In the world of an email copywriter Let’s talk about, Lies, Damn Lies and Statistics. Or why people don’t open emails, what we can do about it and is it worth all the hassle?
Later on you can challenge me to do The Terribly Tricky Tickle Test™
But let’s begin by looking at lies.
I wonder, have you noticed that the world has changed?
Not so long ago, pretty much any email you sent out got opened and read.
But, I’m afraid that this simply isn’t true anymore.
People are now bombarded with over 5000 marketing messages a day, hey people have only so much attention to go around you know.
So because of that, some say that “Email is DEAD” in big bold letters and rejoice in their proclamation.
Which also isn’t true. (a Damn Lie).
Email is very much alive and kicking, and kicking hard.
So, that’s a contradiction, surely. What’s going on?
The Direct marketing association discovered that the marketing channel with the highest ROI was in fact Email.
Hm, I wondered why email was the highest.
Of all the channels that are available today, why was Email the most effective?
As an email copywriter I’m intimately interested in human behaviour. Why do people do what they do?
I discovered the simple reason email is the most effective is that it’s perceived by users as being more serious. And a copywriter can talk DIRECTLY to a person.
You can talk about their wants, needs and desires in email. (very important).
And that will get your email open rates climbing.
It follows then that if your email open rates are climbing then your email click throughs and sales should increase also.
You see, People don’t go on Facebook or instagram to look for serious stuff, they go on there for fun.
So, they have a different hat. They’re looking for a little light relief from their day and to look at pictures of fluffy kittens.
And when they look at their email they are prepared to be a little more serious.
Of course, they still want entertainment.
This is where the copywriting phrase ‘infotainment’ comes from and it’s especially important in email.
We give them information in the email, but in an entertaining way.
In a way that has them looking forward to your next email and with them eager to open it as soon as it arrives.
Don’t believe me?
Ok, here’s an example email
In May 2018 a Ukrainian Journalist, Arkady Babchenko, was assassinated, and 20 hours later marched into a press conference about it.
At the time, photos appeared everywhere showing the Journalist lying prostrate and looking very dead, in a pool of blood.
Shockwaves reverberated around the world and cries of ‘state collusion’ were bandied about in the press. With lots of finger pointing. Mainly at Russia and in particular the Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The governments of several prominent countries went on record showing their concern. Speculation was rife that it was somehow linked to the poisoning of Sergi and Yulia Skripal in the UK.
You see, Babchenko was known to be a highly outspoken critic of Mr Putin and he along with several other journalists were already in fear of their lives.
So, you can imagine everyone’s surprise when 20 hours after his brutal murder Babchenko appears at a press conference about his so called assassination.
Eh?
What’s this all about?
Well, it was not as it might have seemed, obviously, Babchenko turning up all talking and breathing like that when a few hours before he was supposedly in the morgue.
No, this, my friend was a classic sting.
You see the man hired to DO the assassination turned the job in. Gave it over to the secret service before anything happened, the entire Babchenko assassination thing was staged. A set-up.
I expect you’re still with me in being baffled by all this, why? why would these events even happen.
Let me ask you. how do you discover the names on a secret hitlist?
Well that’s what they were after and Babchenko used a devastatingly effective persuasion tactic to pull it off.
The simple reason is that they wanted the ‘hitlist’. They wanted the ringleaders to reveal themselves. But this first job was the clincher, do this one successfully and we’ll give you the rest of the list kind of thing. And that one persuasion tactic really made all the difference.
They got the list and ended up with the names of 47 ‘targets’. Who were offered state protection after they arrested the ringleader.
I reveal more about this tactic on page 12 of this month’s newsletter.
It reveals the effective persuasion tactic that Babchenko used to hoodwink the Russians. And shows you how you can include it into your marketing.
For more information go here… [email link]
You want to know the answer to that don’t you?
That’s an example of an email designed to entertain and intrigue someone into moving further into a client’s offering.
In this particular email we wanted them to take out a newsletter subscription.
Please note: I might take a different copywriting approach with your email material, depends.
An email copywriter trained in direct response understands the necessity of getting someone to respond to your marketing.
If they don’t respond, how do you know what is working. and the internet, particularly email is perfect engage that kind of marketing power.
So, we have to do EVERYTHING we can and work really hard to make those emails really get through to them and get them moving.
This applies when you are copywriting:
- Email Newsletters.
- Cold Email.
- B2B Email.
- Trickle Marketing Email.
- Autoresponder Emails.
And there are more, it’s vitally important for a copywriter to use these powerful tactics in all those kinds of email.
Serious not serious tickletastic.
Now, if you have got this far then you’re probably at least considering hiring me to write your email, but of course I recognise that, from your point of view it’s risky.
That’s why I came up with the Terribly Tricky Tickle Test where you can test my copywriting to try and improve a piece that isn’t working for you.
You can find out all about that and contact me here.
Finally, you should know that my primary concern is getting that result for you, no matter what it takes.