Marketing Magic

Email- You Already Have An App For That!

Email, Love It Or Hate It. But It Was and Still Is The Original Killer App!

In my opinion the power of email marketing is and always will be the “killer app” of the Internet. Personally, I’ve witnessed some incredible results from my own and many of my client’s email marketing campaigns:

Email Works!

Here are a couple of little-known factors to achieving results like this in your own email marketing campaigns. I call it the “one-two knockout punch”!

The first thing you have to realize is what I’m about to share has been around way before the Internet. I didn’t think of it, invent it, or even improve it, I’ve just successfully “borrowed” it! The simple truth is that people don’t change and if you understand human psychology you can make lots and lots of money online. The old ways of selling through words still remains the same.

Job One

Your first job is to get your email opened. Now, I’m going to make an assumption here; that you are only using your own customer list, I don’t have enough room here to tell why you should – so please just trust me.

Now, according to eMarketer.com, Americans get an average of 15.2 email messages a day and that number continues to rise. That means unless your e-mail’s subject line is compelling – your message will wind up in the trash faster than you can blink!

One of the best ways to create a persuasive subject line is to incorporate curiosity. Here are a few examples of powerful subject lines:

Hi ! … just checking in …

, I’m finally spilling my guts…

, Jamie here(your first name!), I goofed…

, what do you think?

, Oh no, you didn’t

, please open this before 7:15 PM

When you receive something like this in your email box, it’s very hard not to take a peek and open it up. Remember this is very important, your subject line is like the lead flare and BOOM at the beginning of a fireworks show! Is only job is to get your email opened.

Side note: Every part of your email has to have a job to do and the body of your email is no different. I had great success once just sending out a small ‘teaser’ in the email and then directing them to a web site for full details and then close the sale.

Now What?

Once you got your prospect to open the email, you had better grab their attention and keep them reading. Frankly, the absolute best way in the world I know is to use a story.

From the ancient times to current day – stories continue to hold readers and listeners spellbound. There is nothing better than a good story. It works almost like magic. You can give people information and motivate using stories without having the barriers that come up normally. This is a seldom used copywriting technique that work wonders in email.

Here are a few examples I’ve successfully used:

* * *

Hi Jamie,

I stumbled across something unusual recently….

And as a valued subscriber I wanted to let you know about it.

A few months ago I met a man named John Smyth at a seminar, who graciously offered me his material to review.

I smiled and politely thanked him but I knew that I probably wouldn’t get around to reading it anytime soon. (You should see my stack of reading material to get to and I’m actually a quick reader.)

But as luck would have it, I was going away on my honeymoon one week after this seminar and I decided to bring some ‘lighter’ reading along.

Honestly, I can’t remember the last time I read a book that didn’t deal with the subject of marketing or advertising, but once I started reading John’s material on the airplane and I couldn’t put it down.

It was simply incredible!

(copy continues)…

* * *

* * *
Hi Jamie,

Last month I was sitting on a plane on my way to speak at an Internet marketing seminar. Instead of catching up on my reading, I struck up a conversation with my neighbor. He told me he had just graduated college with a marketing degree.

I hesitated for a second, not knowing if I should tell him what I really thought, but I went ahead anyway…

I confided in him that I had also graduated with a BS in marketing, actually a top 25 business school, but that I
*never* learned anything useful in my marketing classes.

He was stunned.

I went on to tell him there was just *one* critical skill (something I never learned from any stodgy professor) that has been responsible for the majority of my success, both online and off.

I know this might seem hard to believe, but it’s true and I have proven it time and time again. As I’ve grown and built several successful web sites, plus my offline businesses, I have always relied on this *one* critical skill.

And do you want to know what I told him it was?

It’s simple….

(copy continues)…

* * *

By simply using this age-old proven “one-two knockout punch”, just illustrated, you’ll see your next email campaign produce incredible results.

                                                                                                                                                                                                            To your success- Jamie Siracusa

20 Ideas To Make 2011 an Amazing Success

This blog post by Jamie Siracusa, is more of a "White Paper" and Business Marketing guide. Jamie discusses how South Jersey, Atlantic City, and Cape May businesses can create sales growth and great success in the new year. Free prints at The Business Excellence Center, Egg Harbor Twp. NJ 08234

Read more...

Do Facebook Fan Pages Really Work? Will Yours?

This article from Pendent is exactly what I have been preaching to many local South Jersey businesses at our local seminars and workshops. Many businesses are boring and not suitable for Facebook, but may be perfect for LinkedIn or Slideshare.- Jamie Siracusa, BEC

Read more...