When discussing spam emails, there's an inconvenient truth that often gets ignored: email spam is still so prevalent because it works.
Yes, those horrible emails ridden with poor grammar and spelling errors, pitching everything from get rich quick schemes to 'performance enhancing drugs', are effective sales tools for the product peddlers behind them.
Just how effective? According to a new study released by the Messaging Anti-Abuse Working Group (MAAWG), over 50% of the 800 people it interviewed by phone have clicked on a spam email. That may not be entirely surprising but the next stat just might be: 12% have been interested enough in the product offered to respond in some fashion to a spam email.
While some responding to a spam email indicated that they made an honest mistake (insert joke) or just wanted to see what would happen, it's clear that a considerable number of people are willing subjects.
You can file this information in the 'embarrassing facts about humanity' or you can accept the red pill and ask yourself a simple question: if I could achieve 50% open rates and get 12% of my mailing list recipients to respond to my email campaigns, what would that do for my business?
Short of going into the pharmaceutical business, I think some of the characteristics spam emails can be of use to mainstream business owners.
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It's all about the recipient. Get rich quick schemes, free giveaways, drugs that enhance your body. What do they all have in common? They're all about you. People want to feel better, look better, perform better, feel special. And a bigger bank account never hurt either.
While your product or service may not help your customers lose 20 pounds in a week, framing your email marketing messages in terms of how your products and services can benefit recipients should be the focal point. Maybe you can help them perform better or earn money by saving money.
- K.I.S.S. Many mainstream marketing emails, of course, do try to explain how what's being offered is of benefit to the recipient. The problem is often that the email is too verbose or the text is too dull. Most spam emails are simple and while this doesn't mean that your email should be a one-liner stating 'Click here to enlarge your travel itinerary this summer', erring on the side of simplicity is usually a good idea.
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Make your subject line sexy. Subject lines shouldn't be boring. While it's good to be somewhat descriptive so as to ensure that the recipient can identify what the email is about, don't make your subject line a caption for the dullest photo in the world. Do what spammers do. Ask a question. Use emotional words. Get straight to the call to action.
The logic is obvious: if I can't get intrigued and excited about opening your email, chances are you're not even going to get the opportunity to get me intrigued and excited about your product or service.
Photo credit: Yandle via Flickr.
Patricio Robles is a tech reporter at Econsultancy. Follow him on Twitter.
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Online Manager at Business Foresights Ltd
12:28PM on 16th July 2009
Oh the wonderful World of statistics, and more to the point, how people interpret the numbers!
The survey question in this case was:
"Have you ever responded to spam?"
The key point here being 'ever' and nothing to do with how frequently.
Therefore it's not as you suggest "50% open rates and get 12% of my mailing list recipients to respond to my email campaigns"
Considering the thousands of email spam we all recieve over time, only 12% of users ever responding over the same time period would be a very poor fraction of this.
Finally, the whole survey also depends on users perception of spam, which may include email marketing from any company. Many people rate that as spam.
By the way, the correct link is:
http://www.maawg.org/news/maawg090715
The complete 60-page survey report, "A Look at Consumers' Awareness of Email Security and Practices or 'Of Course I Never Reply to Spam, Except Sometimes'" includes graphs, detailed findings and analysis. It is available today at no cost on the MAAWG Web site, www.MAAWG.org.
http://www.maawg.org/about/publishedDocuments/2009_MAAWG-Consumer_Survey.pdf (5mb)
So in conclusion and response to your main question/title of this article:
"What you can learn from the success of spam email"
I'd be inclided to say, nothing at all.
To be more ruthless, we could say that this entire article could be considered as spam due to the misleading title ;-)
8:11PM on 16th July 2009
I will recommend using ePostMailer for all bulk email marketing needs. Its the best email mailing list management software I have used so far.
Search Engine Optimization Expert at SEO Services Company
10:24AM on 17th July 2009
Email marketing has a very low conversion rate as compared to other marketing channels.
Search engine marketing focuses only on those customers who are interested in your product, whereas Email marketing focuses on "Who Cares? I will mail anyhow"
Creative Director at Foliovision
12:05AM on 18th July 2009
What's with the spam comments being allowed to stick from "Bulk email marketing".
And yes, Patricio is abusing statistics again.
10,000 spam emails to a single individual. Single response. Even a nominal charge of 1¢/email would put spammers out of business.
Could the rest of us say the same? No way.
6:08AM on 19th July 2009
Great article, you make great points, especially about the subject line. Since this is the first thing that consumers will read it has to be catchy or sexy as you say. If your subject line is mediocre, I'm sure your spamming results will be mediocre as well.
Online Manager at Business Foresights Ltd
9:16AM on 20th July 2009
Linda Marcus from Astra Communications (media contact for MAAWG) kindly passed this on to me.
There is another survey out that actually follows click through to purchase.See this article from InternetNews: http://www.internetnews.com/bus-news/article.php/3830011/Spam+Not+So+Profitable.htm.
10:00AM on 28th August 2009
"12% have been interested enough in the product offered to respond in some fashion to a spam email." - really? I'm surprised by that. Whilst there are still a sizeable percentage of people who respond, spam emails will continue to be a problem. Educate people better and I think as the response rates plummet, the spam emails will dry up.
6:57PM on 21st January 2011
What none of you realize is that we don teven need you to buy the product. As long as you click any featured link we get paid A LOT!!! hahah