Dan Farber highlights in his blog "Between The Lines" this week a new study published by Nielsen Norman Group on email newsletter usability, including 165 guidelines for subscriptions, content, managing accounts and RSS-based news feeds. I'm not familiar with this group, but apparently the company has produced a similar report about every two years.
What's great here is more reinforcement of the obvious. You have to be relevant. Don't waste my time. One quote: "People scan the inbox list in quite a brutal manner. If they don't think it's worthwhile or spam they delete it."
Keywords to success: Timely, Short & Scannable.
My words: Use your data. Talk to me only when you have something to say. You constituents will reward you.
The Jacob Neilsen's study found that the average time allocated to a newsletter after it was opened was only 51 seconds. I find this stat very interesting. The overview of the study has additional free nuggets of information from the study. Worth checking out.
Posted by: Brent | June 18, 2006 at 07:20 PM
Their reports are often quite right on. The idea of keep it simple stupid (kiss) will always be in the right direction. Unless a customer ops for a different approach out of choice why cloud and confuse your message.
Even in long copy for a marketing campaign your language and message should be kept in simple dignified.
Posted by: Tim Whelan | June 18, 2006 at 12:44 AM