VerticalResponse for AppExchange Blog

Who Wants to Write Better Email Copy?

VR Retention Marketing Specialist, Amber Cleave, recently attended a DMA copywriting seminar in NYC. She came back with a ton of great insight, ideas and tips on how to improve our email and online copy. They're too good to be kept secret, so we wanted to pass them along to you, too.

Here are Amber's top 13 picks from the seminar to help you instantly improve your email copy:

1. Ask the 4 Key Questions: Before you begin to write, ask yourself these four key questions.  
   • What am I selling (at emotional level)?
   • To whom am I selling?
   • Why am I selling this now
     (will it make sense to the  customer)?
   • What do I want my reader to do
     (Calls to Action)?  
2. Consider Your Font Style: Sans-serif fonts, such as Arial, Verdana and Helvetica, are   easier to read online than serif. If people find it difficult to read your copy, they won't! 
3. Read Your Copy Out Loud: This will help you hear what your readers hear.
4. Cut the Clutter: William Zinsser wrote that "clutter is the disease of American writing." The quickest way to improve your copy is by removing any unnecessary words such as "that"or "to."
5. Use the Rhythm of 3: List your examples in groups of three. The Rhythm gives a great cadence to your copy.
6. Use Bucket Brigade Words: Bucket brigade words help you move your copy forward. They include remember, and, but, consider, however, for example..and more!
7. Vary Sentence Length: It is important to vary your sentence length to hold your reader's attention. And don't be afraid to use sentence fragments - this isn't your college English class!
8. Differentiate Between Features vs. Benefits: Features are what the product has. Benefits are what it will provide the customers. The customer will always ask, "What's in it for me?" Be sure you tell them.
9. Write In the Second Person: Focus on one person (you/your) rather than a group (our customers). This makes your reader feel special and highlights how the product can benefit them.
10. Write Less Copy: People read 25% slower online than offline, so you need to write less copy so they will read it.
11. Don't Hide Your Key Points: Keep your most important points at the beginning of paragraphs, bullets and lists.
12. Keep Paragraphs Short: Make sure your paragraphs are no more than 3 lines long. Otherwise you might lose your reader's attention.
13. Remember Odd vs. Even: Odd numbers are easier to remember than even, so use an odd number whenever possible.

Do you have any copywriting tips that you find useful and want to share? Enter them here in the comments section. We'd love to hear them! 

29 Great B2B Subject Lines

With a business-to-business offering, you might be trying to get your customers to sign up for a free trial, get them to an event, a webinar or give them information on how to be better at something or use your products or services better. Here are a few examples of some great B2B subject lines I dug up that you can test out for your business today.  

• How to Leverage [your product] in Your Business

• Save Money and Look Like a Star to Your Boss

• How to Impress Your Cranky CFO - Save $1000

• Increase Your ROI by [xx]%, Guaranteed

• How to make it onto your buyer's short list

• Complimentary Webinar: [insert webinar name]

• Now you can do even more with your [xxxx]

• Should your company outsource [insert thing to outsource here]?

• Breakfast & Secrets for How to [insert problem you solve or product you sell]

• Success Tip: 5 Ways to a Better [xxxx]

• Register Today: [inert name of event] Nov. 5 2009

• Entry deadline fast approaching

• New White Paper: Best Practices for [Insert problem and solution here]

• Success Tip #1: [Insert Tip Headline Here]

• A gift employees and clients will love: [Insert gift name here]

• Extended for a Day: Get Free Shipping Through Friday

• Your Weekly Alert: [insert topic here]

• Hear Exclusive Research Presented on [insert what your event is about] - Register Now!

• Inside: [hot topic in your newsletter you think will get the most opens]

• 5 Ways to Maximize Holiday Sales

• Save $200: [insert event here] Early Bird Registration Ends [insert date here]

Specific ones we think are good and why:

• Marketing on a Tight Budget - Part 1 - Hits a pain point and makes it seem like there is even more information to help me, on its way.

• Countdown to the Awards Gala: Reason #5 to Attend - This company did a series of 7 email campaigns in a row, to get people excited.

• The Venture Capitalist Industry Isn't Broken: VatorNewsletter - Here they started with the hot topic in the front of the subject line and it was somewhat controversial.

• Secure Your SaaS Application (White paper Included) - I like that they tell you there is something tangible in it for you right in the subject line.

• Cognos Training: 50% Discount - Year-End Budget - I LOVE the way they use Year End Budget because in many companies if you don't spend the budget you have this year, you won't get it again next year. This also works well with "Quarter-End Budget"

• Thank You From Dice - This was just a nice thank you for your business with a huge discount to get customers coming back.

• Get a $30 Gift Card for 30 Minutes of Your Time - It was to take a demo of a new product.

• Frustrated with Graphics in Microsoft Office? - This company sells a product to make it all better and they got to a real pain point for people.

Subject lines are so important since it's the reason your recipients are going to look to that to decide if they want to open your email. If you've got some B2B subject lines that have worked for you in the past, comment on the post, we'd love to see them!

Use Merge Fields with Salesforce Data to Increase Engagement

It's really a no-brainer: the more personalized your emails, the better response you're going to have from your recipients.  Did you know that with VerticalResponse for AppExchange you can merge your custom Salesforce fields to add that personal touch? Consider adding fields like these to your emails from Salesforce:

• Personal account manager or sales executive's name with direct contact information
• Last purchased product or date
• Region or location-specific info (nearest physical store, territory rep, local office, etc.)
  See a great example of that here
• Product category highlight or promo - ex: dog toy sale for dog owners only
• Tradeshow or event reference - ex: "Thanks for visiting us at BigCon in Peoria"

These Sound Like Great Ideas, But How Do You Do It?
To add personalization to your next email campaign, click "Lists" on the "VR Email" tab, and select "Create New List of Leads and Contacts." 
Now you can choose to query only Leads, only Contacts, or both:
You can also set the parameters for your query (the very same way you would when running a report in Salesforce):


Click on "Next Step", and you will be taken to the "Map Your Fields" page:
Using the checkboxes in the right hand column, you can select the fields that you want to include in your email.  Are there fields in your Salesforce org that aren't automatically showing up in these lists?  Simply choose each from one of the "Other (no match)" boxed and name the field.

It's important here to remember the exact name you assigned these fields, as you'll need to reference the name to merge those fields into your email.  When you're satisfied that all fields that you will need are included, click on "Next Step". The next page is a summary of your query.  It's a good idea to give this a quick once-over to make sure that all of the correct fields are being pulled in, and specifically that it's pulling in the correct information for each field.  If everything looks good, hit "Next Step" to proceed to the next page.  

You can now create your list from these results and name it (remember that it's always good to be fairly specific in your naming convention to remind you of when and why the list was created.)  Then click "Create List". Now you can get to the fun part...creating the email! 

Creating Your Email with Merge Fields
Just create the email the same way you normally would, and when you get to a point where you would like to merge a field, you can either click on the "Insert" drop down to select a standard email field, or simply type in the name of the custom field that you made when creating the list.   Remember when I mentioned it was a good idea to make note of the exact name of the field?  This is where it really comes in handy, because unless you type the name exactly as it was created, the merge will not work.

Merge Ideas in Action:
Ready to get started making your emails more personalized?  Below are a few ideas to get you started:

1) Be sure to include the recipient's first name; it's a great start to giving your emails a personal touch.  If not all of your Salesforce records include a first name, don't forget to include a default so that you don't end up with a big blank space after the greeting.  To do this, use {FIRST_NAME | Friend} in the merge field.  Don't be afraid to get creative here!  In my example below, I've used "Wine Enthusiast" as the default, as my email was for the wine industry. 2) If you have a field in Salesforce that tracks what your customers last bought, it's smart to pull that in as well, especially if you are marketing a complimentary or similar product.
3) If you're in marketing, and want to send emails out on behalf of each salesperson, you can merge in the Lead and Contact Owner's contact information to create an email signature.  This will make it easy for your recipients to immediately get in touch with the right person when they are ready to act!
A word to the wise:  make sure that all of your merge fields are working properly when you test your email.  It's much better for you to catch your error than your customers!

- Want to watch a video of this idea in action?  Check out the video tutorial
- Got some great ideas for further personalizing emails?  Share them with us!

It's really a no-brainer: the more personalized your emails, the better response you're going to have from your recipients.  Did you know that with VerticalResponse for AppExchange you can merge your custom Salesforce fields to add that personal touch? Consider adding fields like these to your emails from Salesforce:

• Personal account manager or sales executive's name with direct contact information
• Last purchased product or date
• Region or location-specific info (nearest physical store, territory rep, local office, etc.)
  See a great example of that here
• Product category highlight or promo - ex: dog toy sale for dog owners only
• Tradeshow or event reference - ex: "Thanks for visiting us at BigCon in Peoria"

These Sound Like Great Ideas, But How Do You Do It?
To add personalization to your next email campaign, click "Lists" on the "VR Email" tab, and select "Create New List of Leads and Contacts." 
Now you can choose to query only Leads, only Contacts, or both:
You can also set the parameters for your query (the very same way you would when running a report in Salesforce):


Click on "Next Step", and you will be taken to the "Map Your Fields" page:
Using the checkboxes in the right hand column, you can select the fields that you want to include in your email.  Are there fields in your Salesforce org that aren't automatically showing up in these lists?  Simply choose each from one of the "Other (no match)" boxed and name the field.

It's important here to remember the exact name you assigned these fields, as you'll need to reference the name to merge those fields into your email.  When you're satisfied that all fields that you will need are included, click on "Next Step". The next page is a summary of your query.  It's a good idea to give this a quick once-over to make sure that all of the correct fields are being pulled in, and specifically that it's pulling in the correct information for each field.  If everything looks good, hit "Next Step" to proceed to the next page.  

You can now create your list from these results and name it (remember that it's always good to be fairly specific in your naming convention to remind you of when and why the list was created.)  Then click "Create List". Now you can get to the fun part...creating the email! 

Creating Your Email with Merge Fields
Just create the email the same way you normally would, and when you get to a point where you would like to merge a field, you can either click on the "Insert" drop down to select a standard email field, or simply type in the name of the custom field that you made when creating the list.   Remember when I mentioned it was a good idea to make note of the exact name of the field?  This is where it really comes in handy, because unless you type the name exactly as it was created, the merge will not work.

Merge Ideas in Action:
Ready to get started making your emails more personalized?  Below are a few ideas to get you started:

1) Be sure to include the recipient's first name; it's a great start to giving your emails a personal touch.  If not all of your Salesforce records include a first name, don't forget to include a default so that you don't end up with a big blank space after the greeting.  To do this, use {FIRST_NAME | Friend} in the merge field.  Don't be afraid to get creative here!  In my example below, I've used "Wine Enthusiast" as the default, as my email was for the wine industry. 2) If you have a field in Salesforce that tracks what your customers last bought, it's smart to pull that in as well, especially if you are marketing a complimentary or similar product.
3) If you're in marketing, and want to send emails out on behalf of each salesperson, you can merge in the Lead and Contact Owner's contact information to create an email signature.  This will make it easy for your recipients to immediately get in touch with the right person when they are ready to act!
A word to the wise:  make sure that all of your merge fields are working properly when you test your email.  It's much better for you to catch your error than your customers!

- Want to watch a video of this idea in action?  Check out the video tutorial
- Got some great ideas for further personalizing emails?  Share them with us!

Get Higher Open & Click Rates with Pre-Header Links

Your recipients are getting your email marketing campaigns in various email readers and on mobile devices, and many of them are making decisions whether to read them in a split second. They look at who the email is from, then the subject line, and in some cases what comes directly after the subject line; the pre-header text. We see most people using pre-headers in the scenario where images are not visible due to a recipent's email settings. But this often times is also what is displayed right after your subject line in many email readers. It's pretty valuable space don't you think?
Check out the example below:
 

We recommend you test some of your most important content, short and sweet, right in the pre-header of your emails. We started doing it and have noticed an increase in the number of opens and clicks we're getting to our emails.

We still keep our other links in the pre-header. Notice below, we include a link to "View this Email", but we included a "Get Started & Download Our PDF Guide" link which got pulled into the email reader (see above). Since we launched this pre-header link, it has been the #1 most-clicked link of all of our newsletter URLs and our open rate has remained high because of the pre-header shown in the reader.

So, give it a try in your next email marketing campaign and send us your results!

Discover Our New Templates and Email Editing Options

Since rolling out our new Email Creation Upgrade this Spring, we've added new templates, designs and email editing methods to VR for AppExchange.  Be sure to try our new options to see all that the new upgrade has to offer.  Click the "Start Now" button in your VR for AppExchange session to get started.

 

Did You Know:

• Our new email creation methods include more than 500 pre-designed templates featuring brand-new designs and layouts  

• Our super flexible and easy Wizard features ready-to-use layouts that include sample copy, and our Canvas method lets you toggle between graphical view and HTML Code view.

• You can once again send emails using your existing Salesforce email templates with our fully-integrated Salesforce email template picker. 

• You can always provide your own HTML designs using our freeform editor, too.

Whether you're a start-from-scratch freeform user, you're true-blue loyal to your existing Salesforce templates, or you want to discover how easy it is to get started quickly on high-impact emails with our email wizard, VerticalResponse has an email editing method for you.

Login to Salesforce and start creating an email today!

How to Do Everything - Salesforce Style

Ever wondered how to build an email using a saved Salesforce template?  Or, maybe you're looking for a quick reminder of how to build a list using a Salesforce campaign?  Well, boy, have we got something for you!

I'm happy to announce that we recently launched a new tutorial site, aptly named, "How to Do Everything", and have now added a section to the site devoted specifically to using VerticalResponse for AppExchange.  "How to Do Everything - Salesforce" includes much more detailed tutorials than we've ever provided before, both in video and text formats.

You know, we here at VerticalResponse aren't ones to toot our own horns too much, but I've got to tell you that what I really love about our new help site is that each tutorial is pared down to a bite-sized morsel - that means that it's as easy to set up a curriculum for yourself to get fully up to speed on all of our bells and whistles, as it is to just get a quick refresher before you send out an email campaign.

Ready to give it a test drive?  You can access "How to Do Everything" from right within your Salesforce org.  Simply click on "Help", or on "Watch a Demo", sit back, relax, and enjoy the show.

Best of all, this is just the start, so stay tuned for more sections to come!

SFDC Reports as Email Lists

During the course of an evaluation of VerticalResponse, we always ask the question:  "how do you currently generate your lists?"  This is important to know because when using the solution our customers must understand that while we are an integration partner of SFDC, we are also an independent software vendor.  That said, the query tool that we've built for SFDC users to access their data for email lists is always going to be limited to some users because of this relationship.  Part of the survey we launched out recently asked the question:  "How do you generate your lists, using the VR query tool or running SFDC reports?" Here's the low-down utilizing SFDC reports.

If you find that you are not able to get as granular using the VR query tool as you'd like, and you have the SFDC campaigns module, you can simply run an SFDC report to generate your lists.  Below are the steps to create this:

1.  Create a new SFDC campaign ("september newsletter"); set it as "active"
2.  Under your reports tab, create a report using SFDC query fields
3.  After you run the report, select the "add to campaign" button at the top of the page
4.  Find the "september newsletter" campaign you initially created and and add members
5.  Under the VR Email tab, select:  'New Email List' and select the third option titled: "send emails to members associated with an existing salesforce.com Campaign"

You will now see a drop-down window with all of your active campaigns.  The "September newsletter" will be present with the members of the report that you previously ran.  When you click "next step", you will be prompted to our data mapping page as you would when using our query tool.

While the VR query tool is a powerful, easy to use tool to build your lists, we understand that there are advanced queries that SFDC reports are better suited for to build your lists.  The above will let you send campaigns to anyone in your SFDC database with an email address.

If you have questions regarding the above, our VIP customer service group for SFDC users are waiting to help.  You can reach them here:

866-683-7842
VIP@verticalresponse.com

-- Alex
 

Don't be boring, create an HTML email!

Need to create a nice email to send to your peeps? We got the right tools for you. The VR app allows you to create an email in 5 different ways.

Be the Picasso of HTML emails and VR's HTML editor "Canvas" can be your paint brush. It's as easy as using a Word processor.

Show off what your techie designer created in HTML, do it with the "Freeform" option.

Alright, I said don't be boring but if you really need to, you can send out a "text only" email.

Salesforce Template - Got some cool templates stored in Salesforce, use 'em.

However you want to build you nifty email, VR gives you the tools to do it! If you need help along the way, contact Support and they'll be more than happy to help.

Still have an excuse on getting started or maybe you're just too busy. Check out VR Does It For You. We can help build and launch your next email campaign!

-- Chris Carpio, Associate Product Manager

Installation is a Snap...

One Friday afternoon, we decided to hit Janine's office for our weekly Happy Hour (Happy Hour is a VR tradition where we all hangout and wrap up the week with beer and wine on hand. Cool company, huh?!). As I walked in, Alex was recalling how one of our clients wanted us to physically come down to their office in the South Bay and implement VerticalResponse in to their org. And yes, they're willing to pay big bucks for us to install! Alex ended up explaining to the client how easy it is to install the VR app and within minutes you can start mailing.

It's as simple as visiting the VR for AppExchange listing and clicking on the big red Get It Now button.

For those of you who are interested in sitting in on a live online demo, there's one every Wednesday at 1PM Pacific. Simply send us an email and we'll send you the details.

Now, if you still want to pay big bucks to have one of us install the app for you, let's talk. However, we would rather have you spend your money on email credits. :)

-- Chris Carpio, Associate Product Manager