It is amazing how valuable email marketing is to brands. The ROI of email marketing is nearly twice as high as search and six times as high as catalogs.
By Annie Qureshi
Unfortunately, while email marketing is the best way to monetize potential customers, implementing a successful funnel is not easy. Even if you build a list of relevant subscribers, you must create converting copy for your emails.
Writing stellar emails is not as easy as it looks. Fortunately, you can cut your learning curve by following these simple tips.
Split-test your headline first
Your headline is the first experience any user will have with your email. You need to craft it carefully to maximize your open rate. One case study found that even a small change in your headline can boost your CTR by 29%.
So, what is the right type of headline to use? Unfortunately, there is no magic formula. So many different factors play a role, such as:
- Your niche
- The location of your readers
- The demographic of your readers
- The time of day that your emails are sent
- Your readers prior experience with your brand
The only way to know is to split test. Since your headline is the most important element of your funnel, you need to focus on testing at first. The biggest mistake that most new email marketers make is testing the ad body and images before perfecting their headline.
Emphasize the benefits of your email with actionable copy
Successful email marketing funnels depend on a series of micro commitments. You need to get readers to subscribe to your list, click your email subject lines, read the copy, visit your landing page and complete your conversion goal.
Sometimes you need to give them a little push to take the next step. Along with describing the process clearly, using actionable language that conveys the benefits of your offer is one of the best ways to accomplish this. You need to use it in your subject lines and the call to action in your email body.
Here are some examples of actionable calls to action.
“Don’t miss these excellent money saving opportunities!”
“Click to get the best coverage in the next 10 minutes!”
“Discover your next girlfriend on this dating site”
Don’t ignore your email preview text!
Most people understand the importance of testing their headlines and body of their email. Far fewer marketers recognize the value of the email preview text.
Next to your subject line, your previous text is the first thing readers see. By default, it pulls the first 30 to 150 characters of your email copy. However, some email marketing tools allow you to customize it.
Pay close attention to the way the preview text appears, because some factors may cause it to appear differently than you expect. You may notice that it is pulling alt text from an image, for example. Even if your email marketing tool doesn’t support custom preview text generators, you should still be able to at least use a pre-header to avoid these mistakes.
Use language that resonates with your readers
I see lots of guides suggesting that you should always use very simple copy for your emails. This is usually good advice, because most emails are written for a B2C audience. However, sometimes he will be waiting for more sophisticated users, such as cybersecurity professionals or attorneys.
Your content needs to be written with your reader in mind. Use language that will be inviting and convey your expertise, will still be easy enough to understand.
Annie Qureshi is a passionate writer and author for Sustainable Business Forum. She embraces ecommerce opportunities that go beyond profit, giving back to non-profits with a portion of the revenue she generates. She is significantly more productive when she has a cause that reaches beyond her pocketbook. @annierqureshi
Sign stock photo by iQoncept/Shutterstock
