistakes, each with remedies recommended by Marketo.

2. Poor Email List Hygiene — Duh! No surprise there. Huge impact on deliverability … and reputation.

3. Failure to Measure Email Unboxing — the percentage of delivered emails that hit the primary inbox (versus junk or spam folders)

4. No Engagement Segmentation — the ‘trick’ here? Stagger your sends. Email your most engaged segment first, then send the unengaged. Marketo explains why this trick delivers better results.

5. No Re-Engagement Strategy — some interesting stats here. Don’t be afraid to directly ask inactive folks on your list if they still want to hear from you. There’s a payoff.

6. Using Image-Based CTA Buttons — getting technical here. Use HTML buttons to be sure your ‘image’ will be seen. Improves all your open/click rates.

7. No Mobile Optimization — no longer ‘nice to have’. See below. ‘Nuff said.

8. Bad Testing Decisions — e.g., bad timing, small sample sizes, multiple variables.

Good list … and good advice in 8 Biggest Mistakes Email Marketers Make.

Tom

P.S. Admittedly, this stuff is pretty tactical. To stimulate your more strategic thinking about email fundraising, read Roger’s post from earlier this week, No One Wants More Email, and explore the links therein.