Your boss sends you an assignment to write an email about your new BOGO sale. You sit down and write a great email with solid copy you think is sure to convert. You give it an enticing subject line, include top-notch graphics, and send it to your most engaged customers.
But it doesn’t convert the way you thought. In fact, the click-through rate is way lower than usual. What happened?
You forgot a vital part of any successful marketing email. A goal. A single action you want your subscribers to take.
A goal? You scoff. Of course, you gave it a goal- making you money. But while that’s a good business goal, it’s not what I’m talking about in this article.
So, put on your learning hats because we’re looking at an often overlooked tactic for successful marketing emails.
Give Subscribers One Action Per Email
What do I mean by one action?
Let’s go back to the email from the introduction. You focused on the sale you’re running, of course. But along the way, you also showcase your latest products and ask people to follow you on social media, where you’re running a giveaway.
Those are all great email topics. But each one needs to be a separate email.
Why?
The more actions you ask your subscribers to take in a single email, the less likely they are to do any of them. Instead, give your email a single focus with a single CTA, leaving readers no doubt about what you want them to do.
If you ask people to shop your sale, check out your latest products, and enter your giveaway, they’ll get confused about what they should do. Confused people don’t shop your sale or check out new arrivals. They delete your email without clicking a single button.
Imagine, instead, you wrote the email only about your sweet BOGO sale. You showcase some bestselling products they can get with the deal, but it’s clear there’s only one action required. Click the “Shop the Sale” button.
Your subscriber reads the email, sees a product they’ve been eyeing, and decides to buy. Your click-through rate skyrockets, as does your sales. All because you made it clear what action subscribers should take.
Single Action Email Examples
Let’s look at a few real-world examples of emails that do and don’t use this tactic, taken straight from my inbox. Notice how the emails that use it are more precise and focused, while the ones that don’t are all over the place.
Good: Spotify
This email from Spotify is to promote Fall Out Boy’s latest record. It includes one button- “Buy the Vinyl”. This email leaves readers with no question of what they should do, so they add the record to their carts. (It’s also a great example of segmentation, but that’s a topic for another post.)
Bad: Vivian of Holloway
When this email landed in my inbox, the subject line caught my attention by mentioning Oppenheimer, a buzz topic at the time. But when I opened it, I had to scroll past an advertisement for an event before I reached the dress mentioned in the subject line. Below are ads for their 70% off summer sale, new arrivals, and social links. There’s no flow or clear indication of what action they want me to take.
Good: She Reads Truth
This email informed me that She Reads Truth was about to drop limited edition merch, and as a subscriber, I’d get special early access. It gives me plenty of information about the drop but only includes one link encouraging me to add the date to my calendar.
Bad: Etsy
At a glance, this email might look like its goal is to inform subscribers about their new registry feature. But it actually has three different CTAs. One to try out the feature, one to read a blog post about it, and one to enter their registry sweepstakes. Which one is most important? I don’t know.
Creating Focused Emails
By now, you can see creating emails with a single action to take is vital to see success with your campaigns. So, we’ll finish this post with some tips for that.
#1: Decide the action you want subscribers to take
You can’t write an email focused on a single action to take if you don’t have one in mind. Before you write a word, decide the action and write it at the top of your page.
#2: Create your CTA
I find writing emails easier if I’ve already decided on the exact call to action. Before I write the email, I create a few options for specific CTAs to guide me during the next step.
#3: Write the email
Now it’s time to write. If you find yourself tempted to include something besides your one action, delete it. Or keep it in a separate document as an idea for future emails.
#4: Clarify further
With the email written, it’s time to edit. Make sure everything is clear and focused on the action you want subscribers to take, from the subject line to the P.S. at the end.
#5: Track your success
Once you’ve sent the email, check your metrics to see how well you did. Are subscribers still confused and not taking action? What can you tweak to make the email even more focused?
With this simple email marketing tip, you’ll create easy-to-read emails that convert. Your marketing campaigns are about to see success like never before.
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