Bronto Blog

When I say Viget Rocks, I’m not talking about their 2007 Holiday Project (although that was pretty cool). Instead, what I’m referring to is Viget’s July 2008 newsletter. Overall, I’d give it an A-. I’ll use Lisa Harmon’s recent post on the 7 Message Components as my guide as we step through Viget’s email. In order to follow along with the components below, please click on the image to the right.  In Firefox, you may have to zoom in to see the full image.

1. Preheader: Viget misses the boat on this one. You could (maybe) argue that the forward link is part of the preheader, but that would be a stretch. Not a huge deal, especially as this newsletter was more informational vs. promotional, but certainly on the list of talking points for the next Viget call.

2. Header and Navigation: Creative, witty, and warm - Love to see the word “Thanks” and the phrase, “We think you’re the coolest” in the header. Also really like the Web 2.0 “July 2008″ - highlighted, ripped off piece of notebook paper. Hip. Cool. 2.0.

3. Primary Message: The above-the-fold, primary message, was clear and concise. It was an invitation to read the Viget Happenings; a recap of the goings on. But…lots of links. More on that below.

4.Table of Contents (TOC): I’m not a huge fan of TOCs (as noted in the comments section of Lisa’s post), and Viget’s newsletter doesn’t include one.  However, the message is short enough that a TOC is not necessary. A good thing. So, no points off for a missing TOC.

5. Submessage(s): Based on Lisa’s definition, I’m not certain I would call what Viget did “submessages.” In this case, Viget is just fulfilling their promise of sharing what’s going on. I like that they divide it up into clear sections - well branded, easy to identify. This allows a subscriber who is, for example, just interested in Viget Engage (Marketing) to simply scroll to that section. Well done, Viget! Siderail: Viget effectively utilizes the siderail to announce Jobs, preview Upcoming Events, and recap Past Events. Great use of real estate.

6. and 7.  Recovery Module and Footer: The phrase “Recovery Module” is a new one to me, but based on Lisa’s definition, I’d say that the “Viget Tidbit” - which highlights one of Vigets employees - would be considered a recovery module. However, one could also argue that their recovery module is integrated into their footer (”Visit our site; Read our blog”). Either way, they nail this one.

Other Items:

1. Images on vs. Images off: Viget’s message rendered beautifully in both instances. Yes!

2. Usage of links: I’ve always been a big fan of including links in your message. People love to click, it drives traffic back to your site (hopefully), makes the message more interesting/engaging/dynamic, and is trackable. However, I think Viget went a bit overboard with their links. Image links excluded, I counted up a total of nearly 60! Overkill? Maybe. Maybe not. It depends on what their click-through and click-to-open rates looked like, and depends on what their goals were.

3. From Name: Viget Labs. It’s who they are. Nothing fancy, just their name. Great for branding and name recognition - both help in the decision to open.

4. Subject Line: I would have liked to see a more creative subject line than “Viget Happenings, July 2008.” The email itself is very witty, making the (boring) subject line inconsistent. To play devil’s advocate, the subject line is very clear and concise. It is a very accurate representation of the content.

Overall, I’d say that Viget’s newsletter certainly did rock. In all fairness, it’s easy to perform an ex post facto review of an email. The challenge is thinking strategically about all of the above before you hit the send button.

Also, in the end, what really matters is did the email meet the Viget’s goals?

*Viget Labs is, of course, a Bronto client.

DJ Waldow
Account Manager at Bronto