You have some tight email marketing goals to meet. But perhaps what you’re currently sending out is just not hitting the nail on the head.
Fear not! We know a thing or two about sending emails that actually convert. I mean, really convert. And it’s simpler than you may think.
So if you’re putting your heart and soul into your email marketing campaigns, but just not getting the results you’re hoping for, it may need some simple TLC.
It’s time to get your response rate, conversion rate and open rate higher than 1%. This is the email template you need to start seeing the results you want, once and for all.
But first, consider this.
Let’s get to it.
Identify who you are writing for
First things first.
You need to know who you’re creating this email for. And no, ‘everyone in your database’ is not an answer.
You need to write for a specific person in mind. We call this person, your buyer persona. You want to really get to know this person that you’re hoping will open your emails. The basics of understanding who your buyer persona is can vary from location, demographics and interests. You can go even further and write down their pain points or problems. The more detail, the easier it will be to understand this person and create something tailored directly to their needs.
Even if your emails are created for ‘everyone in your database’, you should have a specific type of person that fills it up. If you don’t, you may want to do a database clean up. This will involve deleting contacts that aren’t relevant to your business or segmenting your email list to ensure that those who are receiving your emails are actually part of an audience who you’re wanting to target.
Get specific in detailing your buyer persona and write it down so that you can keep in mind every time you create an email.
READ: The Ultimate Guide to Content Marketing
Get the language and tone right
When the recipient has a million things on their to-do list, why should they open your email and even read it?
The difference is in the language that you use.
It’s best to avoid exclamation marks and all caps where possible. YOU DON’T WANT YOUR AUDIENCE TO THINK YOU’RE SHOUTING!
Not everyone will read your emails, but if you can get your language and tone right, speaking directly to them, maybe they will. You need to address their needs and understand what truly motivates them when reading an email through the tone and language that you use.
Think about what type of style and tone your audience would respond well to. Your tone is what gives your brand a voice – it helps them trust you and it helps them make a personal connection with your business.
A casual, not-too-formal tone is often a good approach as people prefer reading something that sounds like a human. The more human-like you sound, the more conversational it will feel to your reader, and the less likely your email will be marked as spam.
This of course, depends on if it suits your audience. Find the balance between professional and casual talk, depending on what is right for your audience.
Once you’ve found the sweet spot that is your tone, be consistent with it. Your audience will begin to recognise you for this, and they’ll expect it in every email you send out.
Your subject line is everything
Copywriting. It’s the art of seducing your reader with a simple way of words. It plays an important part in converting your audience, or even getting them to open your email. And it starts with your subject line.
Did you know that 35% of recipients open an email because of the subject line? Or how about 51% of recipients delete your email within two seconds of opening it?
Ouch.
It’s true. People do judge an email by its subject line. So hook them in with a catchy subject line. A subject line isn’t just a thing to tick off the list, it’s crucial to the success of your email.
When writing your killer subject line, include exactly what your email is about and don’t be afraid to get “punny”. Keep it short and take mobile into consideration.
Speaking of mobile, include a relevant emoji or two in your subject line is a great way to add even more value to your subject line. Emojis grab attention quicker than plain text and can stand out from the other 121 plain emails.
Take this example below. Which email stands out the most?
Sceptical about a subject line having a lot of pull? You can split your email database into two and test two different subject lines to see which performs better. It will give you a better indication of what your audience responds well to, and you can optimise accordingly.
The actual content
Right. Now onto the content that will fill your email. Remember it’s all about targeting their needs throughout the email, in the shortest way possible.
How long should the ideal email be? Not long at all.
Keep it short, sweet and to the point. Remember, you’re dealing with a person who receives 121 emails a day. They don’t have all day to read yours. You’ve got to get to the point, and get to it quickly.
If you have a lot of content that you need to share, a useful way to break it down easily is to put it into bite sizes by using bullet points.
A great way to gain the trust of your reader, in the little space that you have, is to use facts and proof to persuade them. Using proven facts gives your business credibility and makes you seem less of a risk. Plus it gives your audience a reason to believe what you are saying so that they are more inclined to work with you👏
Make it personal
Go on, get on a first name basis with your customers.
You can take a more personal approach by adding in the first names of each individual that you are sending to. This is easy to do in HubSpot.
By adding in the person’s name and even where they work, you are adding a level of value that this person will think speaks directly to them.
Do you want to create personal relationships with your customers? Another personalisation approach which you can consider is adding a ‘face’ to your email marketing. This could be an image of your CEO or someone in your sales team to end off each email with a picture of the person, and a sign off from them. (See example in the template later on.)
A strong and clear call-to-action
Many email marketers make the mistake of giving your reader as many options as possible to increase the chances of them clicking on one call-to-action.
This is not always the best thing to do as the reader can get confused and eventually leave the email as there are just too many options.
Sticking to one, clear call-to-action can help increase your conversions. In every email you send out, focus on achieving one thing, or getting your reader to click one button. That way, you can easily measure the email’s success too.
Another great way to address your call-to-action is to occasionally give your reader an enticing offer, with a time limit. This gives them a reason to respond and creates a sense of urgency.
Remember not to make it pushy or to use salesman talk. Give them an offer that will address their needs, and a time limit so that they can’t refuse it.
Although having one clear and strong call to action is best practice, there is no harm in discretely adding in your social media handles to your master template or email newsletters. This way, if a reader doesn’t want to click your desired call-to-action, but perhaps wants to follow you on social media, they can do so.
The right time
It’s all about relevance. Is something big happening in the news? Or is a topic trending in your industry?
Deliver your email at the right time and place, with some punchy content about what’s trending, and tie it into your campaign.
This will give your reader a chance to smile and enjoy the email a little more than if it was only about your marketing campaign.
Now go back to thinking about your buyer persona. What would their typical day look like? You’re going to want to catch your reader at the right time, when they’re checking their emails and actively engaging in the email space. Perhaps sending an email at 8 pm at night is not going to get the open rate you’re hoping for, but 8am, for instance, might catch your reader when they’re checking their morning emails.
It’s time for send off 🚀
So without further adieu, here is a template you can use to help you increase your conversion rate, straight away.
Subject line: Hey <name> 👋 Could business be better?
Hi <name>,
Business is full of ups and downs. But one thing you can be glad about is that you’re not Huawei this week 😐
If only you could generate a little more traffic and convert a little more leads on a steady scale.
The thing is, brands that have a solid content marketing strategy can reap the rewards of creating loyal (and repeat) customer relationships.
In fact, according to a recent study, “78% of consumers believe that organisations providing custom content are interested in building good relationships.”
That’s why we’ve been real busy. Busy creating our Content Marketing Strategy template, designed especially to help you drive traffic and boost sales.
It’s all yours. Download it for free today.
You’re welcome,
Dane
CEO of Uku Inbound
<photo of Dane>
So basically it’s this:
Subject line: <personalisation> <emoji>
Hi <name>,
<Community news or trend>
<Optional: Fact/proof>
<Your solution>
<Sign off from chosen person>
<Chosen person’s photograph and title>
Don’t forget to test and measure
Now that you’ve rocked your email content creation, it’s time to put it to the test. Did a particular email do better? Analyse the writing or the design to see what convinced your audience to click through.
Or perhaps it was the time of day that it was sent? It’s all about trial and error, and figuring out what works best for your business.
And of course, it doesn’t stop at emails. The only real reason people will convert goes beyond the emails you create and depends on what you’re offering once they click through to your website or landing page, as well as your website’s overall browsing experience.
If you’re looking for more growth in other areas of your marketing, such as your content marketing strategy, why not download our free Content Marketing Strategy Template? It’s designed to help you generate traffic and drive leads for good!
