A Case Study In Bad Email Strategy

Here’s an email I got recently from hmv.com (a CD/DVD store):

Looking at that, they’ve obviously spent time on the creative. It looks ok. It’s very timely. There’s a strong call to action. But it really annoyed me…

It annoyed me because - for me - there are some serious flaws in their email strategy.

I had a look back through my inbox & noticed I’d had eleven emails from hmv.com over a thirteen day period. That shouldn’t be so unusual: I often voluntarily sign up for ‘1 a day’ emails, but this was not one of them. Aside from that - this is just not the kind of email I would want every day (’final sale’, ‘only 13.99′, ‘offers, offers & more offers’ emails).

The only reason I haven’t unsubscribed from their emails is that they ask me for a login & password to unsubscribe. I probably had a password once, but I have no idea where & I can’t guess it. So, until I figure out how to unsubscribe, their hand-crafted, beautifully designed emails are achieving an objective they never intended: Annoying me.

What Are HMV Doing Wrong?

To be honest, the reason I picked hmv is not because they are outstandingly bad: It’s because the individual emails are actually quite good. They’re just spoiled by some really, really common strategy problems. Here are the ‘quick fix’ problems:

1. The frequency is just too high for that type of email

If you’ve got an email that does add value to your recipients, then every day might be fine. If you’re just churning out ’special offer’ emails day after day, it’s too often. Admittedly they throw in the occasional ‘Online Poll’ or ‘Win a DVD’

2. They send to multiple lists at the same time

It looks like I’m signed up to 2 lists - ‘hmv offers’ & ‘hmv music’. They send to both of these lists at the same time, meaning (as they’ve got me on both lists) I often get 2 emails from them on the same day.

3. It’s a real pain to unsubscribe

It’s easier to just hit the ’spam’ or ‘delete’ button than it is to unsubscribe. It’s easier just to keep receiving emails I don’t want than to get off their list. In the long-term, this just damages their brand & puts their delivery at risk.

4. I hate horror movies

I know most people love horror movies, but I just don’t like them! And that’s just one example: HMV consistently send me special offer emails on things I just don’t like.

How Could They Improve Their Emails?

Here are a few ‘quick fixes’ & one overall strategy fix:

1. Fix the frequency

They could solve problems 1 & 2 (frequency & multiple emails in the same day) very easily. Presumably they think their target audience is seriously interested in what they’re flogging cheap. If that’s the case, why not send out an email that’s double the length (combine their ‘hmv offers’ & ‘hmv music’ emails when a subscriber is signed up to both)? One long email with twice as many deals is MORE valuable & LESS annoying than 2 very similar emails on the same day. The added factor is: 2 emails on the same day screaming “cheap offers” just seems desperate & cheapens the entire brand, whereas one per week saying “the week’s best deals” would be fine.

2. Ask the audience

Instead of an online poll asking “what’s your favourite horror film?” why not put one out asking “what do you think of our emails?”.

3. Make it easy for us to unsubscribe

If you’re talking to someone at a party & you can see you’re really boring them, move on. Don’t pin them in the corner & talk their ear off for the rest of the night. The same applies to your emails: There’s just no reason to make it difficult for someone to unsubscribe.

4. Add some value to our lives

This is more difficult than the other fixes, but it’s the one that could pay big dividends:

If I sign up for a music/dvd newsletter, I’m obviously interested in music & film, not just interested in BUYING music & films. There’s a huge opportunity for HMV to find out more about me & to deliver me information that I genuinely want. Imagine if they told me when my favourite artist was putting something new out? Or if they interviewed my favourite artists/directors/actors & sent that to me? Imagine if they recommended something that I might actually like, & gave me a link to an mp3 snippet so I could see what I thought? If they did all of that I’d love their emails, I’d probably spend my money with them, and I’d be talking about them in a positive way & forwarding their emails on to other people.