Baby it’s HOT outside or What is the Shelf Life of an email?

Think about that statement and question…

First off this is the hottest summer in quite some time and I don’t have a pool. I have friends who do but they suddenly are not answering their phone. Anyway, back to the point….

How long do you look at an email headline in your mailbox (those that don’t get caught in spam filters)?

Of those, how many do you open?

Of those, how many do you take a closer look at?

We’re talking literally seconds for your message to be “blinked” at. Notice the word read was not in that sentence. Is that the way you want to do business? Add to that the hundreds of messages you receive each day – that’s tough competition. So surfing through your emails becomes routine and numbing. Emails are impulsive.

Now the catalog….

Do you recall how many catalogs you received yesterday?

Of those, how many did you look at?

Of those, how many did you open?

Of those, how many did you read?

With less clutter in the mailbox you have a very good chance that your message will get read. The competition for the eyes is a little easier.

We recently did a survey with our catalogers and asked them what the oldest catalog was that a current customer used to place an order. The winner went to an outdoor furniture company who said a customer called in an order with a catalog that was a little over two years old. The customer saved the catalog because they were planning to do some landscaping, liked the design and products displayed in the catalog and used it as a template for their yard, but didn’t get around to doing the landscaping for a while. Can an email have that kind of shelf life? Think about that the next time you’re doing your daily mass delete of emails.

I, for one, keep my catalogs and really do spend time paging through them, especially on hot evenings with a nice cold cocktail at my side. Obviously I have a vested interest (or interests) in them but with today’s technology the quality, design, content and message they convey are stronger than ever. Catalogs embrace.

Catalogs, emails, texts, mobile and retail and who knows what’s next can all get along with each other, and need to get along. None of them, however, can be ignored. They need to be coordinated to reach the right audience at the proper time with the proper message.

Remember people surf the Internet. But catalogs offer a unique experience, tell a story and can immerse you, kind of like going for a swim. So people will not give up surfing, nor will they not giving up swimming. Now to find a pool……..

It’s all about options.

• Tags:
• catalog
• catalog mail
• direct mail
• Solutions

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