I’m sure you, like me, get a few emails from various marketers delivered to your inbox every day. Memberships, promotions, etc. Well, as my kids are in the medium term, once again I managed to find 10 free minutes today to go through all my emails that I filed in a folder for ‘later’.
It was only while I was going through the process of opening them all, that I realized that I did not treat all of them the same. Not all emails are the same, unfortunately!
Who they were from and how long they had been on a list would determine how to read the email, or not, as the case may be. In fact, I can be quite schizophrenic when dealing with emails from lists that I am signed up for.
This led me to think a bit about how me subscribers read me emails …
I mean that each of my email subscribers will interpret my email message in their own way … what is important to me may not be important to one or more of my subscribers that day.
Of course, we all have bad days or often very limited time to open and read emails. When your email arrives at the same time your kids are having a meltdown and crying loudly, your dog just threw up on the corner and your wife announces there’s no milk for breakfast, are you going to read someone’s emails? besides your mother? Not likely … click and delete!
I have been questioning some of my internet marketing colleagues and combined with my own email reading habits, I have created a list of 7 types of email readers, which can give you some great ideas when sending emails to your own subscribers.
The scanner – This person will actually open the email and “read” it, whether you call to scan from point to point or glance quickly through your email, looking for something dramatic to stop your scanning eye, the actual “reading”.
Bulleted main points, framed as insightful questions that pique your curiosity, might slow down your scan a bit. This particular “reader” wants a general idea of your content and wants it quickly. When you’re done with your email, read the bulleted points to see if they tell the story of your message on their own. If not, check them to get them to do so.
Multitasking – This reader will never focus on the only task in front of him, like his email. Your Blackberry, or other mobile toy, is practically glued to your hand and your email message will be sandwiched between several tasks that demand your attention at the same time.
Curiosity is your main weapon here once again. Play with the subject of your email until it asks you a fascinating question. Don’t be afraid to get a little quirky. You want to stop multitasking and have your reader put aside their shopping list and endless “To Do” reminders and focus on your message. It is not an easy task.
Once you get a subject line that makes multitasking stop and think, “What?” and keep up with your actual message, add bullets that keep the curiosity you stimulated with your subject line.
If you run out of ideas, find another multitasker, like a two-year-old, and ask simple questions about your topic to see which ones grab your attention. Use the resources where you find them!
The bookworm – This person will read your message and take the time to consider what you have to say, even to the point of investigating the validity of your key points. Don’t muddy your message with nonsensical statements. Google is this reader’s best friend.
Adding a link or two at the bottom of your email that leads to additional valid source materials for your key points will be perceived as “added value” to this curious and insightful reader.
The detective – This reader examines all aspects of your subject line, looking for clues that uncover the subject of your message and examines your opinion of you, the sender. If, after all that, they are interested in what they think you are going to say, they will open your email. If not … click and delete!
The way to get The Detective’s attention is to create subject lines that inspire curiosity, but don’t reveal your entire message before your email is opened.
The graphics lover – HTML text and graphics that take advantage of the display qualities of this format will make many audiences and readers used to reading sales pages with their burning fonts, glowing arrows, and other attention-grabbing techniques.
However, other readers may not be thrilled to read all of your “enhancements” to get to the message and will simply click and delete before reading what you have to say. Some who use mobile readers may not even receive your email, if the HTML scripts are blocked or not a format that your device will accept. Be careful with this technique.
The examiner – This person will remind the tax collector and his habit of saving whatever interests him to use against him later. The examiner will not only save everything to your hard drive or in email folders so they can read it later, but it will also analyze every claim you make for blatant publicity.
Don’t deliver your message with the hype that reminds The Examiner of those frenzied used car salesmen who populate late night television, or internet marketers who promise $ 10,000 income for 10 minutes of work a week …
The command of the computer chair – This could be your perfect subscriber … the one who wants to open your emails and read them. This reader will take the time to research your content or offer by following your links and analyzing the validity of your statements. If they agree with your premise or can find something useful or interesting about your product or service, they will respond to your call to action … which is to click the “Buy Now” button.
If you can empathize with your subscribers and their email habits, you will be better able to create messages that engage their thinking when they open your emails. If you are confident about the makeup of your list, try asking them what they like or want in the email notices you send out. Use those responses to format your future email campaigns and watch your conversion rates increase.
What kind of reader are you? Go ahead, I dare you to confess !!