Test Results: How Long Should Your FROM Line Be?

Maybe you’ve never thought about it.

Typically length is a concern that comes up when discussing subject lines – how many characters you can fit in a subject before your subscribers’ email programs cut it off.

But the same thing applies to your “from” line; if it’s too long, subscribers won’t be able to read all of it while viewing their list of emails.

Here’s what I mean:

Emails From My Inbox With Long “From” Lines

Within the last 48 hours, I’ve received messages from these long-named senders:

See how the “from” lines all cut off right around the same point? They’re longer than Gmail is willing to show me all at once.

What About Other Email Programs?

I wanted to find out if other email programs did this, and if so, at what point they did so.

So I ran a test: emailing different addresses of mine at the various webmail providers as well as in MS Outlook, with “John Jacob Jinglehiemier Schmidt” set as the “from” name.

Here are the results:

Email Client/OS	“From” Line Displayed	# Characters
Yahoo! (Windows XP)	John Jacob Jinglehiemi	22
Yahoo! (Mac OSX)	John Jacob Jinglehiemi	22
Gmail (XP)	John Jacob Jinglehiemier.	24
Gmail (OSX)	John Jacob Jinglehiemier.	24
Windows Live Hotmail (XP)	John Jacob Jinglehiemie	23
Windows Live Hotmail (OSX)	John Jacob Jinglehiem	21
AOL Webmail (XP)	justinsawebertest@yahoo.	24
AOL Webmail (OSX)	justinsawebertest@yahoo.	24
Microsoft Outlook 2007 (XP)	John Jacob Jinglehiemier Schmidt	32 (all)
Mozilla Thunderbird (XP)	John Jacob Jinglehiemier Schmidt	32 (all)
iPhone Mail	John Jacob Jinglehie…	20 (then the …)
Gmail (Android mobile phone)	John Jacob Jinglehiemier	24

Observations

• In most webmail programs, it didn’t matter what operating system you were on. Hotmail was the exception in that it cuts off the “from” line a couple characters earlier if you’re on a Mac.
• All my tests were in Firefox, so I can’t say whether the various browsers (IE, Chrome, Safari, Opera) would affect these figures.
• Where the width of the “Sender” column could be adjusted (notably Mozilla Thunderbird), I used the default width.

Users can obviously change this and so there’s no way to guarantee that the results of this test will hold true for every user.

• These email clients don’t all necessarily look at character counts for the cutoff; some may cut off after a certain number of pixels.

Individual recipients may set different settings that cause more or fewer characters to appear in the space provided (example: whether a recipient uses fixed-width or variable-width fonts can affect how many characters display).

I include these observations to give you an idea of why your results might vary from these; however, I’d categorize most of these as relatively minor issues and/or edge cases that shouldn’t affect how you use this information.

So Your From Line Should Always Be 20 Characters Or Fewer?

Not necessarily. Just like when you look at subject line length, there’s no one universally right answer here.

Short isn’t always better – not if keeping it short cuts down on your ability to achieve your email campaign’s goals.

Take a look back at the screenshot from my inbox. Some of them – like “Ebates Top Picks Newslet” – are easily recognizable even though they’ve been truncated. Others don’t fare so well. Who is “Maggie L. Fox, Alliance”? I had no idea when I got that email.

• Recognition is a determining factor here. If a long “from” line makes it harder to recognize who you are, then shorten it.
• Position is another factor. If your “from” line is going to run long, get the most important and recognizable parts at the beginning.For example, MarketingProfs’ small business newsletter is called Get to the Point. Their “from” line is really long, but they make sure I see the branded part even when Gmail cuts off the rest – “Get to the Point: Small .”

Your “From” Line Suggestions?

What have you learned about creating effective “from” lines? Done any testing of them?

How did you determine what to use for your own?

Share your thoughts below!

About the Author ~Who Is AWeber?

Posted by Justin Premick with AWeber

Founded in 1998, we create email marketing software to help small businesses automate email follow up and email newsletter delivery.

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Don’t Be Clueless About Dimmers

Dimmers come in various shapes and have varying capabilities. Most of us are accustomed to working with the traditional slide or rotary dimmer to reduce the output level of a light.

But today we also have programmable dimmers and lighting control systems capable of raising and lowering lighting levels and of creating multiple lighting scenes in a room, an entire house, or an entire building. Dimmers can control the ups and downs of window shading and can be used for daylight harvesting.

Dimmers can work with low voltage and line voltage lighting systems. And they work with incandescent, fluorescent, and LED light sources. They can also interact with occupancy sensors and daylight sensors to create energy savings and to enhance security.

With hardwired or wireless configurations, dimmers and lighting controls can be used in new construction and can be retrofitted to existing facilities.

Key Advantages to Using Dimmers
ï Create comfort and ambiance
ï Reduce energy consumption immediately
ï Increase lamp life and reduce maintenance
ï Security
ï Add value to property

For more information about DIMMERS and LIGHTING CONTROLS, call the friendly folks at Professional Lighting today.

Bill Hammond
Professional Lighting
bhammond@professionallighting.com
412- B Gallimore Dairy Road
Greensboro NC 27409-9725
336-605-5888

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Email Marketing Tactics and Tips – Preheader

I read this article and wanted to share it with you all.  Like a headline they are talking about elements of email marketing, specifically the Preheader. Interesting stuff.

Enjoy

Jonathan

Make Way! The Preheader Express Is Still Chugging Along

by Alex Madison and Lisa Harmon , Tuesday, January 6, 2009

PREHEADERS HAVE received a lot of industry love throughout 2008. We first wrote about the preheader last January in our article “The Preheader Express,” for the Email Experience Council, and since then, discussions on the topic have been popping up all over the place. We’re thrilled to see more email marketers begin to optimize this small but valuable real estate snippet and excited to watch and participate in the evolution of preheader best practices. With 2009 just starting, this seems like a good time to reflect on where the Preheader Express has been stopping, and to begin mapping its future itinerary.

In his Retail Email Blog, Chad White has argued that preheader real estate should be optimized rather than maximized. The preheader should hold only the most relevant information so that it works its magic without getting too busy or taking up too much of the valuable “preview pane” space. He discusses how HP Shopping (second topic down) and Staples redesigned their preheaders to make the most of the least space and offers valuable tips for marketers to follow suit.

Jeff Mills’ article for iMedia Connection is a deft distillation of the value of the preheader and how email marketers can work the preheader to its full potential (of course, we’re also wooed by his use of Smith-Harmon’s very own Love letter as a good example). Mills reminds us that, as the preheader text is often what readers see first when viewing from mobile devices, taking advantage of preheader power means packing some punch by keeping the reader experience in mind.† Similarly, a recent MailChimp article urges us to “fancy” up the preheader with compelling text and gives the example of an enticing offer that Banana Republic called out in its preheader.

Let’s look at the sorts of content we’ve been seeing in retail email preheaders:

1. Content teaser snippets. To pack the needed punch and account for those reading from mobile devices, many brands have begun listing email content topics and/or calling out compelling offers in their preheaders.

Some, like REI, use their preheaders to draw readers in by listing email topics. Other brands include just a short hook with their best offer — both Sephora and NBC take this approach, addressing the recipient directly (as “Sephora Shopper,” and “Hi NBC fan,” respectively). Macy’s announces its biggest offer in larger text than the rest of its preheader, which causes it to grab more attention but also pushes the preheader to occupy more space.

B. View with images links. Links to hosted versions make their way into just about every preheader, big or small. Many retailers, like Anthropologie, include only a view with images link.

The “view with images” link makes sense in the preheader, where a viewer with html disabled will see a solution to the gaps before getting frustrated. However, this won’t salvage the experiences of viewers who read email from mobile devices, and some have been including links to text versions for PDA users (discussed below).

Something else to consider is that in some inboxes — like the iPhone’s and Gmail’s — the first few lines of HTML text are displayed in the inbox under the subject line, allowing retailers to use the preheader to compel folks to open. The words “If you’re having trouble…” are not the most engaging to show first, and while they are valuable to keep in the preheader, it’s also important to think about the order of the text and to ensure that compelling copy comes first.

C. View text version on your PDA. We haven’t seen many of these in the retail world, but offering a link to a text-only version is a smart accompaniment to the “view with images” link. PDA versions of preheaders are especially important to B2B audiences reading their email from BlackBerrys or other handheld devices. Crate and Barrel is one of the first retailers to pioneer this preheader link, and we predict (and hope!) that others will follow, especially as more and more people begin to use PDAs.

D. Whitelisting instructions. The “Add to address book” request is also a popular piece of preheader, appearing in some short preheaders, like Bergdorf Goodman’s, as well as in most longer preheaders, including Pottery Barn Kids’. While it’s valuable to include whitelisting instructions in email to reduce the chances of messages ending up in junk mail folders, this may not be considered essential preheader or preview pane content for those hoping to keep preheaders short and sweet. It might make the most sense to include an “Add to address book” mention only in a welcome series or in the first few emails that a new subscriber receives.

E. “Forward to a friend” links. “Forward to friend” links often make it into the preheader, even in quaint and concise preheaders like Urban Outfitters’. These links are a great way to remind readers that their friends might enjoy the emails as well as to track how many emails get forwarded. Keeping these links in the preheader may draw more attention and procure more forwards than would tucking them down below, but their value should also be weighed carefully against other compelling preheader content.

F. Advertising for partner brands or individual products. DJ Waldo’s November Brontoblog post opened a bit of debate regarding whether certain uses of the preheader space can be deemed “misuses,” as opposed to productive experimentation and testing. In this article he wonders whether advertising for partner brands works for Twitbeep, or whether it is a waste of the valuable real estate. Chad White also noted back in May that CompUSA was using the preheader to advertise Microsoft Vista, just one of its products. Both of these preheader uses are atypical, but quite possibly appropriate for these two brands, and at the very least justifiable in the name of preheader experimentation. We’d like to see more unique uses and reports back on successes and flops.

Please comment below and let us know how you’ve optimized your preheader or how you’ve seen the preheader put to work by others. By continuing the preheader dialogue, we can all learn what works and what doesn’t. Let the testing continue — make way for the Preheader Express!

Alex Madison is a copywriter at Smith-Harmon, an agency focused exclusively on providing premier email marketing strategy and creative services. Lisa Harmon is a principal and founding partner of Smith-Harmon.

Email Insider for Tuesday, January 6, 2009:
http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.san&art_aid=97753

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Do you Deliver Totally Outrageous Service?

Totally Outrageous Service is the all about the guest. As you well know, we are in the guest service business not in the food business.  Our main objective is to have the ultimate experience for our guest, which will allow us to reach sales and profit goals. This is achieved through our team members demonstrating a greater expectation in quality, service and cleanliness than the guest believed possible.

TOS is gearing the culture in your company to be a guest driven business, total concentration toward the guest. With this concept you need to engage your team members, Assistant Managers and Managing Partners to react and act with all attention focus toward the guest.

Offer we refer to TOS as the “Sizzle“. What does “Sizzle” mean? Have you ever gone to a restaurant and ordered fajitas? When the waiter brought you your food, the plate was sizzling. As he or she walks through the restaurant, everyone noticed. You felt special when your plate was put in front of you. The sizzle is a show. It did not change the taste of the product, but sure got everyone’s attention especially yours.† This is what you want to do in your store. Your store needs to put on a show.  Think about a time you had a great and wowing experience in a restaurant, think of all the things that made it great. Now think of a time when you were disappointed. Both times your experience depended on how you were treated as a guest and what service was or was not provided by the store personnel. Your goal should be to make sure that all your guests walk away from your stores just having had a sizzling experience.

Here are 5 simple TOS guidelines for your contact with your guests.

1. Remembering you are your company to its public.

2. Treat each quest like your closest friend.

3. Guest diplomacy always gets first priority.

4. It is really the guest who controls your paycheck.

5. Guest service diplomacy means going the extra mile.

No matter what at the end of the day your business doesn’t exist without your customers so as Bob Farrell, author of “Give ‘em the Pickle” would say ” Your business is not what you sell it’s who you serve” and “Th e Customer is the BOSS”. Take these little tidbits and use them today, share them with your staff and co-workers and tune for your next installment of Restaurant Success Strategies.

This article provided by Jonathan Munsell, Restaurant Success System
www.restaurantsuccesssystems.com
Telephone: 919.334.6800

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