The good news is that Cruise America is definitely a/b testing their emails.
I can tell because the subject line shows that I have received “var 1” or variation 1.
The bad news is, I can’t imagine this subject line generated a very high open rate. It kind of reads like spam, doesn’t provide any benefit and just looks like a mistake.
Ouch.
Because I love marketing, I opened the email to see what was inside of this unintended email.
The content of the email isn’t bad, although I did notice two things that made me go “huh.”
Choosing the Right Email Address
First, the email addressed used for the send is [email protected]. This isn’t a very friendly or inviting email address, and if I want to reply to the email I’m not exactly sure someone is going to be on the receiving end reading it.
In general I like to advise clients to use something friendly like “[email protected]” or “[email protected]” – these type of email addresses let the user know that he or she can comfortably reply if necessary.
Of course some companies don’t want users to reply to their promotional emails to which I say: Are you serious? Any time you send an email you should welcome open communication with your customers.
To say, “do not reply” is similar to saying, “I don’t care.” It’s just not a great marketing tactic or good business practice.
Allow Recipients to Opt-In on Their Own
The second thing that make me shake my head a bit was the small type at the top that said I was receiving the email because I subscribed to Cruise America’s newsletter.
The truth is, I never signed up for the newsletter and if I did- I didn’t realize I was doing it.
Basically, I called Cruise America to inquire about a booking. While on the phone with the sales rep I completed the sale. I guess since I became a paying customer it was decided for me that I would want to receive the newsletter.
In general, you should let recipients opt-in to your emails on their own and make it very clear that they are opting in.
(Don’t let this guy haunt your dreams.)
Opt-in and double opt-in barriers ensure that only people who really want your email will receive it. This keeps your open rates, click-through rates and conversion rates high.
Having high rates for each of these metrics means your list will remain healthy and you won’t get tagged as spam by the major email providers like Gmail, Yahoo and Hotmail.
This is important because once you’re tagged as spam it’s very hard to crawl out of that hole.
The one thing Cruise America is definitely doing right is the nice call-to-action right at the top of the email (“Rent an RV – View Hot Deals”).
I have a suspicion that the call-to-action and the button and/or image of the RV are parts of the email that are being a/b tested.
I wonder what Var 2 or variation 2 of the email looks like?
I wonder if Var 2 was sent with a better subject line?
As a marketing geek I can’t help but want to know so much more about this email marketing a/b test even if the actual test was flubbed!
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TJ has worked in the digital marketing space since 2006. He has worked at a number of agencies and and helped hundreds of clients grow their business through SEO, PPC, Social Media and Content Marketing. He currently lives in Lehi , UT and enjoys spending time with his family.
TJ Welsh
TJ has worked in the digital marketing space since 2006. He has worked at a number of agencies and and helped hundreds of clients grow their business through SEO, PPC, Social Media and Content Marketing. He currently lives in Lehi , UT and enjoys spending time with his family.
