Hi Everyone

Well it seems that as one war ends and another begins, or rather steps up.

The war on Spam is an interesting one: while we all want to reduce it, there are unscrupulous marketers out there who are hell-bent on increasing it, and companies now whose furtures lie in controlling it. The problem is that, for some people, Spam is a viable option, just like junk mail and telemarketing.

Will we win? Only when people stop responding to it. Whether that be as a result of filtering, legislation or consumer trends.

Getting your customers' attention through e-mail relies so much now on building trust and good relationships. Being recognised and accepted will get you read. In this situtaion, Spam doesn't matter: you will stand out because your customer knows you.

As always I encourage your feedback. E-mail me at paul@peoplelogic.com.au

Last year, a study by Quris found that over 50% of e-mails are deleted immediately if the sender was not familier. Meanwhile, 62% were either eager or curious to read the e-mail if the sender was recognised.

Let's face it, writing a good subject line for an e-mail is not easy.
Within the space of a few characters, your brief text needs to convey a sense of importance that raises it above all others in the intended In Box. I struggle dozens of times a day.

The fact that the subject of this bulletin is, of course, all about e-mail marketing - a key part of which is writing good subject lines - adds an unnecessary layer of pressure. Consequently, I spend way too much time thinking about it and often feel that the result is in direct inverse proportion to the effort.

I have been paying close attention to subject lines recently, in order to better understand what makes me open some, but not others.

Spam is an interesting research tool for this and 'getting opened' is the prime focus.

A look at my junk mail box would give you the impression that I am poorly endowed, sexually challenged, cash strapped and gullible.

But what separates the junk from the real stuff is the powerful combination of 'Subject line' and 'From'.

For example, I recently received an e-mail from Eminem:

>From: Eminem

>Subject : Britney Spears and Christine Aguilera suck.

Was Emimem really concerned that I might be in danger of falling under Britney's spell or Christina's allure?

No, the kindly, cross-media star was really inviting me to make more money than a pale rap artist, by spending all my waking hours filling in online surveys for cash. Wow, is this how he made his big break?

Well I don't usually - OK, never! - get e-mails from famous rap artists, so I suspected that it may not be from him.

When an e-mail arrives and makes it through whatever filtering system you use, the 'From' line is as important as the 'Subject', and the combination is potent.

It all comes down to recognition and permission: if I know you, I am more likely to read your message.
If your 'From' line is unrecognisable, you will need to work twice as hard at the 'Subject' line to even stand a chance - remember the first principle of inverse proportions.

Sending from your personal mailbox doesn't present a problem. Broadcasts of newsletters, etc., sometimes do.
If you have received an email that asks you not to reply to this e-mail, or one that comes with a 'From' address that points to a list server, you will know what I mean.

The Solution for broadcasters is to ensure that their service provider has the capacity to modify the sender details to reflect the broadcasters identity; make sure that the address you send from is a monitored one, it legitimises the message and will increase your open rates.

'From' and 'Subject', together, are the most potent combination. Make them work for you.

What do you do when, all things being equal, your click through rates take a dive?