A formula for winning communications

In a ballroom in Miami today, the director of MEC Labs put up this formula.  I kid you not.

ECE = 3lq + 20r + 2bc + 2it + ef +dr

The thing is, once he decoded it, it was really easy to understand.  And I really liked it.  Its usefulness transcends email marketing, which was the topic at hand.

According to Dr. Flint McGlaughlin, effective email is based on:

• 3 times list quality (heavy weight goes to the quality of the list)
• 20 times offer relevance (note that HUGE weight given to relevance)
• 2 times body copy
• 2 times intrinsic timing
• Envelope fields (subject line, from)
• Deliverability rate

In other words – your success in getting people to do something is:

• Very dependent on how well you’ve targeted your audience (it’s important you market to people who are likely to need what you’re offering and better yet, who know you and want to hear from you)
• Extremely dependent on whether your offering is well-matched to your audience’s needs and values
• The words you use are pretty important
• The timing and sense of urgency with which you convey your message is pretty important
• The messenger and headline are important
• The deliverability of your message is key – it should be easy to get/read/receive

I like this formula – it’s based on good-old Marketing 101, as all good communications – whether by email or not – should be.  And it helps us prioritize our time.