The power of "it depends"

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question marksWhat a useless, cowardly expression to use: "it depends..."

It offers no answers, no quick fix, no actionable advice, nothing.

N-O-T-H-I-N-G.

And it's the most powerful two words in email marketing.

Because while there are some consistent rules out there, many decisions you take about your email marketing program really do depend on characteristics unique to that program, your organization and your target audience.

Here are just a few of the questions that (initially) deserve an "it depends":
  • When is the best day to send my emails?
  • When is the best time of day to send my emails?
  • How often should I send my emails?
  • How long should my copy be?
  • Should I brand the subject line?
  • Should I personalize the subject line?
  • What open and click rates should I be happy with?
The problem is we all like clarity.

So here goes:

Sunday, 8.45am, Once a week, About 300 words, Yes, No, 25% and 10%

You can take false comfort in clear answers. But these answers are based on data and experience that has no relevance to the actual situation you find yourself in. So they are unlikely to get the most out of your efforts. They may even be counterproductive.

Or you can accept the correct answer to all those questions: it depends.

A willingness to confront the "it depends" challenge implies flexibility and a willingness to seek the solutions best suited to your own circumstances.

"It depends" is an invitation, an opportunity...to search for a more accurate, more relevant, more profitable answer to key questions.

So...

1. Take the rules, suggestions, estimates, statistics and advice on the issue in question.

2. Review them in the context of your own understanding of YOUR emails, YOUR organization and YOUR audience.

3. Draw out what seem like the best answers for YOUR situation.

4. Where practical, take the top options and test to see which truly is the best (because if we were clever enough to know in advance, we'd be drinking cocktails on a private Caribbean island by now).

5. And, if you can't test, take your "best guess" answer and run with it.

Saying "it depends" isn't the cowardly option after all...it's the brave and right option.

Related article:
Ask the right questions

[This post brought to you by Campaigner Email Marketing]
Permalink | November 13, 2008 | 1 comment(s) - add yours!
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1 Comments:

To me the most frustrating scenario is when a client tries one email blast and bases their perception of email marketing on their results. Even if I have tried to explain to them that they need to send out several emails to be taken seriously, they quite often do not get it.
By Anonymous Grant, on 14 November, 2008  
 

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