Email marketing is one of the most effective ways to generate leads, nurture relationships, and drive sales. But how do you write email sequences that persuade your subscribers to take action and buy from you? In this article, you'll learn six tips to create email sequences that increase sales, from crafting a compelling subject line to adding a clear call to action.
Before you write any email, you need to know who you're writing to and what they want. What are their pain points, goals, challenges, and desires? How can you help them solve their problems or achieve their outcomes? How can you show them that you understand them and that you're the best solution for them? Use these insights to segment your email list and tailor your messages to each group.
That's excellent advice. In addition, knowing their hidden motivations is vital. Why are they really buying? If you can address their core motivations, then write in a voice that really resonates with your audience, you'll be much closer to forming the long-term relationship that could drive sales for years.
Your subject line is the first thing your subscribers see in their inbox, and it determines whether they open your email or not. You want to write a subject line that grabs their attention, sparks their curiosity, and promises them value. Use power words, questions, numbers, or personalization to make your subject line stand out. Avoid spammy or misleading words, and keep it short and clear.
Shorter subject lines stand out, especially in mobile inboxes where screen space is limited. In a sea of lengthy subject lines, concise ones capture attention. While brevity is key, sparking curiosity is equally effective. Pairing short with curiosity-driven subject lines can be a winning combination. However, ensure not to resort to clickbait. While it might increase immediate opens, it erodes trust in the long run.
The subject line is arguably the most important sentence in your email. If it doesn't get opened, it doesn't get read. Not only does it have an impact on whether or not the recipient chooses to open it, it also influences spam filters, which can deny them even getting the chance to.
One of the most potent pairings in email marketing is the subject line and the preview text (also called the pre-header text). By creating a call-and-response between these elements, you can often squeeze a few more precious characters out of your email’s first impression with the recipient. If your subject line asks a question, tease the answer in your preview text. If your subject line makes a bold claim, reinforce it with the text that comes in the preview. The biggest waste of space is following a strong subject line with “I hope you don’t mind me reaching out again…” instead of the validation your emails need to get opened.
Once your subscribers open your email, you have a few seconds to hook them with a strong opening. You want to make them feel intrigued, engaged, and interested in reading more. You can do this by using a story, a statistic, a quote, a question, or a bold statement that relates to your subject line and your main message. Avoid boring or generic introductions, and get to the point quickly.
Try these 3 openings: 1/ Contrast This surprises the reader by presenting 2 contrasting ideas. It makes them curious. Example: “A very upset customer calls in, but by the time we hang up, they've picked our most expensive plan." 2/ Middle or end of a story Starting in the middle or end of a story makes the reader wonder what happened before. It's like giving them a puzzle to solve. Example: "I couldn't believe my eyes. The karate newbie just became champion." 3/ A recent big event everyone knows Linking to a recent event makes your content feel fresh and relevant. It's like chatting about today's news with a friend. Example: "Someone paid $28 million to go to space with Jeff Bezos. Was it a dream come true or just a pricey trip?"
The main body of your email should deliver value and benefits to your subscribers. You want to show them how your product or service can help them solve their problems or achieve their goals. You can do this by using testimonials, case studies, social proof, or demonstrations. Focus on the benefits and outcomes, not the features and details. Use clear and simple language, and break up your text with bullets, subheadings, and white space.
The most important part of your email sequence is the call to action. This is where you tell your subscribers what you want them to do next, whether it's to click a link, reply to your email, sign up for a webinar, or buy your product. You want to make your call to action clear, specific, and urgent. Use action verbs, buttons, or colors to make it stand out. Limit your call to action to one per email, and repeat it at the end.
The final tip to write email sequences that increase sales is to test and optimize them. You want to measure the performance of your email sequence and see what works and what doesn't. You can use tools like Google Analytics, Mailchimp, or Aweber to track metrics like open rates, click-through rates, conversions, and revenue. You can also use A/B testing to compare different versions of your subject lines, headlines, copy, or call to action. Based on the results, you can tweak and improve your email sequence over time.
To boost subscriber retention, don't always be selling. Many email marketing campaigns are nothing but a display ad string, sometimes thinly disguised. Deliver value and cultivate a relationship. That's where email really shines. Do they care about your emails arriving? Better still, do they eagerly look forward to them? If you can get there, your positioning battle is largely won. Sales will follow. Can you still ask for the sale on occasion? Of course, but if you've consistently delivered value, you often won't have to. When you do, your conversions will be much better.