AUGUST 2022 HEARTBEAT

Creating content resembles a high wire act. The wire takes you where you need to go yet a little too much wiggle or too little balance means you fall. Hopefully there’s a strong safety net of good will, experience, and support to cushion the landing.
When communicating via email, the fine line between too much and too little challenges communicators. Writing guru Ann Wylie shared the Nielsen Norman Group long-term email newsletter usability study results in her free enewsletter. (Visit her website to subscribe: WylieComm.com) Here are those nuggets:

1. Pay off the subject line. Don’t overpromise and underdeliver or vice versa.
2. Don’t omit details. Don’t make recipients search for the price, for instance.
3. Don’t make them click. Don’t use email newsletters to drive clicks. Use them to deliver value in the newsletter.
4. Don’t cut off midsentence. Subscribers recognize that as a way to force clicks. They don’t like it.
5. Make links clear. If recipients must click to read, be very clear about what they’ll get if they do click. Deliver enough details to draw subscribers to your website.

As HMG thinks about delivering your message, we have these recommendations in mind. We want your customers and prospects to gain value and deliver your key points succinctly.

Less is more, more or less.