Take a quick glance at your inbox.
How many unopened emails do you have? Be honest.
Of those, how many are unopened simply because you already have a pretty good idea of what they contain and you just haven’t had time to delete them yet?
On the other hand, how many of those unopened emails are you holding onto because you know it’s something you will definitely want to see?
Everyone who has an email account is receiving a countless number of messages from a wide array of senders. The very structured of us are meticulously organizing those incoming emails, filing some away into neatly labeled folders and unsubscribing from senders we don’t want to hear from again. The not-so-organized folks may find that their inbox regularly overflows with messages they’ll probably never read or even open.
As an email marketer, knowing that your messages face so much competition each time they are sent to your audience presents a real challenge – how do you create email messaging that people will want to read and not overlook?
In the world of email marketing, the winners are those who are providing value to their recipients. Successful email marketers know their audience and understand what they are looking for. They tailor their messages in a way that keeps their clients engaged and ready to buy. They’ve honed in on a process that works specifically for what they are selling.
Here are 3 simple tips to keep in mind when it comes to providing value through email marketing:
Visualize Your Client
Most email marketing strategies suggest that you “know your audience” to help you customize your messaging accordingly. We suggest you go one step further. Take a few minutes to visualize your client. Picture who you think your average customer is – it could be a middle-aged man, a young teenage girl or mom with 2 – 3 kids.
Next, visualize where they are when they read your email. Are they sitting in their home office in front of their desktop? Are they seeing your email on their phone lying in bed? What does your client do for work? Where do they live? What do they do for entertainment? The more specific you can get, the better chance you will have of really visualizing your client and understanding what they might value when it comes to email messaging.
Does your average client like to spend 5 to 10 minutes reading through an educational email about a specific subject or do they just need to see a price tag? What will keep them opening your emails each time they receive one?
Create Emotional Connections
Whether people want to admit it or not, there is typically some emotion that goes into almost any purchase of any product or service. If your email marketing strategy can create an emotional connection with your audience, you are definitely helping your chances of making a sale.
Some of the more obvious buying emotions include joy, excitement and anticipation. Others will buy out of sympathy, grief or even boredom. Are your emails relating any of these emotions? What about messages that help your audience feel pride, smart, ahead of the curve or prepared? Maybe your emails give your audience a laugh or sense of hope. These can be powerful emotions when it comes to selling your product.
Focus on creating some type of emotional connection in your email marketing strategy to add value to your message.
Keep it Short with Opportunities to Learn More
Some of the best emails are those that are concise and to the point, but with links to a website or landing page where they can learn more. Long emails can be a turn off, especially if your average client leads a busy lifestyle. Fill your emails with short phrases and descriptions to catch the attention of your audience so they will want to learn more. Your customers will come to value your emails more when they know they can get to the point of your email within a minute or less.
Think of your emails as the trailer to a movie. You don’t necessarily want to give away the entire plot, but you want them to at least have a basic understanding of what you are offering. Like a good movie trailer, make those emails full of emotion, directed right at your target audience.
If you’re feeling stuck with email marketing strategies or just need some ideas on adding value in each message you send, feel free to send us a note. We love connecting with other entrepreneurs and would love to help you construct email messaging that is effective and valuable to your audience.