Have you ever sat down at your computer and thought, “I want to write THE BEST marketing email ever”?
It’s time to stop thinking and start doing, and we’re here to help. Based on our own experience gaining phenomenal results for our clients via email — here are 5 useful tips for writing the best marketing email to ever leave your outbox.
1. Short, simple, non-catchy subject lines.
The subject line “Weekend Plans” gets a better open rate than “This trick will earn you money” or “Take action now”.
It also won’t end up in the SPAM folder. Read here about the amazing email open rates the Obama Presidential Campaign had with email due to its subject lines. We’ve been able to achieve between 25% – 30% open rates for our customers using these tactics.
2. Write in the 1st person.
Unless you’re selling something for an amazing deal, the standard marketing techniques won’t penetrate your recipients’ focus for more than a few seconds before they click “Delete”. Email is a personal platform. If you write like a person to a real human being, wanting to connect, more people will read it.
3. Avoid email templates.
Latching onto the idea of “Personal” above, when an email looks like marketing template, readers know it means someone wants their money before they even notice what it says.
That kind of fancy marketing isn’t the best way to market — connecting with human beings and offering something of value is. Without a template, your email looks like a human being wrote the message, personally, to them.
4. Communicate the benefit first.
Upfront, before you go into details or fancy features, show how your readers’ lives will change for the better when they use your product or service. Start with this. If you only communicate one thing — communicate the benefit.
You don’t necessarily have to explain how or why. In fact, leaving a little bit of mystery about how you accomplish making their lives better will often pique their interest much more than offering all of the details.
Perfect example: Verizon Wireless is offering to a Free iPhone 6 in exchange for any old iPhone. The terms and conditions of the deal were too difficult to find online, so I’m marching into the store today (as soon as I finish this blog post) to learn more. I wouldn’t be surprised if I walk out with a new phone carrier after talking to the sales reps.
5. Skip the Call to Action — We’re now in a world of “Drive to Engagement” (DTE).
Ask for a response or further communication. Begin a real, honest conversation instead of looking for click-throughs. When you engage your audience and begin to have conversations, people think more about your product or service — and they get to know the humans behind it.
Try these five steps for writing the best marketing email, and see how your database responds.