Email is an invaluable tool for reaching out and connecting with your audience.
Whether you use email to send out weekly newsletters, inform customers of discounts or advertise new products or services, it’s crucial to catch the attention of your audience and hold it.
It sounds simple, but when you consider that an overwhelming 82% of B2B and B2C companies use email marketing, according to stats gathered by Ascend2, it has never been more important to focus on creating original, engaging email copy that sets you apart from your competitors. We’ve put together go-to techniques for creating fresh, click-worthy content:
Put yourself in the shoes of your audience
You’ve invested time and money in generating email leads via social media strategies, landing pages or blogging, and are now looking to reap the rewards via email campaigns. Planning and writing content from the perspective of your audience is crucial if you want to convert leads into customers.
Putting yourself in their shoes is a sure-fire way to improve brand engagement, likeability and sincerity, whilst thinking about their needs, desires and motivations is a great way to identify with your audience. Thinking about the types of questions they’re potentially asking is an equally great way of creating relevant copy that converts.
When they receive your email, your audience will be asking questions like:
• Who is this email from?
• What do they want?
• How can I benefit from it?
If you can answer them in a clear, concise and friendly manner, you’re already on the right track to creating content that generates clicks.
Get personal with your content
With thousands of businesses around the globe using email marketing to convert leads into customers, you simply can’t afford to treat your audience as a faceless mass. Techniques such as sending emails from individuals rather than company names, and collecting and using customer name data, help create a more intimate tone in your content and can increase open and conversion rates.
Reach out to your audience by writing content in the second person with pronouns such as ‘you’, ‘me’ and ‘us’ rather than ‘we’. Aim for your copy to echo your ability to understand, accompany and assist your audience on a personal level.
Let’s take a look at the difference between the two informative lines of email copy below:
A. The mega sale starts this Friday.
B. Our mega sale starts this Friday. Clear your diary and get ready to grab a bargain!
While the first example contains the required information, the second reaches out to the recipient and implicates them in the event. It emphasises the company’s ability to understand and assist their desires and needs.
Consistency and alignment are key
The power of consistent, well-aligned copy should never be underestimated when on a mission to generate clicks. Address this by aligning email and landing page visuals, as well as by ensuring your style and tone of voice are consistent across email and website copy.
Why should you do this? In short, these techniques reduce confusion and enhance trust amongst your audience when it comes to your brand offering, which in turn increases ROI via higher click through and conversion rates.
Your email copy should clearly answer the three core questions asked by your audience(who, what, how), and your landing page copy should reiterate this in the same style and tone of voice. Make it as easy as possible for your potential customers to identify and get on board with your brand ethos and offering.
Use clear and effective CTAs to increase click
Calls-to-action (CTAs) are an essential component in your marketing toolkit. A clear and effective CTA increases clicks and conversions. The following factors are key here:
1. Use punchy, straight-to-the-point copy. Provide clear, direct instructions for your audience with CTAs such as ‘Buy now’, ‘Shop’, and ‘Download now’. Simple, but very effective.
2. Provide reassurance. If your CTA is asking potential customers to ‘sign up today’, or ‘buy now’, let them know that they can ‘cancel anytime’, or that ‘returns are free’ within the CTA copy.
3. The CTA must stand out in your email. One way of doing this is by leaving plenty of space around the CTA and by using consistent visuals in line with your landing page.
4. Trial, test, review. The best way to identify what works for your company is to trial ideas, monitor audience responses and review results over time. This enables you to compare the effectiveness of your strategies and set goals for the future.
Well written copy is essential in order to generate clicks. Keep the needs, desires and motivations of your audience in mind and you’ll soon see increases in your click rates and working with a copywriting agency will ensure this is possible.
Keen to start making your mark online?
WooContent is a copywriting agency that can provide you with engaging and effective content, tailored to your needs – get in touch today to find out more.