Did you know the average person receives around 100 emails per day? Add to that all the pictures, videos, and articles your audience consumes. You’re competing with all that content every day for your subscriber’s attention. Don’t be discouraged. Email marketing is still a powerful tool for your business (generating around $36 for every $1 spent). However, if you want to get the most out of it, you need to make sure you are generating content that is good so you’ll keep your audience’s attention and drive action. But, what makes email content good? In this article, we will be breaking down the aspects of good email content with the help of Carrie Linder, a digital copywriter with 15 years of email experience, and Daniela Lopez, a talented designer with a background in architecture and experience in email marketing design.
Good email content is relevant
According to Google, 80% of people are more open to advertising or branded content when the content is relevant to them. Relevancy is not only determined by how close to the user’s interests your content is. Content is also relevant when it’s approachable, personalized, and relatable.
Personalization is no longer a nice touch on your marketing strategy. It should be the norm. Consumers are constantly looking for personal connection points, so it’s our job as marketers to tailor our email content to provide those.
Carrie Linder, Head of Copy at an email marketing agency, explains that a good place to start is with personalized subject lines, short, punchy body copy, and content that is tailored and relevant. Start small and build up from there. Even the tiniest detail can open an opportunity to connect with your subscribers.
Connection is not only achieved through copy but also visuals. Picking imagery that reflects your audience’s age, ethnicity, and gender will always work wonders.
According to our design expert, Daniela Lopez, diversity doesn’t need to be the main point of your email for it to play a key role. Moreover, normalizing the representation of diverse communities as a component of the creative process implies you won’t have to think about it daily. It will occur organically.
Relevant email content starts with understanding what your subscribers want and then delivering content that meets their needs. Make sure it’s targeted to one distinct audience.
Don’t waste time and resources sending the same email campaign to everyone on your list every time. Instead, segment your subscribers based on their age, gender, location, interests, behavior, etc., and group them into different lists and segments. This way you can send tailored and relevant content to each segment.
Good email content is intellectually and sensorially stimulating
Consumers appreciate content that introduces them to new stuff, even when it’s branded content. This sort of content ranges from educational series to product reviews, case studies, testimonials, etc. However, it can also be about the brand’s and audiences’ stands and how they connect.
Carrie, our very own copy wiz, shares a valuable insight on a new marketing era: “We have entered a time when customers are more than just buyers. They are conscious consumers who use their wallets to vote for brands whose values and ethics resonate with their own”.
Being purpose-driven isn’t just a moral value, it makes perfect business sense too. Let’s look at some facts and stats:
- 63% of global consumers prefer purchasing products and services from purpose-driven brands.
- 70% of consumers are more likely to recommend brands that support a good cause.
This type of purpose-driven content is especially important if you are marketing to Gen Z audiences, which are very aware of social issues and value transparency.
No, when talking about sensorial stimulation, we need to be familiar with the consent of “visual storytelling”. Visual Storytelling is the art of communicating messages, emotions, narratives, and information through images in a way that reaches viewers on a deep and lasting level.
This sort of storytelling is essential for marketing because the human brain processes images faster than text. In fact, 93% of all our communication is visual.
According to Daniela, visual storytelling isn’t just about the images. Visuals should cultivate a clear, consistent narrative from your brand that your audience is able to understand. Little details like signature colors, good use of white space, a well-thought text-to-image ratio, etc., can make all the difference.
A non-appealing, overcrowded, and confusing design can negatively impact your customer’s experience. So when designing, make sure you have clean, clear, and consistent graphics that drive people to engage with your email.
Your visual presentation can not only grab the attention of your audience, but it can be as powerful as helping people decide the genuity of your brand and if it’s worth buying from it.
Good email content is emotional
“We are living in an age of unprecedented digital connectivity. Despite this constant communication and accessibility, we are paradoxically dealing with growing issues of detachment and disconnectedness” – Carrie Linder, Head of Copy at Hustler Marketing.
Every single day we produce 2.5 quintillion bytes of data. Consumers are bombarded with endless options of content. But there are only some that can actually create connection, very much needed by this era’s consumers.
According to Carrie, people are looking for brands that are able to reach beyond the veil and strike the cord between technology and compassion, because that is where the most powerful customer experiences lie.
Consumers are in need of connection. They want to relate to your content, and a great way to achieve this is through humor.
Carrie’s philosophy when introducing humor into her copy follows what Marilyn Monroe once said: “If you can make a woman laugh, you can make her do anything”. Well, with a tiny adjustment, these words can translate into a golden rule in email marketing “If you can make a customer laugh, you can make them do anything”.
However, remember that humor needs to align with your brand identity. It needs to reflect what your brand is all about and it needs to be handled with authenticity. If you can get it right: humor lowers defenses, is human, and makes your brand more memorable.
Good email content is specific and consistent
Your email marketing strategy needs to have a clear message that is consistent across multiple potential customer touchpoints.
Your brand is a single story unfolding across multiple customer touchpoints. Carrie highlights the importance of making sure you are always delivering the same message, in the same voice.
Start by creating well-constructed and well-maintained copy guidelines to help increase your brand recognition and stand out amongst a sea of competitors. Then once you’ve found your unique brand tone of voice – use it. Presenting a brand consistently across all platforms can increase revenue by up to 23%.
Each of your emails needs to have a specific goal. While your brand is consistent through all platforms, each email can have a different goal. The important thing is to define it. Whether you want to drive traffic, improve customer retention, or increase sales, it’s important to define it and craft your email content accordingly.
Look back into your email marketing strategy. Is your content relevant, intellectually and sensorially stimulating, emotional, consistent, and specific? If not, you may leave much value on the table.
Want to let an experienced email marketing agency take a look?
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