Within the email circle I often get asked about forms and what information should be captured. People are always so eager to garner as much information as possible. “Personalization is King.” Yes, it is, to a point. My response is typically that you should capture as little information as possible. Blank faces typically stare back at me. If you require more information such as name, address, favorite color, etc. ask these questions via follow on pages. That is, after you’ve already collected the information that allows you to contact them.

Always keep your goal in mind. You’re not trying to design the most easy to use form, or one that gives you the most information possible on a user. Instead, you’re trying to optimize a profitability metric that is derived from two potentially conflicting principles.

First, the value you gain for each additional user you acquire (personalized content helps here). Second, the total number of users you’ve acquired. I point out that these are conflicting because more up-front information helps you personalize content in order to sell more in the long run. However, the less fields you give the user the more likely they are to complete the form, therefore being added to your userbase.

As an example, you know that having a zip code provides you with a 25% lift by being able to send geographically targeted communications. Yet the downside to the additional field on the form is only a 4% drop in registration rates. Clear winner, include a request for the zip code. On the flip side, including the user’s first and last name in the intro paragraph provides a 3% lift from your email efforts. However, the two additional fields drop your registration rates by 7%. Keep the two additional fields out.

Choose wisely what you place in your forms, they are a barrier to entry.

I haven’t had a chance to go through my email lately because of the holidays. I wanted to share with you a snapfish email I recieved. In my previous post I mentioned adding in navigation tabs to improve the metrics of the email, here you can see where they’ve done a decent job of implementing them.

I hilighted the email so that you can view what is an image and what is not. This was done so that I could make a few pointers as to what to try and stay away from; nearly the entire email is an image. Although it’s up to every marketer to test what works best for their particular audience, you should note that the weight of your image is important regardless of audience type. I currently am using a highspeed connection and this took around 5 seconds to fully download. You’ll also note the call to action is located at nearly the bottom of the email. If you’re going to put one at the bottom, at least put another at the top below your headline. Another tip: call to actions should be in button AND text format. This may seem strange, but some users respond to text while others to buttons; using both will incrementally improve your campaign performance.

This is what I was sent from Zappos. I love Zappos, it’s where I get all of my shoes…. all of them. What annoys me most is that this is completely uncalled for. Even a simple html email would be far better than this behemeth that’s completely lacking in focus or any branding elements. But who am I to complain? Maybe they tested this one and found it to be a winner. One thing I know would definitely improve their metrics is a search box, a logo, and a navigation bar up top that placed the user a little deeper into their site than just the home page.

I read an absolutely hilarious article on “How to Screw Up An Email Negotiation” over at Web Worker Daily.

1. Make your emails as long as possible.

5. If you suspect you have been insulted, you probably have–respond immediately in kind.

Most people forget that email isn’t the answer to everything, sometimes you just need to pick up the phone or meet with your coworker or partner in person. I know, crazy talk.

I recently read a post from Chris Baggott on the importance of confirmation emails. “I place an order. Some system confirms my order and triggers an email.

Transactional emails are going to be read! Don’t miss the opportuntiy.”

I completely agree that most companies overlook the importance of transactional communications. This usually stems from these communications being triggered by the website and therefore in the hands of an Operations group as opposed to a fully thought out communication that falls into a consumer contact stream.

The biggest miss that Chris doesn’t speak to is that these communications can be sent to opted-out users, and it’s a communication that the user expects to receive. Additionally, a second communication when the product ships that includes tracking information and estimated ship times can also be a missed opportunity for most companies. Think of the incoming the number of incoming calls that can be avoided when a customer wants to know when their product is going to ship. A company that comes to mind as doing a great job at this? Amazon.com Although they do lose points for having the order confirmation in html and then the ship notification in plain text.

Welcome to my new blog. This is my first foray into a personal blog. I’ve written for Zillow.com’s blog (as a current employee). My plan is to use this space to comment whenever I see anything new and exciting happening in the world of email, but to also offer an experienced counterpoint to a lot of the writing out there that may be off the mark. I hope you enjoy, and if you have any questions you’d like me to address, please feel free to leave a comment.