While you are, indeed, welcome to put time on my calendar, that’s not why this week’s Journey bears its title.
I collaborated this week with a new medical device sales manager on the best way to introduce himself over email.
We discussed the subject line, which is second only to the “From” line for determining the open rate.
Wondering what would work best, I did what any self-respecting marketer would do: I looked it up, and google had plenty to say about “most effective subject lines email marketing.”
After filtering through the suggestions and adapting them for our audience (surgeons), I suggested these:
Are you going to SXSW? So am I. Come visit.
• About ImaCor hemodynamic ultrasound
• Question about hemodynamic stability
• Hoping to help
• An idea for higher quality scores
• 10 minutes next Tuesday?
• Have you seen the mini TEE probe?
• available Tuesday at 1:45?
• Can I help?
• TEE for critical care
• TEE for critical care?
• hemodynamic ultrasound?
I deliberately used lowercase in places and variations are as subtle as the presence or absence of a question mark.
Store these suggestions in a cool, dry place for when you’re looking for an appropriate introductory subject line.
The Facebook ride is over
Do you have a Facebook page for your work? Then I have some advice for you.
Abandon your efforts completely (if you were wishy-washy about it to begin with) or attempt to migrate subscribers off Facebook.
Why? Because, from Facebook, [We will be] showing more posts from friends and family that spark conversations so we’ll show less public content, including videos and other posts from publishers or businesses.
Here’s a smarter grown-up on the changes. I shrank his 20-minute video down to a convenient 1:36.
If you’re lame and you know it, clap your hands!
It’s the rare medical device company that keeps an active presence on social media.
Yet, on websites and in newsletters, you’ll see “social sharing” icons. The “F” for Facebook. The “twitter bird” for Twitter.
You click on them, only to discover they haven’t posted since 2015. Or they have 30 followers.
Implication: It’s okay to be lame. But you don’t have to advertise it.
Fast Round
- Is your site legible? I talked about native fonts a few weeks back. Here’s more on fonts for your website layout, Serif vs Sans-Serif: How to increase your website’s readability by more than 50%. They say the minimum font size for your body copy should be 12 and your headline should be twice that. Also, see the graphic to the side (click for source).
- Content Marketing 2018: Here’s the annual report from Content Marketing World: “B2B Content Marketing: 2018 Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends – North America.”
- How long does it take you to write a blog post? These typically take me around four hours. Is that so much longer than the average? This survey sheds light on some blogger averages.
Thank you for joining me on The Journey.
See you next week – or sooner – if you choose to reply to this email,
P.S. Did your team win the Super Bowl? Mine did.
