This upcoming weekend, we’re watching parades, barbecuing, and taking blurry photos of fireworks to honor the day our founding fathers signed the Declaration of Independence.
But why not get started on your celebration early? While the standard 4th of July traditions have to wait until the weekend, you can start honoring one of the most important documents in American history now by fine tuning some important writing of your own–your emails.
While your email marketing campaign probably won’t be reprinted in middle school textbooks or preserved in the National Archives, there are still plenty of reasons to write your email copy with the careful precision of Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson–like the fact that 89 percent of marketers say that email is their primary channel for lead generation, or that 54 percent rate email as both the most effective type of digital marketing and the least difficult to execute.
So, what are you waiting for? Dust off your powdered wig, ink up your quill pen, and check out these four tips to make your next email campaign a little more explosive.
1. Light Its Fuse
You want your email subscribers to take action and convert when your email lands in their inbox–and time sensitivity should give them a push.
According to behavioral psychologists, urgency is one of the most effective ways to spurn action from consumers. Every element of your email can contribute to a sense of urgency. For example, try using phrases like “act now,” “today,” “deadline approaching,” or “limited time” in your subject line, so your reader will feel compelled to open the email.
Then, embed urgent language within your email copy–try setting a specific deadline, promoting a time-sensitive asset, or offering only a limited amount of complimentary assets. This triggers the reader’s loss aversion, or “FOMO”: the fear of losing or missing out on something potentially valuable.
And finally, your call to action verbs should give your reader one final nudge. Try using the active verb + urgent adverb formula (“download instantly” or “claim eBook now”) to do so.
2. Let It Sparkle
Make your emails shine brighter than the others in your potential customer’s inbox by adding eye-catching personal touches.
But don’t stop at simply adding <first name> to the subject line or body of your email–actually segment your email list according to your customer personas, and tailor your content to each group’s needs. You can also segment your emails by recipient location, ensuring that recipients around the world receive your emails at a time convenient for them.
However, the most successful email campaigns have proven to be those that use behavioral trigger emails to take personalization to the next level. Trigger emails are easily automated, and they can specifically call to a number of possible actions your client could take. Plus, trigger emails have a 152 percent higher open rate than traditional emails, making them one of the best B2B marketing strategies.
3. Make Some Noise
Expertly-written email copy can only get you so far if the asset you’re promoting is irrelevant, unimportant, or dull.
The best B2B marketing campaigns are creative. Instead of the usual whitepapers or eBooks, try taking things up a notch by linking to dynamic video assets. Thanks to the rise of digital storytelling, video is an increasingly popular way to diversify your content marketing and support your brand strategy.
Video can offer viewers an inside look at your company, explain how your brand is different from your competitors, or demonstrate concepts that would be difficult to understand on paper.
Plus, it’s hard to ignore the impressive statistics associated with video: according to recent studies, using the word “video” in an email subject line boosts email open rates by 19 percent and click-through rates by 65 percent, and reduces unsubscribes by 26 percent.
4. Go Red, White and Blue
B2B doesn’t need to be B&W–and since up to 90 percent of snap judgments are based on color alone, it’s safe to say that a splash of color could make a huge difference in your email’s success. While there is no one color that will guarantee you an increased click-through rate, color generally impacts how consumers perceive your company and interpret your brand personality (think the fun orange logo of HubSpot or the clean whiteness of Apple products and advertisements).
Color is also extremely important in the construction of your brand identity–so research the colors that your competitors use in their designs, and make sure yours is markedly different.
Key Takeaways
- Take advantage of your readers’ FOMO: making your emails time-sensitive can push email recipients to convert.
- Personalization can increase your email open rates by 152 percent, and behavioral triggered email campaigns are one of the most effective B2B marketing strategies.
- Video assets give your emails a voice, refresh your content, and offer consumers a fresh way of interacting with your brand.
- Color can help you project your brand personality and distinguish you from your competitors.
- 54 percent of marketers rate email as both the most effective type of digital marketing and the least difficult to execute–that’s a pretty good reason to make your email marketing campaign as attention-grabbing as a fireworks show.
