The election may be over; however, the use of email to drive political thinking is certainly not.
Take a look at the email below from John McCain to his supporters regarding the economic stimulus package being discussed in the Senate.
A few nice actions:
• Use of "Fwd" in the subject line - certainly a nice way, when used selectively, to draw in incremental opens
• Strong call to action - though a better creative template would certainly help; including a link to a hosted page
• Use of a signature image to further personalize the communication
CNN even commented on the email.
Does anyone yet doubt the power of email?
Take a look at the email below from John McCain to his supporters regarding the economic stimulus package being discussed in the Senate.
A few nice actions:• Use of "Fwd" in the subject line - certainly a nice way, when used selectively, to draw in incremental opens
• Strong call to action - though a better creative template would certainly help; including a link to a hosted page
• Use of a signature image to further personalize the communication
CNN even commented on the email.
Does anyone yet doubt the power of email?
I'd actually say the use of FWD: being use is completely inappropriate for this message, it is deceptive in nature because no one actually forwarded it to you, you were the original and intended recipient.
It could even be seen as a deceptive practice under the CAN-SPAM law.
Otherwise, well done - it's good to see the Mr. McCain's program getting into email the way they are.
Matt
@emailkarma
Why do you feel it would be classified as "deceptive" by CAN-Spam?
Deception is ultimately in the eye of the beholder. As a subscriber to the McCain campaign it seems perfectly natural for them to "forward" me something of interest.
Sure the use of "FWD" is not technically the way would insert it; however, I think if used selectively it is okay.
I have to agree with Matt here.
A forward, as most "beholders" will understand it, is an email that was originally sent by one person ("A") to another person ("B"), who then elected to pass it to the recipient using the "forward" function in his/her email program.
So, in this example... if John McCain is forwarding you that email, who originally sent it to him?
I'm unsure as to whether it would technically violate CAN-SPAM -- but that's not the point.
Unless the email actually IS a forward, using FWD in the subject line is a bad idea. It might get you more opens, but what does it do to your credibility as an organization?
Moving this example to the business world - why would I ever want to open another email from a company that did something like that (let alone buy anything or refer anyone else to them)?
This is the sort of tactic that angers some subscribers and raises complaint rates. Bad for branding, bad for deliverability, bad for future open and click rates.
It's a well-done email overall - but it could have done without the sneaky FWD.