How To Do Effective Email Copywriting
Email marketing remains one of the most effective marketing methods available to businesses nowadays. However, there are multiple components to a successful email. One is of course the written content in the email. Unfortunately, many companies do not know the foundations of effective email copywriting.
When an individual opens your email, you only have a few seconds to grab and keep their attention. Design plays a crucial role in this. However, the writing of the email is also imperative. When undertaken effectively, email copywriting can increase the number of clicks through to your website and ultimately, increase enquiries and sales. Many companies outsource this process to a specialist marketing company as they may not have the staff in-house to do this kind of work.
In this post we will give you some tips on what you can do to improve your email copywriting. As a full marketing agency that regularly undertakes email marketing for both ourselves and our clients, we understand the importance of effective copywriting and how it can impact a campaign.
An Effective Subject Line
In a previous post, we go into subject lines and their impact in greater detail. The very first thing someone will see when an email lands in their inbox is the subject line. This plays a pivotal role in an individual’s decision to either open or delete an email. Therefore, your subject line needs to pack a punch. It must encourage the reader to want to find out more. A good way to accomplish this is to ask a question in the subject line. The reader will automatically answer this in their head. This shows they are already engaged with the email. It is very likely that they will then open the email.
However, there are certain things you should also avoid in a subject line. Using all caps or too many exclamation marks for example is unprofessional and results reflect this. While creating urgency is good, you shouldn’t shout it in the face of your readers.
Also, your subject line must always relate to the content of the email. To lure people in with a fantastic subject line that actually has nothing to do with the email will create distrust with your business. People will see you as spam and will refrain from opening your emails in the future.
Address the Reader in your Email
When someone opens an email from your business, they want to feel as if the company is speaking to them personally. They want to know how your company is going to improve their business or their lives. Therefore, using words such as ‘your business’, ‘increase your sales’, ‘reduce your bills’ etc. makes the reader think that the email is for them specifically. Merely writing a message outlining the benefits of a product/service without stating how it helps the reader is not effective. You would essentially just be broadcasting a list. The wording is crucial as it can trigger emotions and encourage action.
It may seem simple but we find that when the message is personalised like this, clicks are higher as the email focus is on the reader and how your business can meet their specific needs.
Length of the Email Copywriting
As we mention above, an email only has a few seconds to get the attention of the reader. When someone opens your email, they will scan through it quickly to determine if it is something of interest to them. One thing you should therefore not do is make it too long. A quick scan showing a lot of text will not grab the attention of the reader. It is unlikely that they will stay on the email, let alone click through onto your website. Too much text can be a chore for some to read through.
Effective email copywriting is to the point, outlines the benefits of your product/service and includes calls to actions that encourage the reader to take it to the next stage. The reader can instantly see why they should buy from your company. If they wish to go through to your website or get in touch, they can then obtain additional information or have any queries answered.
Make every word count. Every word in the email should be there for a specific purpose. Cut out any waffle. You don’t have a large window to get attention and keep it so every word needs to be there to drive action and create buzz. The more detailed information can be on your website or you can discuss it with the individual if they phone in.
Calls To Action (CTA)
A well structured email marketing campaign encourages the reader to click through onto your company website. This may be onto a product page, contact page or even blog articles that your content writers have produced. Whatever the aim of the campaign is, your email copywriting must both suit this purpose and have CTAs in the design. These are words, buttons, pictures etc that are linked to your website. They encourage the reader to take it to the next stage.
CTAs create a sense of urgency. They can be about a sale ending soon or offering more information about the product on the website. Not only does this prompt immediate action, but it also leads to more sales. Without CTAs, there is no urgency and the reader will just close your email and potentially not even give it a second thought.
Summary
Email marketing can be a highly lucrative marketing method for businesses. However, many components such as the copywriting must be professional and to a high quality to help facilitate this.
Impact Marketing have been providing both business and consumer email marketing services for our clients for many years. We understand how to make your email stand out in the inbox of your prospects. Furthermore, we have a team in house who can handle all aspects of the email design including the copywriting.
If you would like more information about this or any other marketing services we offer, get in touch today and a member of the team will be happy to advise further.