From lines and open rates: unusual test results

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from linesThis week has already shown me assumptions about what works in email marketing don't always hold true.

Just as I was coming to grips with the whole button / text link dilemma, up popped this brief article from EmailCenter UK to further shake my self-belief.

It gives some test results showing open rates increase when a personal name is used in the "from" field (rather than the company name.)

Ah, you say, that's because the recognition factor is at work. But wait...

The open rate lift also occurred when a random personal name was used. If the decision to open is about recognizing the sender, then you would not expect an unknown name to lift opens compared to a recognizable brand name.

The article has no details on test methodology, but still...intriguing...

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[This post brought to you by Campaigner Email Marketing]
Permalink | June 29, 2007 | 11 comment(s)
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11 Comments:

I'd love to see the data behind this article/study. Seems a bit odd to me.

DJ
Bronto
By Blogger DJ Waldow, on 30 June, 2007  
 

Me too, DJ! Giving it some thought, I wonder maybe if the brand name was included in the subject line. A person's name in the from line might then pull some curiosity opens, as in "who's writing to me from X?". Be interesting to know if the open rate boost was maintained over time, too.

Also, while good for tests, using a random name in the real world might be inviting trouble if there isn't a real person behind it...
By Blogger Mark Brownlow - Email Marketing Reports, on 01 July, 2007  
 

I agree with DJ - more details needed, is it B2C or B2B? And yes, Mark, what was said in the subject line?

From looking at my own inbox emails feel spammy using a name in the 'from' I don't recognise. + It's a current trick amongst hardcore spammers to use random personal names.

first-name basis is a truly powerful tool if used in the context Mark mentioned before - *if * there is that kind of relationship. But, the company must know enough about the recipients to know if this relationship 1-on-1 exists - or if the company name has more valuable cache. denise

p.s. what i really don't like is MY first name in the subject line!
By Anonymous denise cox, on 27 July, 2007  
 

Thanks Denise. Good points all.

I think spammers ruined the "first name in subject line" technique. I share your feelings on that.
By Blogger Mark Brownlow - Email Marketing Reports, on 27 July, 2007  
 

Hi All,
As author of the article from Emailcenter here are some more details:

Campaign 1 – Event promotion company
B2B audience (charities). The name used was not known. Results have been sustained over 3 months now. The emails sent are made to look fairly real as opposed to a newsletter. No brand name in subject and sometimes not even the event name.

Campaign 2 - Travel newsletter
B2C audience. Lots more tests being carried out across segments so too early to say too much but changing the from name is a useful tactic for people that are not responding.

Campaign 3 - Online Portal
B2C audience - first name dash brand used. Uplift of 5% points over just the brand which has been sustained for months. Brand name is rarely used in subject lines.

Campaign 4 - Personalised From Names
This is a new one hot off the press. B2B telecoms equipment provider use the persons account managers name in the from name and within the body of the email. Results have seen an uplift of 70% in open rates ahead of using the generic name and the company name.

Hope this helps.
By Blogger Sean, on 31 July, 2007  
 

Sean, thanks for jumping in with more details. Appreciated. Fascinating topic - it seems the from line has a lot more potential that most think when it comes to lifting results.
By Blogger Mark Brownlow - Email Marketing Reports, on 31 July, 2007  
 

thanks for adding that information in here Sean.

>>B2B telecoms equipment provider use the persons account managers name in the from name and within the body of the email.<<

you reminded me of a very similar mailing we did here for a B2B company using the account managers name for half the list and generic company company name in the other - and saw exactly the sort of lift that you did.

it seems like a really obvious one to do - but it's surprising how many companies might not have all the data collated together in order to do segmentation of ANY type! It's worth the company investing the time across departments to get that sorted. especially when you can point to these types of results.

denise
By Anonymous denise cox, on 31 July, 2007  
 

My take is that open rates increased because recipients thought they might have known the individual. Or maybe it just peaked their curiosity that an unknown personality was hitting up their inbox. When recipients see the commercial content of the email I bet they would be frustrated with the innapropriate, and almost deceptive, sender line. Increased Open Rate does not equal Increased Conversion Rate. I'll stick to forthright and recognizable sender lines.
By Blogger Jason, on 31 July, 2007  
 

Tom O'Leary adds his comments in this blog post...
By Blogger Mark Brownlow - Email Marketing Reports, on 01 August, 2007  
 

Hi Jason,
Conversions are not tracked by the customer so we cannot say what change this makes. However click-thru rates rose by more than the actual uplift of opens.

What I say to all of our clients though is there is never a definite answer. Always run some A/B splits (If your list is big enough!) to see what works for them.

Sean
By Blogger Sean, on 13 August, 2007  
 

Hi all,
Just read the post in the blog on Toms website. Just to clarify this is 70% increase in opens, not a 70% open rate!

Sean
By Blogger Sean, on 13 August, 2007  
 

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