5 Email Newsletter Strategies For Keeping Your Readers Interested And Engaged
“Hello! How are you doing on this lovely day? Can we be of any help to you? It would be a pleasure to serve you.”
That’s how you would expect a normal conversation to go the first time a customer comes to your business premises.
“Check out our new set of furniture ranging from wooden to metallic, with different styling and affordable prices, custom made for you!”
And that is how you would expect a one-sided promotional conversation to go.
We’re pretty sure you’ve fallen victim to this from time to time.
Unfortunately, this is the kind of language most people end up using in their marketing emails.
It stands to reason that after encountering hundreds of these, you probably wouldn’t subscribe again to receive such mail. In fact, you’d probably take it a step further and unsubscribe from your current subscriptions or just send them all to your junk mail!
Unfortunately, most businesses make this mistake—minimizing the impact of their promotional strategies, in particularly emailing.
We’re going to go over 5 strategies you can use to keep your readers interested and engaged. Read on to learn more.
Where Do We Go Wrong?
In a research done by SiriusDecisions in a 2013 summit, up to 70% of content used in b2b marketing departments remains unused. As if that’s not enough, close to 28% of members who attended the summit admitted to still being in the ‘Dark Ages’ in regards to their content process.
In another study, 84% of customers reported having an ‘average’ experience during their last customer service encounter. Expectations were not exceeded.
These studies are just a small representation of the thousands of businesses that fall prey to the same fate.
You stand to wonder, what goes wrong when writing content for the purpose of marketing?
Fully mastering the concepts of content writing could go a long way to building and monetizing your email list and achieving organizational goals. It also assures you of an additional sale each time you mail, as your customers become addicted to what you have to say.
Knowing that, we can dive right in and take a look at 5 major ways you can rebrand your emails and make sure they are not sent to junk.
How You Can Fix It
1. Create a Connection
How do the best ground sales marketers make it to success? They form a relationship with the clients.
You need to speak directly to the audience as you would speak to a close friend, with the intention of helping them improve their lives.
This isn’t as hard as it sounds.
Imagine talking to your best friend. You can tape a picture of them to your computer to remind you.
Start off the conversation on a light note. A simple phrase like “Howdy, (first name). Girl, I have amazing news for you.” could be a great way to create attention right from the start.
Since you are building relationships, you need to show them your persona. Don’t use your stern business voice, as they are not corporates.
Try to evoke emotion from time to time. Empathetic content shows the reader that you are a normal person and are easily relatable.
What's more, it really gets into their heads and sparks some nerves. Check out this example:
“We have all reached a point in our lives when we wanted to be heard. Perhaps, the only way to be heard was through opening up a blog. However, with time, you realize you’re not getting the attention you had expected and you end up feeling dejected, especially after a long time. I remember how it used to be like writing blogs on end and being the only reader on my official website. It’s diminishing at the very least.”
There, the writer put themselves in the reader's shoes and illustrated that they are on the same page. They weren’t bossy at all, but one gets the notion that they have finally experienced their breakthrough.
This leaves the audience open for suggestions, since this is exactly the position they are in. And that is where you want them to be.
The following could help bring out empathy from your own reader(s):
- If I were in your shoes, I’d feel the same way.
- I hear you.
- I’ve been there.
- So you want to be (link a certain relatable desire here), who wouldn’t?
- Just imagine…
The list of grease-slide words that you could use to add life to your content is endless. So find them and play around with them in your writing.
2. Kick Off on a High Note
Your subject line should grab your reader’s interest right from the get-go.
It’s estimated that 47% of your recipients will access your mail based on the subject line used, whereas 68% report it as spam based on the same grounds!
Your subject line could be controversial or even a question that they just cannot ignore. But you need to maintain that same note throughout the article if you want the whole thing read.
A recent Matt Hack discussed the importance of subject lines and how you can use them to increase conversion—you can read more about it here.
Another trick is to add color by being more descriptive with your product line.
Description allows one to form a clear mental picture of exactly what you are communicating with words without even having to add a single photo.
Instead of saying: "We offer high-density mattresses in different sizes and colors at a great price."
You could say: "Tired of waking up with discomfort and back pain day in and day out? Want to light up your bedroom experience with a mattress that will last? Worry no more! Available in an array of colors, our high-density mattresses…"
Catching the flow? We’re sure you are!
The visual provokes the perception, forming the sensual.
Add pictures here and there. Where appropriate, throw in an emoji or two that matches the content.
You can link a video, which normally gets more views than mere writing.
Just make sure you’ve given them the reason to watch it. The juicier your detailing, the thirstier your audience will become.
All in all, keep up the high note you started with.
3. Be Enticing
People are always attracted by things they cannot get or never thought they’d be able to access.
One major question to ask yourself before anything is: what more can your audience derive from your email? Is it just the same stories days on end?
Wait, did we just say stories?
History has always been passed through stories. Stories are sure to be there in ages to come.
Great and amazing stories attract a large audience.
If you can make this work to your advantage, then do it.
You can relate anything from your own personal history to traditional tales. Just remember—good research will go a long way.
Sometimes, all you need is a simple story, even a common one, which you will refine and present in a different way to suit your business purpose.
For example, you could use the story of The Lady or The Tiger to show conflicting moments of trust and the decision you made. You could also use the same to show how you decided to trust your employee/client when in a tricky situation and how it rewarded you in the end.
You do not have to complicate it here.
In as much as stories work, having something extra to leave your audience with works just as well if not better.
It could be a discount coupon, an ebook that they are sure to pay for elsewhere or even white papers.
A credible offer that leaves your audience salivating will always keep them coming back for more. Include this once in a while!
4. Sales Jargon – Code Red!
Remember, we said your email should be a conversation with the recipient.
Sales jargon, usually referred to as corporate talk, no longer has the appeal that it had several years ago.
What’s more, your customer only gets the impression that you’re interested in their pockets—a turn off for anyone in their right mind.
Connecting means making them feel special; basing your talk on your recipient rather than all you have to give. It shows that you care and are genuinely concerned.
Consider the following examples:
Obviously, the ones in the second column have more appeal than those in the first. See how easy and impressive it is?
So quit listening to the lots of enthusiasts whose only aim is making more sales and increasing revenues – the ones who always go for the corporate talk.
Even if it’s worked for them, don’t assume it will for you. Isn’t it better to learn from others’ experiences than witness your own failure?
5. Be Experimental
Most times, it is impossible to know what will work for you until you experiment.
It is no wonder they say ‘Experience is the best teacher!’ If you feel that you’re being too repetitive with your mail, go out, travel, visit new places, and view how different businesses and competitors conduct business.
You just never know until you actually do!
You are an entrepreneur after all – that includes being innovative and inventive.
Conclusion
So far so good! Here are some final thoughts.
For explosive emails that will keep your readers hungering for more:
- Bring out your readers’ emotions and connect on a personal level forming a relationship.
- Have an amazing start from the subject line and keep this awesomeness to the end by being descriptive. Add visuals that are pleasing to the eye.
- Have offers and stories that get your readers’ eyes popping.
- Avoid using sales language and instead use a friendly tone. Remember that it is a conversation.
- Don’t be limited to what you can and cannot do! Go out and see what others are doing and how it’s working for them.
Have you used any of these tactics? What other ways do you supercharge your emails?
Share your thoughts in the comment box.
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Author’s Bio: Lori Wade is a content writer who is active in a wide range of spheres from education and digital marketing to entrepreneurship. She is also an aspiring tutor striving to bring education to another level like we all do. If you are interested in her writing, you can find her on Twitter or Google+. Take Lori’s useful insights!
