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Cara McDonald and Sarah Norden of the Copywriting team at DEG Digital will give a presentation called "Get it Write." We're excited to hear their tips and best practices gained from working on top brands such as Timberland, Lee Jeans, Three Dog Bakery, The Salvation Army and more!
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Get it Write: Email Copywriting
Best Practices and Trends
Cara McDonald & Sarah Norden, DEG Copywriters
ET Communities, November 2013
Email Marketing Goals
Open
• From Line• Subject Line• Preheader Text
Engage
• Email Body
Act• CTA Button
Consumers receive an average of 44 emails a day,
25% of which are permission-based
commercial messages.
Source: ExactTarget, http://www.in.gov/visitindiana/techcorner/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/SFF2_EmailXFactor.pdf
How do we,
as copywriters,
cut through
the clutter?
Where Your Reader Looks
Preheader Text
Headline
Primary Message
Call-to-Action
From Name.
Subject Line.
Secondary Message
FOLD LINE
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Open
• From Line• Subject Line• Preheader Text
Engage
• Email Body
Act• CTA Button
Open
• From Line• Subject Line• Preheader Text
Engage
• Email Body
Act• CTA Button
Subject Lines
Your subject line’s purpose is to attract their attention (without
abusing their trust) and entice them to open the email.
You aren’t selling anything (yet).
Subject Line Best Practices:
Short (<35 characters)
First two words optimized
Descriptive
Give reason to explore message further
Be clear over creative
50 characters is acceptable.
42 is OK.
35 (or fewer) is best.
35 or Fewer Characters Over 35 Characters0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
24.02%
16.93%
Average Open Rate
Keep it Short
Source: MarketingSherpa
The first two words are crucial.
The first two words are crucial
Get answers for your tax questions. (Commerce Bank)
Repin to win (Copious)
Three ways to make their heart pitter patter (Three Dog Bakery)
You + Boots… a classic love story (Country Outfitter)
The first two words are crucial
Get answers for your tax questions. (Commerce Bank)
Repin to win (Copious)
Three ways to make their heart pitter patter (Three Dog Bakery)
You + Boots… a classic love story (Country Outfitter)
Clarity > Creativity
Clarity > Creativity
CREATIVE– Wrapp, Freestyle (Send the Trend)
CLEAR– Get wrapped up in these scarves
CREATIVE– Hoppy Easter - Limited Edition Easter Treats Are
Here (LUSH)
CLEAR– Fill Their Easter Baskets with Bath Treats
Clarity > Creativity
CREATIVE– So Fresh, So Clean – Colorblock Totes & Prints
for Spring
CLEAR– Colorblock Totes & Prints for Spring
Clarity > Creativity
Make them want
to explore.
NO NEED TO EXPLORE– BRGR celebrates 3 Years with $3 Burgers on
Sunday 2-5 pm (BRGR)
– 4 Days Only: 25% Off NESPRESSO Machines (Fab)
– SALE: 20% off EVERYTHING. 3 Days Left! (+$25 Credit for Orders $150+) (Fab)
Make Them Want to Explore
Urgency– 25% off. 48 hours. Go. (Madewell)
– Last Chance: Break Up or Make Up? (scrapbook.com)
Curiosity – At work? Don't open this email. (J. Crew Factory)
– Going… going… (Lee Jeans)
Make Them Want to Explore
Make Them Want to Explore
Question– What’s in your nature? Join the discussion. (Cabela’s)
– Can you keep a secret? (Lee Jeans)
News– A New Blog from The Land of Nod (Land of Nod)
– BIG. NEWS. (REALLY.) (Madewell)
How to– How to keep your social fresh and flowing with
templates (Wildfire)
Tactics Worth Testing:
Localization
Special characters
One-word subject lines
all lowercase subject lines
Words that Trigger Spam Filters:
Free Percent off / % off Closeout Help Reminder
SHOUTY CAPITALS Extensive use of
punctuation!!! → Excessive use of
special ♥ characters
Tactics that Trigger Spam Filters:
Preheader
Open
• From Line• Subject Line• Preheader Text
Engage
• Email Body
Act• CTA Button
Where Your Reader Looks
Preheader Text
Headline
Primary Message
Call-to-Action
From Name.
Subject Line.
Secondary Message
FOLD LINE
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
The preheader text’s purpose is to continue the subject line’s message and
support the primary
call-to-action.
Why Preheader
Text Matters Appears in
preview pane Image blocking Huge role in
mobile
Preheader Text
Preheader Text Best Practices Can be longer (100 characters) Could stand on its own Don’t be cute
Preheader Text
Email Body
Open
• From Line• Subject Line• Preheader Text
Engage
• Email Body
Act• CTA Button
Where Your Reader Looks
Preheader Text
Headline
Primary Message
Call-to-Action
From Name.
Subject Line.
Secondary Message
FOLD LINE
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Talk about benefits, not features.
People don’t read.
Make it scan-friendly.
Does it provide value to the recipient?– Is it going to add more knowledge to my
subscriber?– Is it going to solve their most pressing problems?– It is worth the time reading?
Can I scan it in 3-4 seconds? Do I understand benefits, rather than just
features?
Email Body Copywriting Checklist
Alt Tag Tactics
People don’t read.
And sometimes, they really can’t read.
Alt Tags Best Practices Write alt tags for every image in the email Alt tags should convey the primary message
Open
• From Line• Subject Line• Preheader Text
Engage
• Email Body
Act• CTA Button
Source: http://litmus.com/blog/designing-the-perfect-call-to-action Source: Litmus, https://litmus.com/blog/designing-the-perfect-call-to-action
Don’t be generic.
Open
• From Line• Subject Line• Preheader Text
Engage
• Email Body
Act• CTA Button
Industry Trends
Mystery Sale
Mystery Sale
Special Characters in the Subject Line
Onomatopoeia/Exclamation in Subject Lines
Text Only
Exclusivity
Corresponding Messaging Across Touchpoints
Corresponding Messaging Across Touchpoints
Social Callouts
Social Callouts
Value-added Content
Value-added Content
Value-added Content
Product Attributes (Retail)
Product Attributes (Retail)
Real-time Marketing
Email Copywriting Checklist
Email Copywriting Checklist
From Line Is it a company or a company department?
(i.e. DEG Support, DEG Rewards, etc.)
Subject Line Is it fewer than 35 characters? Are the first two words optimized? Is it descriptive?
Preheader Text Is it fewer than 100 characters? Does it support the Subject Line and primary call-to-action? Could it stand alone? Is it cute? (It shouldn’t be.)
Email Copywriting Checklist
Email Body Does it provide value to the recipient?
– Is it going to add more knowledge to my subscriber?– Is it going to solve their most pressing problems?– It is worth the time reading?
Can I scan it in 3-4 seconds? Do I understand benefits, rather than just features? Does each image have an alt tag? Do the alt tags convey the primary message?
CTA Buttons Does it answer “what?” “why?” and “when?” in seconds? Is it generic? (It shouldn’t be.)
Email Copywriting Checklist
Educational Resources
Sharpen Your Tools Copyblogger.com Copypress.com Nielsen.com ET Swipe File (Pinterest) DEGDigital.com/blog Subscribe to emails!
Thank you! Cara McDonald & Sarah Norden, DEG Copywriters
Resources
Resources
• Email Client Market Share: http://emailclientmarketshare.com/
• Litmus Email + Mobile: https://litmus.com/blog/webinar-email-mobile
• Email on Mobile Devices: http://mailchimp.com/resources/guides/email-on-mobile-devices/
• Responsive & Scalable Email Design: https://litmus.com/blog/responsive-scalable-email-design-whats-the-difference
• Responsive Email Design Guide: http://www.campaignmonitor.com/guides/mobile/
• Responsive Email Patterns: http://briangraves.github.com/ResponsiveEmailPatterns/
• Connections 2012 Design for All Inboxes: https://litmus.com/blog/connections-2012-key-takeaway-design-for-all-inboxes
• Guide to CSS in Email: http://www.campaignmonitor.com/css/
• Is responsive email design really worth it?: http://www.campaignmonitor.com/blog/post/3856/is-responsive-email-design-really-worth-it