newsletters about things very close to human's hearts always do better.

So, if it's about

personal health or money you're going to do well. However, the results for this newsletter
were far beyond what we'd expect in this category. What made the difference? We bet
that super-ultra-clean design has a lot to do with it.

Talk about targeting! Possibly the biggest battle most email departments face is demands
from the marketing team to "send this offer to the whole list!" Intrawest developed an
automated system (easy processes = smart marketing) to ensure sales alerts would be
targeted to just the consumers most likely to respond.

Although the creative is awfully pretty and the offer worth testing, it was the thoughtful
targeting that really wowed us. Sending a follow-up campaign just to clicks that didn't
convert is a great idea. And we're impressed with the subtle classiness of this campaign.
No one is knocked over the head to respond. But respond they surely did.
Go horizontal
Reader involvement

Collage /Postcard Style

Strategy #3: Resurrect dead leads

A simple text-only email can have a powerful impact on consumers, even when they’re
considered “dead leads.”

Dr. Marvin Lagstein, Orthodontist and Author of ‘Brace Yourself for Success,’ and his
marketing team found themselves with a list of dead leads in December 2007. The
prospects had expressed interest in a special six-month treatment, but then never signed
up for the program. These leads had already received Lagstein’s book, a promotional
letter, a follow-up telephone call and emails about the treatment. Some had been
receiving an email every two weeks for as long as 12 months.

Around the holidays, the team sent a text-only email intended to entice the patients to
sign up within 20 days; if they did, they would receive a 28.5% discount on the costly
procedure. The email’s content was quirky. Here’s a quote:

“I've decided the world needs a Jewish Santa Claus. So, I've personally dubbed myself
Santa Claustein. And, as my first order of business for the Christmas season, I’m going to
give you a very special gift!”

1.25% of the recipients called for more information, and of those, 26.7% became patients,
lifting the number of Lagstein’s total treatment patients 36.3%.