Soliciting the attention of strangers is never easy, especially when trying to do so via email. Without a face or a physical voice to associate with an email, recipients often feel unmotivated to deal with the mass of marketing and promotions that land in their inbox. One or two emails are alright for a quick skim… but when we get a lot of these at once, it can quickly feel like we’re in the middle of a shouting match between all the different marketers – all of whom are eager to get their hands on our attention and business. If you’re one such marketer, how could you make your content more approachable for your audience? Join Wordsmith and let’s find out!
Watch your enthusiasm
If Mr. Krabs put Squidward in charge of marketing, the Krusty Krab would be finished (much to the delight of Squidward) – anytime we come across something that is soulless and emotionless, we feel little incentive to find out more.
However, the reverse also holds true. If Spongebob were in charge of marketing, he’d be up in the face of every passerby with stacks upon stacks of flyers, air horns and rainbow confetti. Too much enthusiasm is not only off-putting, but it can also easily be interpreted as aggression and will dissuade audiences.
According to Inc.com columnist Alison Green, a simple warm opening and sign-off are all you really need to convey the appropriate amount of enthusiasm. Examples include:
· Openers:
Hello! | Hi [first name], | Good afternoon Mr. [last name]
· Closers:
Thank you for your consideration | Thanks for your time | Hope to hear from you soon
Do be careful about using exclamation marks, as they are best when used sparingly (like during introductions or to emphasise a special point). Instead, consider using heavier hitting vocabulary that elicit an emotional response, like so:
· Plain:
interested | sale | limited time
· More impactful:
excited | bargain | ends tomorrow
Context matters!
The goal of any marketing email is to get our audience to do something – to build hype about an upcoming product, to inform them about a sale, to warn them that their membership is expiring and so forth.
While this message should always be your priority, the manner in how you present it matters. A flat call-to-action can get the job done, but readers may also interpret snappiness as being demanding. In such cases, a bit of context and explanation makes all the difference. Consider the following:
· Without context:
We need your help now.
· With context:
We need your help now to reduce plastic waste in the community.
· Without context:
Sign up today!
· With context:
Sign up today for the latest scoops and sales offers!
Mind your manners
Across life, a “please” and a “thank you” can go a long way. The same is especially applicable online.
Everyone wants to feel respected, but marketers who are in too much of a hurry may neglect their manners. Again, this creates the illusion of the marketer making demands of their audience – and even if that isn’t usually the case – it’s enough to dissuade some audiences from engaging with their content.
“Relationships matter,” explains Green. “So even if [writing pleasantries] did take slightly longer, it would still be worth it because people aren’t robots and the way the feel about you and about their work is actually important!”
The way you phrase something also matters. In some cases, ending on a question instead of a statement can do wonders. It’s a little psychological technique that gives your audience the sense of control. Let’s try an example:
· Without pleasantries nor question:
Jane, your subscription to Chocoholics Anonymous is expiring in 30 days. Extend your subscription today!
· With pleasantries and question:
Hello Jane, please note that your subscription to Chocoholics Anonymous is expiring in 30 days. Would you like to extend your subscription today?
With this trick, they feel like they are free respond to your offer at their leisure – whereas without the question, it’ll feel like you’re putting them on the spot. You can’t assume everyone is immediately decisive. By offering to let people sleep on an idea, you’re also being more mindful towards your less decisive audiences.
Even outside of email marketing, being nice in your emails is a good idea in general:
· Without pleasantries:
Ronald, send me those quarterly sales reports by the end of the day.
· With pleasantries:
Hey Ronald, please send me those quarterly sales reports by the end of the day, thanks.
If you were Ronald and received both messages at the same time, which would you be more inclined to work on first? Most definitely the second message!
“This might not be immediately intuitive to you if you don’t value work relationships that way, but you may just need to take it on faith that other people do, and that showing them warmth and respect in ways they recognise actually gets better work results in the long-run,” Green adds.
You don’t always need to be a social guru to get people to open up to you. Treat your recipients like actual people instead of sales targets and you’ll naturally attract higher engagement rates. Don’t forget, courtesy and manners DO matter in email marketing!