This morning, I had 37 ads in my inbox. For some, that’s a relatively light number. Like many people, I got on my smartphone and began to skim the subject lines quickly, and after a quick review, I decided about 35 out of the 37 were better off in the trash. But there were two of them whose copy was compelling enough that I actually read them. One, I actually clicked the link and explored the company’s website.

What made the winners stand out? What made the losers fall?

When we create email marketing campaigns for our clients, we are fully aware of two things.

1- The average person is overloaded with ads on an hourly basis.

2 – On a good day, the average person has an attention span of fewer than twenty seconds.

These two factors must be taken into consideration when you’re creating email marketing. To ensure you cater to your reader, you must have the following concepts in place.

A “once in a lifetime” subject.  Like I said, we’re constantly barraged with prompts to buy, buy, buy. If we listened to every single one, we would be broke by noon. Make sure your subject line has the ability to stand out. Make the copy pack a punch. Don’t just present deals without some personality.

Short (and I mean SHORT) copy.  No one will be willing to read very much about your promotion. If it’s a newsletter, keep it brief and to the point. If you’re repurposing an article, cut it down to a fraction of the size. There’s no room or time for long-winded lectures in an email.

A powerful call to action. Once your copy gets your reader excited, they need to jump in deeper. Make sure there is a call to action, whether it’s a link, a prompt to contact, or a form to fill out. The email should be the first step in a conversion, conversation, or purchase.

Powerful imagery. Just like on social media, people need visuals to maintain focus on your message. Create imagery that is faithful to your pre-existing branding complimentary of your message.

Personalized and specific messages. The best email marketing makes the reader question if it was written specifically for them. Variable data software will allow you to enter a customer’s name and other information into the copy of the message. But most importantly, you should study who your customer is and what would make them be compelled to read an email from their brands.

Email marketing is an integral element of an online marketing strategy. It helps your customers stay in contact with your brand and be informed about updates, sales, and opportunities to save. However, to be specific, you need to tackle it exactly right for your audience.

Does your company have a less-than-stellar email marketing campaign? Maybe it doesn’t have one at all? Contact us today! Our team can help you hit your target.