Here’s an interesting idea from GetElastic (an ecommerce blog worth bookmarking, btw). It started with a case study of how TigerDirect replaces product photos on their servers to indicate when something has been sold out. GetElastic’s Linda Bustos asks,

‘what if you deliberately included sold out product photos in your emails?’

This is a much more subtle (but no less powerful) way to add urgency than using text like, “hurry! act now! buy now!” That kind of text is typically not appreciated by spam filters. Or humans. I like the way you think, Linda.

Not convinced? I like the way you think, too. A/B test your content, then.

Ever had to write an email event invitation directed at C-Level executives? Did it tank? Karen Gedney offers some extremely useful advice on how to craft upscale email invitations (that I suspect you could use for *any* emails) to C-Level fat cats.

She offers nice tips on:

• What kind of from-name to use
• How to craft a subject line with a little urgency
• Designing RSVP buttons (big, red, beveled buttons don’t work)
• Logistics info you need to include

Great advice there. Hat tip to Tamara Gielen for the link.

When you’re crafting and testing email invitations, it helps to do some A/B testing (try different from-names, subject lines, and email designs). MailChimp makes A/B testing easy, with our patent-pending automatic A/B tester.