Attention! 7 Emails That Break Through to Customers
November 2011
By The Author
It’s the most daunting challenge facing any email marketer: how do you make sure your message gets noticed among the flood of emails your customers are inundated with every day?
The answer is certainly not to bombard them with a daily barrage of communication in hopes that the odds of probability will work in your favor.
Instead, you must get strategic. When you send an email to your customers, make it count. Be creative. Be thoughtful. Be inventive. Be different.
Here are seven types of emails that are guaranteed to make your customers take notice:
The Name-Dropper
Hitch your wagon to the brightest star around. Namely, if you’ve got a hot brand or a hot commodity sitting on your shelves, make sure your customers know it’s there.
Everyone knows that J.Crew sells polo shirts, suits and khaki pants. What probably doesn’t spring to mind when you hear the name J. Crew is accessories for high-tech gadgets.
However this email promoting their exclusive line of the ultra-trendy DODO brand cases will certainly catch the eye of their iPad-toting customers.
The Deep Cuts
What products or services do you offer that many of your customers might not be aware of?
In the case of Bed, Bath & Beyond, the “Beyond” apparently includes bed and bath accessories for pets. Who knew?
Showcasing your lesser-known but highly desirable lines is a great way to get your customers to look at your brand again with fresh eyes.
The Ultra-Utilitarian
Even in today’s age of information overload, a really good tip or a truly valuable piece of wisdom is still a rarity that won’t go unnoticed or unappreciated.
Make over your bathroom for under $100? What budget-conscious homeowner wouldn’t find those suggestion ultra-useful?
Think about the ideas and insights that you – as an expert in your field – have that your customers would value. Choose one and shape it into a concise, powerful email. Hit send.
The Attainable Fantasy
Emails like these look like a page torn from a magazine. Rather than just offering a laundry list of new products, they present an enticing example of how all of those products can be used together in the real world, whether it’s to create a fresh new outfit to wear to the office or a perfectly coordinated summer party worthy of Martha Stewart herself.
The Heartstring-Tugger
Another email about clothes? Ho hum.
An email about adopting homeless animals? Now that’s how you get attention.
Find a cause that’s near and dear to the hearts of those that belong to your tribe. Form a partnership and create events together that drive customers into your store, whether you collect used books for a literacy program, let customers donate their used jeans in exchange for a discount or give a percentage of your sales for the day to a local food bank.
The Exclusive Invitation
No one wants to feel like they’re missing out on something special. Offer a one-time discount, a special boutique or a private event exclusive to your email list, and they won’t be able to resist at least taking a peek to see what it’s all about.
The Personal Touch
Marketing emails tend to be inherently impersonal by nature. No one’s kidding themselves that your message isn’t being broadcast to hundreds or thousands of other addresses.
But if you can find the opportunity to develop a more personalized email – whether in the form of tailored product recommendations, a customer service outreach or even a birthday greeting – by all means, do it. It may require a bit more engineering to execute, but the impact is well worth the investment.
Great authors are defined by their ability to set fire to the written word. All too often in today's digital information age, that creative spark is stifled, leaving the Web littered with content that is lifeless and ineffectual. Fame Foundry's Author has made it his mission to revive the act of writing as an art form, harnessing the power of language to command attention and ignite a following. It's the difference between telling a story and building a legend.