I have been using Vertical Response recently on behalf of a couple of clients, and have found their e-mail engine as robust as other similar vendors.

During my recent work on the site, I had been solicited multiple times to try their new social media marketing tools. The notable offer was “try it for $9 (half price)”.

Now that I am a client, I also get their promotional e-mails, and I caught VR in a bit of tomfoolery with the offer I received this week:

Here are my issues, as a marketing guy:

• This isn’t a new offer. It has been presented to me every time I have logged in over the last few weeks, which means this “48-hour deal” is not quite true. It may expire on All Hallow’s Eve, but it has been around for a month.
• It went to the same audience (current customers) who have probably been seeing the $9 offer elsewhere, so there is a good chance I am not the only recipient who spotted the inconsistency.

This was avoidable, with just a bit of deeper thought:

• It doesn’t cheapen the offer to refer to its true age and looming expiration date.
• Make it newsworthy by extending the offer to honor the Giants’ win and Sandoval’s MVP award.

Finally, I have to address the e-mail’s subject line:

“Save Like a MVP – Use Code GIANTS48″

Given that people read as they speak, I would have used “an MVP” rather than “a MVP.” The latter is technically correct, but is more jarring to read, and does not match speech patterns! A small thing, but a detail that could leave a poor impression.

For more detailed thoughts on crafting great e-mail subject lines, click here to view a Forbes column on the subject.

What do you think? Am I being too picky here?

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