Email remains to this day the single most powerful marketing tool there is. I would even go so far as to say that it’s gaining momentum with the leap to mobile platforms that is wooing more and more users away from their laptops every year.
Like with anything else, with great power comes great responsibility. It’s not enough simply to utilize email for marketing. You need to know how and when to successfully employ various strategies to make your email efforts optimally effective. Here are a few of the strategies that my writers and I use when writing emails for our clients. While individual results will always vary, I think that you will find something here (and likely more than one thing) that will greatly enhance the effectiveness of your email marketing efforts.
1. First Off, What Works for You?
Your first and most effective strategy in email marketing is knowing what kinds of things get your attention. What sorts of words and phrases make you want to stop and read? When you identify some of these things, it is important to make note of them so you can, in turn, apply them to your own writing (or ask your copywriter or copywriting company to include them).
The next part of the equation, though, is how what works for you aligns with your customers’ needs and your brand message. I’m going to once again recommend developing a buyer persona or ideal avatar. Doing so will help you determine which of the things that get your attention will also get theirs. Catalog them and use them effectively.
2. Use Intelligent, Conversational Language.
You want to be conversational in your emails, and you want to present your message in a way that is clear and straightforward. What isn’t conversational? Here are a few things to avoid:
Cheesy Subject Lines – You need to gravitate away from the CAPS LOCK approach and keep your subject lines simple but engaging. Remember that there really isn’t a gimmick you can use that your audience hasn’t seen before. If they feel like you’re being patronizing or less than honest, game over. Let your subject communicate what your message is about or pique enough interest to get them to click to open.
Excessive Bold Type – Remember that it’s your subject line that is going to get you the furthest when it comes to getting people to read your entire message. Once they open it, you don’t want to bombard them with distractions that cause their eyes to gravitate to unrelated pieces of information. You want to convey the full message, so give your readers a chance to discover it for themselves.
Exclamation Points – An excess of exclamation points doesn’t work in any kind of writing, and it is even less effective in marketing copy. Good writers know how to convey excitement and enthusiasm without having to show they’re trying to convey them. Let the tone of your copy speak for itself.
These guidelines apply whether you are distributing marketing material to a huge list or if you are sending out B2B communications. In either case, you want your audience to feel like you’re on the same level. Seeding your emails with the types of things I mentioned above can be construed as an insult to their intelligence.
3. Present Your Information in a Balanced Way.
Do not assume that your audience members are experts on whatever it is you’re writing about, but also don’t assume they know nothing. There is a delicate balance in the way we present information, especially in email. Write from the perspective that you are the expert, but refrain from using language that suggests you’re the only one who gets it. Doing so creates a disconnect between you and your audience, and, really, that is the exact opposite effect that you want your emails to have. The best ones are those that put the sender and the reader on common ground.
If you are a B2B marketer, it is vitally important to get this right. If there is any circumstance where you want to posture yourself as being on equal footing with your audience, this is it. You will also alienate clients and prospects by being too “puffed up” in your approach. Remember that regardless of the audience, your job is to motivate and inform with your emails, not impress with your superior understanding of the subject at hand.
4. Don’t Be Afraid to Get Personal.
Being personal and transparent are great ways to gain trust and hold your readers’ interest. This strategy works best with consumers but can also be applied to B2B communications when there are enough points of relatability. In other words, if you feel like your audience can relate to your struggles, worries, shortcomings, or any details that apply directly to your business, use them. It lends a deeper human dimension to the conversation and makes you appear trustworthy.
When you apply these strategies to your email marketing, you will likely see that people respond more favorably and will be more apt to follow through on your calls to action. They will also be more likely to open, read, and even forward your messages. Anything you ask them to do, they will do if they trust you and perceive you to be an authority. That comes from presenting your message in a way that postures you as an expert but also provides your audience with points of meaningful relatability.