don't save the best until last
We recently read an interesting blog by Seth Godin, 'I'm sorry, we're out of time' that got us thinking.
In the blog Seth observes, "I often hear blowhards on the radio, wrecking the entire interview because they don't know how to call it quits when the host tells them they have thirty seconds to wrap up. They try to say one more thing, one more thing, one more thing and they get hung up on and the message is lost." He asks, "Do you save the most important part of the meeting for the end, when everyone is already standing?" The answer of course would be no.
This issue isn't just isolated to meetings or presentations however. It may seem like a good idea to have your exciting message as the final flourish to your email but what if your recipient doesn't have time to read the whole thing? And while it's logical to have your call to action at the bottom of your email or related article, what if your recipients get interrupted while reading it or (worst case scenario) lose interest before they get that far?
The conclusion? Sometimes it isn't best to save the best (or most important bit) until last.
To get the best results, below are a few things to consider when planning your email campaigns:
set your priorities
When planning your email campaigns work out out what's going to be the most important elements and put them first.
However don't just base this on the content you want to include, also consider your priorities based on what you want to achieve. This could be a message you want to convey (i.e. learn about our new products) or an action you want your recipients to take (i.e. download a brochure today). By prioritising based on what you want to achieve you should create a more focused email that'll help you reach your goals.
When it comes to prioritising content, it's important to consider your recipients priorities. What you consider to be the most important part of your campaign, may not be the key thing your recipients are interested in. The best way to engage your recipients is by including content that's interesting and relevant to them. For example, while you may be keen for them to learn more about your services, if you know they're more interested in industry news prioritise that. If it's relevant you can then look to integrate your priority message with the content they're interested in or feature it along side.
consider the fold
'Above the fold' is a term traditionally used for print media such as direct mail. Marketers will place the most important or appealing message, whether it be a catchy headline or a special offer, 'above the fold' (i.e. above the fold in the printed material when it's folded over) where it has greatest prominence. The same principle should be applied to your email campaigns.
When testing your email campaigns consider what's visible in a Preview Pane and what's visible on the opened email without having to scroll. If your key content isn't visible in these areas, you run the risk of them being overlooked by your recipients. A brief introduction or 'in this issue' at the beginning of your email's a great way of making sure your recipients don't miss a thing. Positioning your most exciting/appealing/interesting content 'above the fold' will help you achieve a higher open rate.
Positioning your call to action 'above the fold' can help it achieve prominence. By doing this and ensuring you have a clear, compelling call to action that's visible from the start you can help improve your open and click-through rates.
Don't forget it's not just the main body of your email you should consider. You can also utilise your subject line to give prominence to your key topic or call to action.
be succinct
Don't say more than you need to. If you do, you run the risk of your message being lost in the clutter or worse losing your recipients interest or attention before you get to your point.
If you have a lot to say, consider whether all of it needs to be said in a single campaign or if it can become part of a series. If it needs to be a single campaign, try to avoid making the email too long. Using landing pages and links is one way to help you reduce the length of your email.
If you want someone to do something, make it clear from the outset. For example, if you're promoting an event you want people to register for, it'd be tempting to put all the details of the event first, then ask your subscribers to register. However by including the call to action early on you can reduce the risk of the call to action being missed if your subscriber doesn't have time to read the whole message. A well crafted call to action can tell a subscriber what they need to do, why they should do it and when by. If you need some tips on creating a stronger call to action you can read our article on call to actions here.
In summary, while we hope all our subscribers will read our whole email, the reality is they won't always have the time or the inclination to do so. By making sure the most important part of your campaign is clear and visible from the start you can still achieve your goals, even if your subscriber doesn't get to the end.