The world today is a complicated place. It’s faster than it used to be. What used to pass for cutting edge 15 years ago just doesn’t impress anymore. You’re probably of a mind that to reject change is to fall behind; that to embrace it is to ride the cusp of all that’s new and unfolding. The trouble is, not everyone sees it the same way. And failing to acknowledge or make concessions for this divergence of opinion could be turning your customers off. How? You can answer that by asking yourself this question: is your email layout too much for your customers? Here’s one way to find out.
Ask Without Asking
You can gauge the opinions of your customer base to get a better idea of what they respond well to without having to directly ask them. Simply do the following: present them with two choices and see which one they take to better. What you learn through this experiment might surprise you.
The Tech Test
In the tech equivalent of having your subjects perform a “taste test,” hit your customers up with two entirely different email marketing templates to find out which one generates a greater response. In order to do that, you’ll need to create one message using a plain text email layout, and another using a typical HTML template. Then get ready to be surprised. More often than not, customers prefer straight-shooting plain text marketing messages to those created using eye dazzling HTML email templates. Apparently, the old adage “less is more” applies to email marketing too. Who knew?