The next time you create an
email campaign, try to use a ‘from address’ and ‘subject line’ with the assumption that no one is going to open your message. I know this seems backwards, but trust me on this one. Most of us put our energies in to creating a clever subject with the sole intention of getting the content opened. But more than three out of four commercial email messages are never opened, and if they are, the content is scanned in less than three seconds. That is hardly enough time to get your entire message across. But if the ‘from address’ and ‘subject line’ get the same three seconds, that is definitely long enough to make a positive brand impression and possibly a website visit before the delete key is pressed.
Let’s start with the ‘from address’. The simple fact is this: if the recipient does not know who you are as a sender, the likelihood that your message is opened falls to less than one in ten. So brand your ‘from address.’ Tell the recipient who you are, and use the entire ‘from address.’ The ‘from address’ has two parts, the actual email address and the name associated with the email address. Most email clients will display the name associated with the email address, if there is one. This part of the email address can be a person’s name, the organization’s name or division, or it can even be used as a mini subject such as: “Special Offers”
companyxyz-news@companyxyz.com. Once you pick an effective ‘from address,’ stick to it, and ask your list members to add the ‘from address’ to their address book or contact list. This will keep your messages out of the spam/bulk/junk folder. A quick “don’t” before moving on to designing a message subject: Email marketers should never use the infamous “do-not-reply” in any part of the ‘from address.’ This type of ‘from address’ is reserved for transactional notices, and it really takes away the personal connection you might make with your list members.
