The Persuasive Art Of Email
Email is old school.
Or is it?
Worldwide, there are roughly 2.6 billion daily email users. And more than 4.3 billion email accounts. With 1.7 email accounts per user, email is definitely still relevant. More so, when you want to communicate to those in business.
Here’s how to use email persuasively and effectively:
Begin with a killer subject line
- Your subject line is crucial. That’s what draws your reader in.
- Lead with something strong, such as “What your competitor doesn’t know” or “Pay off your student loan in half the time” – called a Gain
- Pain headlines work well, too, i.e., “Say this, but never this,” or “The one word that kills a sale,” to absolutely draw readers.
- It’s human nature to want to know pain and gain secrets and inside information. Pique your readers’ curiosity.
- Keep it short and sweet (or search engines will truncate it for you.)
- Make your subject line handheld display-friendly. Smaller devices show between 6 – 10 words, so the ideal subject line is between 4 and 7 words (50 characters max).
Then satisfy that curiosity. Almost.
Keep your information short and crisp. Show your knowledge but don’t tip your hand. It’s a delicate balance.
Dangle bits of information and use key words and phrases consistent with your targeted market segment.
Promise more information by motivating them toward next steps. “Click here to find out 5 more ways to drive your best customer away,” is a good tactic.
Communicating scarcity or quick action still works to compel readers to click (or act). However, if you overuse this tactic, your readers will quickly become immune to it.
Show your email recipient you know something about them
People want to feel special. The more personalized your email is, the better. This means you need to segment out your email list. But that time and energy generally pays off.
If you are targeting Boomers, make sure you are speaking their language. Ditto for Millennials, restaurant managers, small business owners, or recent college grads with huge student loans. The more personal, the better.
Humor works
So does using the unexpected in a new way. “How to break all the rules and still beat your savviest competitor,” is a great example of that. Be irreverent and have fun. You’ll come across as a company that will be fun to work with. And who wouldn’t want that?