Successful campaigns fundamentally rely on just 2 things:
- Something to say – the message
- Someone to listen – the audience
It’s really that simple? Yes, but I never said it was easy.
“So what makes a good message?”
First and foremost you need an understanding of who the message is being written for. Without this you face the biggest pitfall when writing effective emails:
Trying to tell people what you want to say and not what they want to hear.
More than any other medium, online users have incredible control over what, where, when and how they read. If what you’re saying isn’t what your target audience wants to listen to then it just won’t be read.
Know Your Customers
Without knowing who your potential customers are and what they’re looking for you can’t hope to communicate effectively.
Who exactly is in your target market? How can it be best segmented and targeted? What messaging do different segments respond best to? Are you missing opportunities?
Wants not needs
Results don’t come from bombarding inboxes with a list of features and benefits. What does your target market need? Sure, get across that your business will meet needs, but focus on engaging your audience and making sure you’re answering the more crucial “what do they want?”.
Your customers should know that you're meeting their needs:
- Functionality and reliability — doing the job well
- Price and performance — providing serious value
- Convenience and compatibility — all help and no hassle
- Empathy and fairness — you're a business to trust
- Transparency — the customer is always in the know
- Support — you've got their back
