Do you struggle to get through to your readers via email marketing and checking the stats of a campaign makes you less and less motivated? Many business owners face similar obstacles and assume email marketing is not for them.
It is true that today inboxes are overflown by spam emails and people delete them without even looking at the subject field. So what can YOU do to ensure your readers look forward to your emails, keep opening and reading them?
By the end of this article you'll understand some of the best ways to keep your audience engaged and eventually be able to sell to them.
By the end of this article you'll understand some of the best ways to keep your audience engaged and eventually be able to sell to them.
How to get your audience to look forward to receiving your emails?
1. Keep it personal. Address your email to that ONE person rather than to all your subscribers and use the word “you”.
Example:
Hi [First Name],
I wrote a new article for you!
This one is called [title of blog post with link to the full post]
[Intro paragraph from blog post]
[Link to the full post.]
I hope this helps,
[signature]
Hi [First Name],
I wrote a new article for you!
This one is called [title of blog post with link to the full post]
[Intro paragraph from blog post]
[Link to the full post.]
I hope this helps,
[signature]
2. Be genuinely helpful. Don’t only write when you need something. Find out what their struggle is and offer your help like a real friend to build trust.
Example:
Run a regular newsletter (weekly, bi-weekly) with useful tips and topics relevant to your readers. Ask them to tell you what their biggest challenge was that week and reflect on the most popular ones in the next edition.
Run a regular newsletter (weekly, bi-weekly) with useful tips and topics relevant to your readers. Ask them to tell you what their biggest challenge was that week and reflect on the most popular ones in the next edition.
3. Find a way to reward them for reading your emails. It can be a useful tip, an inspiring story or a message to make them feel better about themselves.
Example:
Tell them a story about one of your client’s struggle and how s/he managed to overcome that then highlight how they can overcome their struggles too. Include freebies, like a recipe or a useful lifestyle tip.
Tell them a story about one of your client’s struggle and how s/he managed to overcome that then highlight how they can overcome their struggles too. Include freebies, like a recipe or a useful lifestyle tip.
How to grab your subscribers’ attention so they open the emails?
4. Use power words in the subject line. Smartblogger compiled a list of “317 Power Words That’ll Instantly Make You a Better Writer” in an article. You can find expressions for different moods and actions so you can choose words to match the topic of your email.
Example:
If the majority of your readers would be interested in tips on how to lose weight: “3 Guilt-Free Foods You Can Eat and Still Lose Weight!” or "7 Reasons for Saving Your Life by Losing Weight!"
If the majority of your readers would be interested in tips on how to lose weight: “3 Guilt-Free Foods You Can Eat and Still Lose Weight!” or "7 Reasons for Saving Your Life by Losing Weight!"
5. Keep the subject line simple and straightforward. The subject line is a promise, half of a contract. The other half is the content, so the subject line should set the correct expectations in the reader.
Example:
If the email is about a blog post, use the title of that post in the subject, you can also add a tag so they know it’ll be just that, e.g. “[NEW BLOG] 3 Guilt-Free Foods You Can Eat and Still Lose Weight”. Then make sure the content delivers what you promised.
If the email is about a blog post, use the title of that post in the subject, you can also add a tag so they know it’ll be just that, e.g. “[NEW BLOG] 3 Guilt-Free Foods You Can Eat and Still Lose Weight”. Then make sure the content delivers what you promised.
6. Learn from the masters. Subscribe to the email lists of people you respect and admire and observe how they do it. Rest assured you’ll pick up a few strategies.
Example:
Names like Joe Wicks and Shaun T are big in fat loss and have huge following whether you like them or not. One thing is for sure, their marketing works. Find who your prospect clients and readers are listening to, sign up to their newsletters or opt-in for their free resources and observe how they run their campaigns.
Names like Joe Wicks and Shaun T are big in fat loss and have huge following whether you like them or not. One thing is for sure, their marketing works. Find who your prospect clients and readers are listening to, sign up to their newsletters or opt-in for their free resources and observe how they run their campaigns.
How to keep your audience engaged for the whole length of the email?
7. Keep it short. This is a no brainer. Time is precious and everybody wants to cut to the chase. Forget the fluff, keep it sharp and to the point.
Example:
In a newsletter with multiple topics stick to headlines and one-two sentence-long intro for each to grab the attention of the reader then use link(s) to direct traffic to your website or an online version of the newsletter. Keep your spam score low though, don’t use too many links in the same email!
In a newsletter with multiple topics stick to headlines and one-two sentence-long intro for each to grab the attention of the reader then use link(s) to direct traffic to your website or an online version of the newsletter. Keep your spam score low though, don’t use too many links in the same email!
8. Ask questions. Conversations are based on questions and answers. Take it that you are having a chat with people.
Example:
After telling a brief inspirational story of one of your clients feel free to ask: “How can you relate to [client first name]’s story? What is that one thing in your life right now that stops you from progressing towards your goal? Feel free to hit reply and let me know so I can point you to the right direction.”
After telling a brief inspirational story of one of your clients feel free to ask: “How can you relate to [client first name]’s story? What is that one thing in your life right now that stops you from progressing towards your goal? Feel free to hit reply and let me know so I can point you to the right direction.”
9. Let your personality shine. Use words and expressions only you would use so they feel they are talking to you directly.
Example:
If you use certain expressions, repeated words, slang, even mild swear words unique to you in your day-to-day interaction with your clients to help put a message across, then feel free to keep to that tone as long as you are sure it won’t come out wrong when they read it.
If you use certain expressions, repeated words, slang, even mild swear words unique to you in your day-to-day interaction with your clients to help put a message across, then feel free to keep to that tone as long as you are sure it won’t come out wrong when they read it.
How to achieve a high click-through rate?
10. Don’t try to sell before the prospect is ready to buy. Inbound Marketing and the Buyer Journey is all about that. Check out the Making Sales course on the iPT Academy to give you some insight.
You offer them your product when they have made up their mind.
You offer them your product when they have made up their mind.
Example:
Use opt-in options in your emails to find out where your readers are in their buyers journey before making an offer. If you want to promote “Online PT” packages in the near future, you can “warm-up” your audience by including a free downloadable in your newsletter for a few weeks, like “7 Benefits of Hiring an Online Trainer” chart. People who download that are interested in online training services already so you can specifically target those people with the offer later.
Use opt-in options in your emails to find out where your readers are in their buyers journey before making an offer. If you want to promote “Online PT” packages in the near future, you can “warm-up” your audience by including a free downloadable in your newsletter for a few weeks, like “7 Benefits of Hiring an Online Trainer” chart. People who download that are interested in online training services already so you can specifically target those people with the offer later.
11. Sell benefits, not products! People are not interested in “12 PT Session” packages, they are interested in losing 10lbs or being able to do a pull-up. Show them the benefits.
Example:
You’d like to gain new clients to join your group classes. Your current service description says something along the lines of “For only £45 per month you get access to unlimited number of group sessions and you have 12 sessions per week to choose from.”
Instead you can say: “For only £45 per month you can join any of our 12 sessions in the week as many times as you’d like to train mean, have a good laugh with like-minded people and shed some weight.”
You’d like to gain new clients to join your group classes. Your current service description says something along the lines of “For only £45 per month you get access to unlimited number of group sessions and you have 12 sessions per week to choose from.”
Instead you can say: “For only £45 per month you can join any of our 12 sessions in the week as many times as you’d like to train mean, have a good laugh with like-minded people and shed some weight.”
12. Become a storyteller. Interesting stories that will lead readers’ attention to your sales message can work well, especially if they can relate to them.
Example (based on real-life story from a PT):
You are planning to introduce a new hybrid (in-person and online) coaching service, but you have no data on whether there’s a demand for it yet. In the meantime the circumstances of one of your clients all of a sudden change and the 2x weekly PT sessions don’t serve her as well anymore. However she realises she needs you for accountability, planning and a peace of mind. After reviewing her goals, training options and other factors you agree to 1x week in person session with lifestyle and nutrition planning and coaching.
You can use this story to tell your readers that it’s OK that priorities in life change sometimes and there’s always a way to review and restructure one’s life, stay committed to the fitness goals and receive the support they need. Make sure it's a real story and is relevant to your services.
You are planning to introduce a new hybrid (in-person and online) coaching service, but you have no data on whether there’s a demand for it yet. In the meantime the circumstances of one of your clients all of a sudden change and the 2x weekly PT sessions don’t serve her as well anymore. However she realises she needs you for accountability, planning and a peace of mind. After reviewing her goals, training options and other factors you agree to 1x week in person session with lifestyle and nutrition planning and coaching.
You can use this story to tell your readers that it’s OK that priorities in life change sometimes and there’s always a way to review and restructure one’s life, stay committed to the fitness goals and receive the support they need. Make sure it's a real story and is relevant to your services.
13. Have a very clear call to action. Let your readers know what you expect them to do next and what the benefit of that action will be.
Example:
Following up on the example from #12 you can finish that email:
“If you feel like you could also benefit from having someone to have your back and guide you towards achieving your goals, help you plan your activities and coach through the steps of creating new sustainable habits whilst working out at your level, hit the reply to this email to arrange a commitment-free phone consultation and find out more about my hybrid coaching services.”
Following up on the example from #12 you can finish that email:
“If you feel like you could also benefit from having someone to have your back and guide you towards achieving your goals, help you plan your activities and coach through the steps of creating new sustainable habits whilst working out at your level, hit the reply to this email to arrange a commitment-free phone consultation and find out more about my hybrid coaching services.”
Summing it up
Even though many emails are deleted before being read or don’t even land in the inbox, there are ways to ensure members of your audience are anticipating your emails, you just need to handle email marketing as a form of talking to your readers not as a business chore.
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