If you subscribe to enough lists for enough years, then you will see all kinds of patterns and everything else in between. It is always easy to spot those list marketers who have essentially given up on their list. After a while the “great content” emails stop, and then once in a while a promotional email arrives from them. I always find that a little amusing, but it really highlights the fact that something in that person is amiss. If your list marketing is stumbling, then take heart because you can fix it with the right prescription. If you are in business to make money, then it only makes sense to pursue the problem and take steps to turn it around.
Here is a solid piece of advice that we often discuss about writing content, in general, and it applies to email content, too. If you ever wonder how you should write your email copy, or rather the style you should use, then look to your audience. I know someone who markets to a certain type of investor, and she discovered they like long emails. She explains they want to understand things, so there is a need to explain everything. When talking about investing, it is hard to do that and keep the email short. But after years of emailing to them, her long-winded emails work very well. As you are going along and working your business, you will learn new ways to promote your offers; so what you need to do is hypothetically apply them to what you do and see if it is viable. We do not have uses for some marketing strategies, but we do like Reverse Email Lookup in some of our own marketing funnels. The flip side of that coin is asking your self if you can benefit from expanding your marketing methods. But, we tend to believe the universal answer to the question of growth is, yes. Any business on or off the internet can benefit tremendously by expanding their marketing and advertising. Maybe you should evaluate your objectives if you have not ever done that, or set them if you have not done that, so you can discover where your thoughts are on the matter.
Email copy is exactly like sales copy in that you cannot afford to waste any words. We know that some marketers wrestle with the question of short or long email copy. But know this because it is true – people will read anything long if there is value in it. The same thing occurs with long articles, and long articles that are well-written, engaging and provide value will be read. One effective approach to writing email copy is to just write it all out. Then, you go back as many times as needed and revise, cut, and make it all air-tight.
While you’re composing these email masterpieces try to keep all of those rules about writing fantastic articles and content in your mind. You have the same copy devices available to you with your email copy even if you are using text only and not HTML format. For example, write your email copy so it can be easily skimmed and scanned. If appropriate, include bullet points and short lists of relevant points. Then you can expand on them afterward for added clarity and understanding. If you are using HTML format, then once in a while add something in bold for emphasis.
One important point about effective and successful emails concerns your relationship with your subscribers. You can depart from many standard conventions if they really like and value what you offer. Here is a great example, Matt Furey has been making millions on the net for many years. If you see his emails, you may never guess he is so successful. He typically writes very long emails with very short lines, but his readers, customers and fans absolutely love him. Furey is also considered one of the very best email copywriters who ever wrote an email to a list.