Welcome to Compositions, James DeKoven's column about brand communications. This time around: 

• Dating and E-Mail
• Fly On, Freebird
• Album of the Month

---------------------------------------------------
Mating Calls and E-Mail Marketing
--------------------------------------------------- 
I may have some good advice about messaging and strategy, but I’m fairly useless about most other categories. For example, dating.  

I’ve never understood the protocol (ask my dates), my wardrobe could use serious help (ask my friends), and my idea of fine dining is indulging in a “gourmet” burrito rather than grabbing one from a hole-in-the-wall taqueria (ask my ex-girlfriends).  

But I’m not completely naïve. If I shifted a few things, I’d have better success.  

It’s the same with e-mail marketing. Or close to it. A bad first date rarely warrants a second chance, yet with the first e-mail, you have more than one shot to make an impression (and, dare I say, a “conversion”).

That’s why it’s crucial to target those who didn’t open your first e-mail. Many of us focus on open rates and click-throughs but ignore the did-not-opens, when in fact they might be ready to buy - if only we shifted a few things. 
For example: 

Create a new subject line: Just like dating, what attracts one may repel another. Obvious, yes, but how can the new subject line be REALLY different?

Consider making an offer versus a sales pitch. Example: 
First subject line (sales pitch): “25% off All Home & Garden Products” 
New subject line (offer): “10 Ways to Grow Healthier Plants” 

Shift the first sentence or headline: Since many e-mail programs display content without opening the message, it’s important to also have a compelling headline or first sentence.

So let’s say you’re promoting vacation packages for a new luxury island resort.  

First headline: “A Caribbean vacation package for only $1,599.00”  

Consider that money may not be the main criteria for people looking to lounge on a white sand beach for a week.  Try something more emotional, a line that connects to the psychology of the target audience: 

Targeted headline: “Come to the island where no one can find you.”  

Change the from name: If the e-mail is from Paradise Vacations Inc., it’s likely to go right into the delete box. It doesn’t matter how good the subject line is. The message should come from an individual. Always. 

There are many other factors that affect open rates. Search the web to find a billion articles about dos and don’ts. Whatever your course of action, remember that e-mail is still inexpensive when compared to other direct marketing techniques.  

As with dating, be persistent. A little extra effort can reap big rewards. 

Now, if you know a single millionaire heiress… 

----------------------
Fly On, Freebird
---------------------- 

Anyone who grew up listening to rock radio has probably heard “Freebird” about 1,000 times. That’s why many of us, upon hearing the song’s dramatic opening chords, have also changed the station about 1,000 times.  

It’s unfair, in a way. A tune of serious subject matter, weaved together by top-notch musicianship, has lost all seriousness. The song has been mocked so many times, it’s become a parody of itself. Yet if you knew the back story, you might feel different (I’ll make the connection to marketing in a minute). 

“Freebird” isn’t a made-up tale about a young’s man romantic yearning to leave his woman for a life on the road. The song had deeply personal roots for Lynrd Skynrd guitarist Allen Collins. As Gene Odom wrote in “Lynyrd Skynrd: Remembering the Free Birds of Southern Rock,”

“It was a song that had been under development for almost a year, having begun with a question posed by Allen’s girlfriend and future wife. For Kathy Johns it was obvious that there would always be another love in Allen’s life, and that was music. Watching him practice in his mother’s living room one day, she asked, ’If I leave here tomorrow, would you still remember me?’”

As we know, that existential question became the song’s poignant, word-for-word opening line. Understanding the origins makes the song more compelling, which makes us pay more attention…which leads us to the marketing application. 

Just as people are tired of hearing “Freebird,” they’re also tired of hearing cliché marketing messages. To break through, to make your message relevant and therefore of value, you need to shed new light on the familiar. Here’s how: 

- What if your offering didn’t exist?
Answer this question in as many ways as possible. Rather than barraging readers with clichés about “productivity” and “efficiency,” help them imagine a world (or a day or scenario) where your product or service doesn’t exist. What are the implications? 

- Listen to your sales people.
They often pull out verbal gems when meeting prospects, but these often don’t get passed on to marketing. How are they creating those “a-ha” moments? Capture them. 

- Get creative and take a look at your competition.
I’ll bet most of them have similar positioning, conveyed in the same yawn-inducing way. They think prospects only respond to conventional messages. Why copy them? When you take a fresh approach, they’ll be stuck in the past while you bring in new customers.  
 
-----------------------
Album of the Month
------------------------

Spring is finally here - at least in the Bay Area - so it’s time for something fresh. The album is Dawn by Build An Ark. It’s been described as “spiritual jazz,” but categorizing the record isn’t easy. One review says it sounds like “the first kiss of the sun as it emerges from the night sky.” Another review said “it’s full of laidback contemplative music made for lazy Sundays.” Perfect for the new season. 
 
Until next time, 
James