| Offering high levels of process automation, recruitment | | | | capture the reader's attention within the first couple of |
| software plays an indispensable part in reducing a | | | | sentences. Otherwise, it's all over. The hook should be |
| staffing agency's administrative burden. However, | | | | a distillation of your email's overall message and |
| today's recruitment applications are designed to do a | | | | strongly appeal to the reader's self-interest e.g. what |
| whole lot more than just reduce paperwork. They can | | | | do they get, how do they benefit.Sign postsGenerally |
| make a significant contribution to a company's | | | | it's considered best practice to keep your emails text |
| marketing and sales activity.Effective client contact | | | | length to about 250 words. The body copy must |
| management and timely, personalised business | | | | support your "hook" with a clear focus on benefits, and |
| communications are essential to the success of any | | | | then close with a clear, direct call to action. It's |
| recruitment company. The first step in getting more | | | | extremely important that there is no ambiguity about |
| from your marketing and sales activity is to better | | | | what you want the recipient to do e.g. "click here," |
| understand your existing and prospective client base.In | | | | "register now," "reply."Mind your languageA well-written |
| today's frenetic business environment it's simply not | | | | email message uses the active voice and short, |
| enough to send generic email shots to everyone on | | | | concise sentences. This is critical as the stark reality is |
| your database and hope they generate some interest. | | | | that most readers won't progress beyond the first |
| With numerous demands on their time and attention, | | | | couple of lines. You have to be clear, direct and focus |
| your existing clients and prospects surely won't | | | | on how your offer benefits the reader. Avoid diluting |
| appreciate another bland missive to an already bulging | | | | your message by making more than one offer or |
| Inbox. Worse still, they might simply block all future | | | | going into needless detail. At the same time, it's |
| email communications from you.An audience of | | | | important that you include all essential information such |
| oneThe days of "load and send" email campaigns are | | | | as the cost savings to be gained, contact details and |
| long over. Today email marketers are focused on | | | | deadline to respond, for example.ReadabilityAlmost as |
| increasing response, conversion and retention rates | | | | important as what you say is how you present your |
| using a combination of personalisation, segmentation | | | | text to the reader. Try to keep your paragraphs short |
| and triggers. Increasingly segmented and triggered | | | | - no longer than five lines. Use 1.5 or double line spacing, |
| emails are driven by behavioural data, such as which | | | | and a font that's easy on the eye and big enough to |
| links a recipient clicked, whether someone did or did | | | | read. Use bullets to emphasize key points, but avoid |
| not open an email, what pages they visited on the | | | | text in all caps or multiple exclamation marks. Set text |
| sender's website or whether they did or did not take a | | | | width at 68 characters or less per line so it displays |
| specific action.Design mattersSomething like 95 | | | | correctly in e-mail applications. Also, avoid breaking or |
| percent of all commercial email campaigns are sent in | | | | wrapping URLs into two lines - it may cause technical |
| HTML today. As a result, design has become critical | | | | problems. The more barriers you eliminate the better |
| for a number of reasons. Recipients might have their | | | | your chances of a positive response.NoteAs |
| email setup to block images. Many people now use | | | | mentioned earlier, you should always give recipients the |
| their Outlook "preview panel" as a handy filtering tool to | | | | option to "opt-out" or "unsubscribe" and elect to be |
| weed out unwanted emails. Designers also need to | | | | permanently removed from your mailing list. Failure to |
| consider inconsistent rendering by different email | | | | do this or to act on the recipient's wishes is not only |
| clients. The way an email looks on Gmail differs from | | | | bad business practice, but could make you liable to |
| Yahoo, for example. Some designers have adopted a | | | | prosecution under current UK anti-spam legislation. The |
| purely graphical approach to email campaigns in an | | | | Office of the Information Commissioner enforces UK |
| attempt to bypass content filters, but this brings us | | | | regulations. Any breaches of enforcement orders can |
| back to where we started.Bombarded by evermore | | | | result in fines of up to £5,000 in a magistrate's |
| junk mail, most people will only read about 15-20 | | | | court, or an unlimited fine if the case is heard by a |
| commercial emails per day, and in many cases much | | | | Crown Court (trial by jury).Keeping trackHaving |
| less. As a result, layout, readability and usability are | | | | segmented your audience, prepared your marketing |
| critical to differentiating your emails from everyone | | | | message and sent your email out, you'll want to know |
| else's. In reality your email will have just seconds to | | | | it has been received and acted upon. Tracking email |
| provoke interest, convey value and trust, and prompt | | | | responses is essential if you are to identify and |
| action.Democracy at workEmail has been described | | | | eliminate weaknesses and build on the strengths of |
| as the ultimate democratic form of marketing | | | | your campaigns. Here are some suggestions that will |
| communication. After all, it's the recipient who decides | | | | enable you to monitor and analyze the effectiveness |
| whether they want to opt-in or opt-out of your mailing | | | | of your email marketing for free. For accuracy, be |
| list; if and when they open, read and act on your email; | | | | sure to use a unique tracking code for each of your |
| how much information they wish to share with you; | | | | different email test variables and keep accurate |
| and when they want to unsubscribe.Recruiters who do | | | | records.MS Outlook provides you with a simple |
| not wish to fall foul of increasingly stringent anti-spam | | | | tracking facility which informs you when a message |
| legislation and want to build genuinely lasting client | | | | was sent, when it arrived and when it was opened. |
| relationships will learn to deploy various tactics to | | | | The downside here is if the recipient just glanced at |
| increase trust and build brand loyalty, such as ensuring | | | | your email in the panel view of their Inbox and then |
| only permission-based emails are sent from your | | | | deleted the item you'll only know because you will |
| company, switch to a double-opt in subscription | | | | never receive a corresponding "read" message from |
| process, and publicise your privacy policies. Those | | | | your Outlook tracker.To switch on MS Outlook 2003 |
| recruiters recognised and trusted by clients and | | | | email tracking:1. Launch MS Outlook |
| prospects will be able to mine for more information. In | | | | 2. Click on the Tools menu at the top of the page, |
| turn, this will enable them to deliver higher value emails | | | | scroll down and click on Options. |
| through ever-greater personalisation and | | | | 3. Click E-mail Options, which is top-right of the |
| segmentation.Recruitment software mail | | | | Preferences page. |
| centresToday's sophisticated, made for purpose | | | | 4. Next, click Tracking Options. |
| recruitment applications, such as Bond Adapt, RDB Pro | | | | 5. Select the Read receipt and/or the Delivery receipt |
| and Eclipse integrate with third party email clients and | | | | check boxes |
| offer a range of contact management or Customer | | | | 6. Click OK.One idea is to simply ask respondents to |
| Relationship Management (CRM) features.Chris | | | | place something unique in the subject line that acts as |
| Pawsey, Business Development Team Leader at | | | | a tracking code for your email campaigns. However |
| Bond International Software (UK) Ltd, explains: "Bond | | | | that puts the burden of responsibility on your |
| Adapt integrates email via Microsoft Outlook. Since | | | | respondents, which is something you might to avoid. |
| Outlook is by far and away the market leading product | | | | Instead us the following little trick to automatically place |
| we (Bond) make use of many of the functions therein. | | | | what you want in the subject line of a response email |
| It is also possible to integrate Bond Adapt with other | | | | message:Click on this |
| email clients."It is this contact management or CRM | | | | subject=Send-Info.aboutyourcompanyReplace in the |
| functionality that allows recruitment agencies and | | | | above example with the email address you want to |
| staffing professionals to create and retain email, letter | | | | use and a unique campaign code.When the above link |
| and fax templates; conduct email marketing | | | | is clicked on in your email promotional message, the |
| campaigns; and record response data. However, what | | | | text immediately following ?subject= automatically |
| these applications cannot do is prepare marketing | | | | appears in the subject line of a new email message. |
| materials, or ensure promotional activity is properly | | | | This should work in most email packages.Vital |
| monitored and measured to ensure continuous | | | | statisticsIf you have access to even the most basic |
| improvement.Matter of designIf you want your emails | | | | website statistics you can track hits to your web |
| to succeed in generating interest in your services then | | | | pages by placing a question mark (?) after your web |
| they must always look professional. Don't make the | | | | address (URL) when used in each email promotion, |
| same mistake many applicants do when sending CVs | | | | followed by your unique tracking code.For instance, |
| resumes in response to job advertisements i.e. fail to | | | | you send 3 email promotions. Each carries a |
| spell check and proofread them properly. If you send | | | | corresponding URL tracking code:Email Ad 1. |
| an email full of spelling mistakes, it will cost you sales | | | | Email Ad 2. |
| and could permanently damage your credibility.Next, | | | | Email Ad3. with your own unique tracking codes |
| send test versions of your emails to yourself. You can | | | | added to the end of a URL don't adversely affect the |
| sign up to any number of free email account providers | | | | ability of recipients to access your web pages in any |
| such as Yahoo, MSN Hotmail and Google's Gmail. | | | | way, but will show up in the server log files. To |
| Include these email accounts in your test mailings. The | | | | determine the exact number of hits that a particular |
| point here is to catch any formatting errors that might | | | | email generates, look at your log files within hours or |
| show up in the different email programs. It's quite | | | | days of sending your mail shot. You can check with |
| common to find a HTML email that looks great in | | | | your ISP or web host for access to your log files.If you |
| Outlook and is missing all of its images in Yahoo or | | | | don't mind having other peoples advertising on your |
| Gmail.Before you send your email you should also ask | | | | website then there is a range of free website tracking |
| yourself one fundamental question: "How relevant is | | | | services available. Take a look at and Landing |
| this email to the recipient?" Don't assume that the | | | | pagesHaving created a cracking email campaign it's |
| recipients will automatically see why your email is | | | | vital you follow through. Creating email or |
| relevant to them. Often it needs to be spelt out. | | | | advertisement specific landing pages is another |
| Succinctly explain how your recruitment company can | | | | excellent way to track your recipient or audience |
| help them and why now is such a good time to spend | | | | response rates. Landing pages allow you to build on |
| money on your services. You might want to consider | | | | the initial success and interest generated by your email |
| using a professional copywriter to help you.Two of the | | | | or advertisement. A landing page gives you the |
| most effective ways to highlight the relevance of your | | | | opportunity to present more detailed product or |
| offer are to put a strong emphasis on the benefits and | | | | service information, answer commonly asked |
| make your offer exclusive. Tailor any promotions you | | | | questions, overcome resistance, build confidence, and |
| run so that they are exclusive to your recipients, giving | | | | gather client or prospect data by including a short form, |
| them a strong reason to act immediately.As well as | | | | for example.Your landing page should reflect the look |
| facing an avalanche of commercial emails every time | | | | and feel of your email or advertisement in terms of |
| we visit our In-boxes these days there's also the | | | | design layout, tone of voice, fonts, images and colours. |
| ubiquitous spam, much of which comes with the added | | | | In turn, these must be sympatric to the overall design |
| threat of viruses. In fact, a recent article in London's | | | | of your company website. Consistency is the golden |
| Metro daily newspaper suggested that as many as | | | | rule here.Pack your landing pages with lots of |
| one in every 43 emails received world-wide is infected | | | | recruitment specific keywords and then submit the |
| with some harmful entity. So, not only does your email | | | | individual URLs (web addresses) to search engines. |
| have to compete for the recipient's limited time and | | | | Search engine spiders love landing pages because |
| attention, it also has to overcome their fears and | | | | they are so targeted, and traffic searching for your |
| apprehensions.Even with a good understanding of your | | | | keywords and phrases will find itself directed your |
| target audience, establishing which email design | | | | way.By using some of the simple, free tracking and |
| elements work will be a matter of trial and error. To | | | | analysis methods explained here you can continually |
| help you identify weaknesses and build on strengths, | | | | refine your email marketing, measure its effectiveness |
| it's a good idea to take one email design and then | | | | and get more from your recruitment software. For |
| produce two or three variations (split test). For | | | | more information and professional help preparing your |
| example, you might use the same headline and | | | | next email campaign, sales promotion or advertising |
| supporting image, but change the subject line. | | | | visit Charlie the copywriter |
| Response levels and email tracking will enable you to | | | | Charlie Trumpess is a marketing communications |
| identify strengths and weaknesses of your | | | | copywriter with over a decade's corporate |
| promotion.Email Design TipsEffective subject | | | | experience. Today he provides copywriting services to |
| linesSubject lines should be clear, direct, attention | | | | small and medium size businesses. |
| grabbing and benefits related, such as "Reduce your | | | | Visit |
| recruitment spend by 60%."Get your hooks into | | | | Email: charlie@charlie-the-copywriter.co. |
| 'emJust like other forms of advertising, emails have to | | | | |