There is no fundamental difference between face to face selling and a marketing email. Sure, there is clever technology, email marketing templates and quick returns, but the basics are identical. It irritates me when I ‘fall for’ sales techniques in showrooms, but I comfort myself with the thought that I have that in common with the vast majority of the population.
If you get the basics right then there’s little that can go wrong. Everything else is fluff. All you need to to is think like a salesperson.
People are rather odd. They can maintain contradictory ideas in their heads. For instance, it is accepted that people make decisions emotionally. In other words, they will choose a product on intangibles. Logic has little to do with it.
However, they will try to justify their decision using the specifications. For instance, you might want to go to see a sporting event, such as the 6 Nations match between England and Wales. Seats are not cheap but the desire remains. You then work out that this might be the Grand Slam decider. All of a sudden the two-in-one aspect justifies the inordinately expensive seat.
Don’t knock it, it works for me.
If you walk into a car showroom the salesperson will know what one you like. They will then talk of low insurance, the myriad ways you have to pay for it and the low petrol consumption. You know what you want, the seller is giving you justification for your decision.
Your marketing email should show the recipient the product in a way that excites them straight from the off. That means the Subject Line and, when they open the email, a picture of it in all its glory. You will have segmented your email marketing list so you can pick just the right image that will press their button.
The text to the side should reinforce the message, not by describing the scene, if that what it is, as a picture paints a thousand works and 30 more will make little difference. If you are selling a camera, show a picture of someone, obviously a pro, who is using it. The text will describe how exciting their life will be once they buy that rather desirable model.
That is not quite enough on its own. Pick a feature of the camera where it leads the field and a little later put an image of, say, a beautiful butterfly (the only kind) in close up and then to the side mention the class leading macro facility, together with the 4K video ability and 1” sensor instead of your measly 2/3rds.
Emotion supported by facts.
The person wants the camera because it makes them feel good by having the latest in technology to boast about amongst friends. The increase in features, including the high standard of video, gives rational support to the decision.
It might seem too easy to be useful as a technique in email design. It is indeed fairly basic but, remarkably, it is far from the norm. Most marketing emails are a hotch potch of catchy words and phrases alongside attractive images, with little planning in evidence.
