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Gerard_Donnell4
Gerard_Donnell4
Level 9
November 8, 2017
Question

Whats your opinion on Fake Fwds

  • November 8, 2017
  • 5 replies
  • 4544 views

Hi Guys,

Just looking to get your opinion on fake fwd emails.  I have seen a couple done and the open rate was over 50% for all of them.  What do you guys think about this practice? Is it bordering on being spammy or would you consider it sneaky? I personally think it loos like a great tool for important emails but not something you would do all the time.

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5 replies

SanfordWhiteman
SanfordWhiteman
Level 10
November 8, 2017

Is it an actual resend of an earlier email? If so it's not totally fake (one could argue). A first-time send that pretends to be a Fw: I hate.

    Gerard_Donnell4
    Gerard_Donnell4Author
    Level 9
    November 8, 2017

    In the cases above they were event invites that were sent and then resent as a forward the next week to anyone that hadn't registered. I agree that a first time send is just hateful, plus you are having to really tell lies adding in a fake date and time for the original send.

    SanfordWhiteman
    SanfordWhiteman
    Level 10
    November 8, 2017

    Yeah, to me that's fine.

    Casey_Grimes2
    Casey_Grimes2
    Level 10
    November 9, 2017

    I'm ambivalent leaning towards "don't do it" re: fake forwards. I've worked with a company that has stayed pretty committed to the fake forward strategy over several years, and it's pretty much only the fake forwards that land in my spam folder. The actual conversion rates from the emails aren't a giant boost over the non-forward versions, either.

    Gerard_Donnell4
    Gerard_Donnell4Author
    Level 9
    November 9, 2017

    Hi @Courtney Grimes​,

    Is the company your talking about B2B or B2C? I'm guessing B2B. Also did you notice a difference in the open rate based on personal v company based email addresses?

    Thanks,

    Gerard

    Casey_Grimes2
    Casey_Grimes2
    Level 10
    November 9, 2017

    Hi Gerard,

    You're guessing correctly that in this context, it's B2B. In this particular company's case, there's not a lot of personal addresses in the system period, so it's difficult to get any meaningful benchmark there. Asking around for B2C-side opinions now.

    P
    PhillipWi1
    Level 9
    November 9, 2017

    Respectfully, I think most people would be super annoyed at your brand for tricking them with a fake forward. I've heard many people complain about the same strategy with using "Re:" in a subject line which clearly isn't a reply. It's deceitful and you will instantly erode any trust your subscribers had in you.

    The open rate will be very good no doubt.....for the first one. Then you will likely be marked as spam if you're lucky. If you're unlucky, that person will tell their friends and colleagues just how annoying your marketing is.

    However, if it's a resend...in a B2B context I think it might be effective once or twice, and it's much less misleading. But like anything, you would likely see a wearout effect.

    Danielle_Guarin
    Danielle_Guarin
    Level 2
    November 9, 2017

    I find it helpful in B2B, but we use it once or twice a year for each "from address" (in our case, the Sales Managers). We also only send it to one contact per business, so two colleagues working side by side don't get the same "personalized" email from their Sales Manager and catch on to our trick.

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