Email campaigns are supposed to be some kind of magic bullet, but do you want a load of sales spiel in your inbox? No? I thought not!
I bet you’ve signed up for some download that looked interesting at some point only to discover you’re getting a daily sales pitch from someone in America! If it’s in your face ‘buy my stuff’ you’ve probably unsubscribed by now.
However, some of these gurus do write well and are very good at writing email content that makes you feel like they know you and are talking directly to you. I can quote a few myself and some of them give away lots of good advice and encouragement. I’m on a few lists myself and choose to stay on those lists, because I find the email content useful and interesting.
So what is that magic formula that defines successful email campaigns?
This is just my opinion, but I think it depends on these three key factors:
- Know your audience inside out
- Know what they’re suffering from, what keeps them awake at night and understand what kind of help they WANT (never mind what they need, most people will sacrifice a need to a big WANT – ask anyone who has skipped lunch to afford a new pair of shoes!)
- Be entertaining and human.
The three most compelling email lists I’m on are Kim Roach, Nick Stephenson and Peter Thomson. Each of them talks to me in conversational language and ALL of them share their personal journey, warts and all.
Although of course they are selling products, services or membership of a group, I don’t feel ‘sold at’, I feel they genuinely want to help me, to share their knowledge and experience.
If you’re planning an email campaign, first decide on what the call to action will be, then work out how to engage the readers.
- What will get their attention? That will be your subject line.
- What will give them value? That’s your lead paragraph.
- Where is their pain point? That’s the lead up to your service or product presentation.
- How will their life be different when they’ve got your solution? There’s your call to action.
Focus on value, benefits and outcomes and think like your customer and you’ll find your email campaigns will start to write themselves.
