Good morning, readers. In preparation for our upcoming email marketing webinar, we’ve focused today’s issue completely on this staple of online marketing. First, we’ll cover B2B email marketing tips for the holiday season. Then, we’ll find out why one marketer claims that the GDPR saved email marketing. Next, we’ll learn email subject line strategies that will help entice your recipients to engage with your survey. And finally, we’ll give you details about our upcoming webinar, including a link where you can register.

B2B holiday email marketing tips

While many B2B marketers tend to think of the Q4 and the holidays as the “dry” season, it doesn’t necessarily have to be, says Kelly Shelton in Forbes. In fact, by following a few tips, you may be able to drive reenagement from cold leads and even generate new lead recommendations via email marketing campaigns.

First, segment your list according to where leads are in the conversion funnel. Are they previous customers who haven’t done business with you recently, or window shoppers who have been kicking the proverbial tires for months? Then develop content that speaks directly to that group’s needs and interests. Additionally, Kelly suggests capitalizing and continuing the sense of urgency and limited time that is inherent in the holiday season within your email marketing campaigns. One-day sales, low stock notices and other offers that stress the limited nature of your offerings can help convince an on-the-fence customer to take action. Check out all of Kelly’s holiday email marketing tips.  

Did GDPR “save” email marketing?

There’s no denying that marketers’ fears were running high prior to the GDPR becoming law; lots of folks had their guesses, but no one knew exactly what impact it would have on the industry. But a little over six months in, Shane Phair of Campaign Monitor tells Ed Targett of Computer Business Review that GDPR has “saved” email marketing, with marketers substituting volume for engagement as a key metric. On average, Shane says that his company has seen only a 9% drop in email marketing rates, while click rates continue to improve because of marketer’s increased focus on personalization.

Shane shared that prior to GDPR, more than half (51%) of customers weren’t doing any segmentation, but says that has since changed dramatically. He also reminded marketers that recipients hitting the “unsubscribe” button isn’t an inherently negative action, because they can drive down your click rates and open rates. “‘Unsubscribe’ is the most misunderstood metric in email marketing,” Shane said” “It’s not a bad thing to trim lists.” Read the rest of Shane’s insights.

Email survey subject line strategies

As marketers, we know how important it is that we get feedback directly from our customers or clients—after all, if we want to be able to better serve them, it’s imperative that we know what’s working for them and what isn’t. Unfortunately, finding out that information isn’t as straightforward as we may hope. Online surveys go a long way toward gathering this valuable information, but oftentimes get ignored in the inbox. But by delivering a survey email with a can’t-resist subject line, says Chris Boeckelman in Business2Community, you’ll be improving your chances of getting the feedback you need by giving your recipients a compelling reason to read more.

Chris says that humor may be one strategy your company may want to incorporate in your subject line, allowing your organization’s personality to shine through. Consider this: How often do you see a subject line in your inbox that makes you chuckle or feel a stronger personal connection with that particular company? You know your audience best and know what level of irreverence or type of humor may be well received; a survey where you’re asking for honest feedback may be a good place to use that humor to draw attention to your email and encourage people to engage. Check out all of Chris’ tips for email survey subject line strategies.

Marketo Email Editor tips & tricks webinar

Whether you spend your days in Marketo manipulating templates or working with Marketo email is just a small part of your daily to-do list, Perkuto is hosting a learning event that I think you won’t want to miss.

On Tuesday, December 11 at 11AM EST, we’re hosting our first free Coffee MUG webinar, Tips & Tricks to Create Amazing Emails in Marketo. In the webinar, our email experts Lindsay Khan and Anna Leary will show you the ropes of editing HTML templates, manipulating modules and adjusting images. You’ll also get a link to the corresponding ebook, “Making the Most of Marketo Email Editor 2.0.” Sign up today and we’ll see you this Tuesday.