The art of persuasion is a long-standing, vital part of any kind of marketing initiative. If you are in the financial markets and are looking for better ways to reach people with an ethical persuasive message, this article is for you. Tired of the cold-calling game? Looking to network the right kinds of investors while minimizing the effort of finding them? If so, keep reading.
Today, I want to give you some valuable advice on how to create, execute, and manage an email campaign that will allow you to gauge your engagement levels properly and accurately and speak directly to the people you want to invest in your company, product, or idea.
It All Starts with Killer Content
I’m going to drop my shameless plug early in the game here and attempt to answer the burning question: “Do I need to hire a copywriter?” This is where I pull out my much-used mantra in response and simply say…
It depends.
The bottom line for me is this: I have worked with more than an average share of marketers in businesses and niches that range from total mainstream to the downright bizarre. One issue that brings the vast majority of them to the table is a tiny obstacle we lovingly refer to as “time.”
Creating content is a time-consuming process that can put a significant amount of strain on your own productivity. Add to that just the slightest hint of doubt as to whether you can produce something the market wants, and the answer to whether you should be deferring at least some of the burden of content creation becomes crystal clear.
If you can honestly say that you have the time in your schedule to meet your own content creation and delivery deadlines, fantastic. For the other 99 percent, there are finance copywriting and marketing professionals out there waiting to help. With that out of the way, let’s look at the steps that go into a successful email campaign.
#1: Know Your Target Investor Demo Well
More to the point, know him (or her) thoroughly. I’ve spoken and written about buyer personas enough to not take the time re-hashing that information here. Our blog is chock-full of content that explains or references them. The point is that, especially in this instance, you need one. You need to know what specific language and method(s) of delivering information are going to make that person decide to invest.
#2: Plan Your Email Campaign
Far too often, clients approach us with a completely blank slate. “You’re the professionals. You tell ME what I should be doing…” While I agree with that sentiment to a point, the bottom line is this: you know your target audience better than we ever will. It is important to understand the kind of approach(es) that will work best with your readers and build on that. Ask yourself:
• Is my ideal investor more analytical or abstract in his or her thinking?
• Does this person respond better to a more narrative approach?
• How often should I be sending to this particular list?
• How can I deliver this message in a way that first compels the reader to open the message (that’s the most important bit), then read it, then heed your call to action?
Once you have a handle on that, you can decide how to proceed with your campaign.
#3: Split-Test Subject Lines
It is crucial that people open your messages. They won’t if they don’t find the subject line to be interesting. In certain areas of marketing, a slightly controversial subject line can be powerful bait, but in this instance, you want to avoid any of that, at least initially. People don’t want their money steeped in controversy as a general rule. You can, however, steer into that territory in ways that fortify your idea and make not investing in it seem like the riskier move. Just save that content for the body of the message, not the subject.
#4: Listen to Your Metrics
The biggest temptation in any marketing initiative is to keep fruitlessly steering the ship in a direction it doesn’t want to go simply because you prefer one way of doing things or one form of messaging over another. No matter how well you know your target investors, the market still dictates how we must go about delivering the message.
If your open rates are not up to snuff, if you aren’t getting enough click-throughs to your landing pages, and if you aren’t seeing enough conversions, it is time to re-evaluate your strategy and try something different. If you’re stuck on how to adjust your approach, that is where the aforementioned professionals come into play. Have a conversation with people who do this every day and, at a minimum, get their feedback.
#5: Duplicate Your Successes
While it might take a bit of time, you should be able to find at least a general template that works well with your target audience. Once you find it, stick with it until it doesn’t work anymore. Keep track of your numbers and make note of trends that have a negative impact on your results. You can always revisit those areas and do some tweaking. It will become necessary over time.
Final Takeaway
Don’t let time and resources stand in the way of getting this done. Enlist help from qualified, experienced finance content creation professionals where you need it, and be prepared for a little trial and error. The rewards for having just a little patience (and spending a little money) in developing your email strategy is likely to net you some very positive results down the line. Above all, be consistent. Stay in front of your prospective investors and make interacting with you or your brand through email a consistently positive experience.
