Southwest Airlines is ALWAYS cited as a customer-focused, fun airline. When I fly Southwest, I know I’ll be uniquely surprised by the pleasant, cheery nature of everyone involved – from pilots to flight attendants and gate workers.

Amazingly, Southwest continues to deliver fantastic service at incomparable prices in the airline industry.

Everyone LOVES a deal (me included!!). I recently signed up for Southwest’s ‘Click ‘N Save’ newsletter in hopes that I could save some money. I’d like http://www.southwest.comhttp://www.southwest.comnothing better than to open an e-mail with huge discounts to far away exotic places, or perhaps a low rate to visit my brother or parents.

If you own any business (large or small), and are doing (or have thought of doing) e-mail marketing, there’s plenty to learn from Southwest Airlines.

1.    Subject Line
Let’s start with the subject line. If your ‘customers’ don’t like or don’t understand the subject line, they won’t open your e-mail – period. You may have the sharpest graphics or the ‘most slick, well-written copy known to man’ within the e-mail, but it is money wasted if the e-mail is not opened.

Southwest’s subject line: Say goodbye to winter with warm-weather travel

This particular e-mail’s open rate in snowy climates like Toledo, Detroit, Chicago, and Baltimore must have been HUGE as workers snuggle in for the long work week. I used to live up north. By mid-February, you are ready for the spring’s triumphant entrance. How many vacation hours do I have left?

2.    Call to action
Imagine that you’ve written a wonderful subject line like: Say goodbye to winter with warm-weather travel. Your customer is now taking time out of their busy day to read your e-mail. What are you going to do with those precious seconds?

Southwest nails it within their e-mail by stressing the urgency with ‘3 Days to Save’ and ‘Book by Thursday’. If you were ‘on the fence’ about vacationing, you are now convinced. It is time to pick up the phone and call the wife, husband, or significant other about those vacation plans NOW.

Southwest maximizes the brief window that they have with their customers by gently prodding: DO IT NOW.

3.    Pleasant
Sure, this is subjective, but this e-mail just puts you in a good mood for a Monday morning. The color scheme is very pleasing to the eye. Yes, you may have meetings all-day, but Southwest makes it very convenient to take a few minutes and book that vacation that you’ve been delaying for too long.

The imagery – from the wide-pan of the city of Sacramento to the lady lounging on the inner tube – pulls at our emotional strings. To put it bluntly, when I can picture myself in Sacramento, or floating on a tube in the ocean, I am ready to spend money.

Follow these 3 tips from Southwest Airlines and get your e-mail marketing on the right track.

Vacation anyone?

Until next time,
Dan Naden