There's
nothing that comes close to its power in online
marketing.
In
fact, many of the most critical elements of eBusiness
are tied to it: joint ventures, newsletter publishing,
automated follow-up, article distribution, free
reports, autoresponder messages and eCourses,
networking... the list could go on and on.
Of
course, I am referring to EMAIL MARKETING. It
is impossible to be successful online without
some form of marketing via email.
Nothing
else can boost your business like a good list
and an understanding of how to use it.
You
can *literally* send a mailing in the morning
and earn several thousand dollars by the end of
the day with email marketing.
What
I want to share with you in today’s lesson
is how to increase your email marketing leads,
sales and profits. So, let's get at it...
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Develop an attention-grabbing subject line.
Russell
Crowe would have never won an Academy Award for
Gladiator if no one had watched the movie. Britney
Spears wouldn't have gone quadruple platinum with
her latest CD if no one listened to her music.
And
you ain't gonna earn a single penny in profits
from your email marketing if folks don't read
the message you send.
It’s
one thing to send an email out to 50,000 prospects,
it’s another thing to get any of them to
read it.
And
whether or not you need to start writing your
Oscar acceptance speech depends upon how well
you craft the "subject" line of your
email promotion message.
There
are three keys to writing subject lines that are
so compelling that the recipient is practically
forced to click and open your email.
1.
Personal. There is something both attention-grabbing
and exciting about seeing your name in the subject
line of an email.
For
one thing, we just love to see our own names.
Nothing grabs our attention quicker than something
that is specifically about us or for us.
And,
for another, personalization *typically* means
it isn't SPAM. While some spammers do have access
to databases with our names, for the most part
their lists are built by harvesting emails.
So,
when we see our name in the subject line, we immediately
are drawn to it...
"Jimmy,
here is the information you requested"
"Jimmy, I'd like to give you a free copy"
"Jimmy, did you forget about this?"
Almost
every good autoresponder or email distribution
system will have a “personalization”
feature that will allow you to automatically insert
your prospect’s name into your email messages
when sending your mailings. It works like this…
A.
Person joins your list through a subscription
form, which captures their name and email address.
B.
You insert a predetermined code (like ) that your
autoresponder or mailing system provides you,
into the email message.
C.
The system automatically converts that tag into
the actual recipient's name before delivering
the email.
Voila
– you’ve got personalized emails.
You can generally use these personalization features
in both your SUBJECT line of the email and the
BODY of the actual email message itself.
An
additional attention-grabbing feature to the 'ol
subject line is to TARGET your audience. Of course,
you will *always* want to send your emails to
a targeted audience. I.E. Don't send your Wrestling
email to a homemakers' list. :o)
For
example: I recently sent a mailing out to a smaller
list I have of folks who are interested in reprint
rights to products. I had made reprint rights
available to my new product, and I wanted to let
them know about the licenses. Here are some sample
subject lines that I might have used…
“New
reprint rights released today…”
“Reprint rights are available…”
“Sell this new product and keep every penny”
You
may receive 500 emails a day, but if you are interested
in reprint rights (and you would be, or you wouldn't
be on that list) then this particular subject
line is going to stand out when you download your
emails.
When
you combine personalization AND targeted audience,
then you have a very compelling subject line...
"Jimmy,
new reprint rights released today..."
"Jimmy, reprint rights are available..."
"Jimmy, sell this new product and keep every
penny"
That's
an email I'll read every time. :o)
2.
Powerful. Another key to writing an email subject
line that entices the reader to take a look at
your message is to use "power words."
A
"power word" is a word that appeals
to the senses. It's been shown over and over that
we do not buy based on logic, but rather on emotion.
Email marketing works on that same premise.
A
few "power words" include: Free, New,
Exclusive, Amazing, Fast, Results, Guaranteed,
Unlimited, Step-by-Step, Overnight, etc.
Etc.
means "and so on." Don't put "etc."
in your subject line. That's not a power word.
:o)
"Power
words" are strong motivators for reading
further. Why? Because they trigger our emotions.
They create curiosity. They are compelling.
So,
use them.
---
Sidebar ---
Since
I've mentioned something you SHOULD include in
your subject line, let me also mention something
that you SHOULD NOT use.
Avoid
two things like you avoid an angry rattlesnake...
hype and in-your-face symbols.
Don't
make outlandish claims like "Earn $50,000
overnight." If it isn't believable, then
folks will simply delete your email without ever
reading it.
And
for goodness sake, don't use "in-your-face"
symbols!!!!!!! No one reads *****URGENT*******
or (((((Read Now))))) or
@@@Newsflash@@@
Kind
of gets the same response as that obnoxious alarm
clock at five in the morning.
In
other words, it's a turn off! :o)
---
End of Sidebar ---
Another
“type” of power words is a DEADLINE:
24 hours only, next 3 days, only 5 will be accepted,
the first 10, etc.
Power
words, especially the word “FREE”
are particularly effective in getting people to
read your email. Combine a power word with a deadline
and you’ve got a winner.
3.
Promising. The third key is to present a desirable
result. Your subject line must make a promise.
It must inform the reader, in that split-second
that they view it, that there is something that
awaits them if they read your email.
And
that something must be desirable. It must be something
that the reader does not want to miss out on.
It must appeal to the emotions and pull the reader
to the edge of their seat like they were waiting
for the climax of a really good movie.
Your
subject line should create expectation.
Understand
this: folks don't buy products because they want
your product... they buy products because they
want the result of your product. We buy exercise
equipment because we want to look good. We buy
candy bars because we like the taste. And we visit
the dentist because we ate too many candy bars.
:o)
We
revolve around results. We work because we want
the paycheck. We drive our vehicles because we
want to get somewhere. We play golf because we
enjoy it. We are a results-driven society.
By
creating an email subject line that promises results
you create expectation. Look at the difference
between these two subject lines...
"Free
7-day eCourse released today..."
"Free 7-day eCourse you can obtain in 5 minutes..."
Both
have a power word. Both are fairly interesting.
But…
…which
one creates expectation? The second one makes
a promise... I can have it in 5 minutes!
This
is one of the biggest keys in email marketing,
and yet is often overlooked. It amazes me how
many ezine publishers, for example, have this
subject line...
"Bob's
Newsletter, Issue 212"
Whew,
hold me back. I can't wait to read that. :o)
Sure,
some folks will read it anyway -- especially if
you have a loyal readership who knows your stuff
is first rate.
But,
I don't care WHO you are, you will ALWAYS have
better results with a subject line that creates
expectation.
You
can apply these three keys, "Personal, Powerful
and Promising" to any form of email marketing
you use... autoresponders, newsletters, free reports,
solo mailings, joint venture offers, virtually
anything to do with email marketing.
Get
this right and it will be time to start working
on the 'ol Academy Awards acceptance speech for
your Best Email Oscar. :o)
.........................
Ready to learn more from Jimmy D. Brown about
getting your subscribers to open, read and act
upon the messages you send them? Then grab your
copy of Subject Line Secrets today by clicking
here. Not only will you find out which words
trigger your readers to click on your emails,
you will also get 20 proven templates you can
start using right away.
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