Although emails have been around for a while, they still are one of the most effective marketing channels. In fact, for every $1 you spend on email marketing, you can expect to get $42 back.
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That’s because emails allow for more of a one-on-one conversation between businesses and their audiences. Consequently, emails feel more personal and can help establish a stronger connection with the readers. If done right, that is.
Without a doubt, psychology plays a crucial role in marketing.
After all, to grab attention and get your message across, you’ll need to think like your audience, speak like your audience, learn what makes it tick, and use that information to appear more relatable.
Emails are no exception. That said, let’s take a look at a few psychology hacks that will help you craft more effective email campaigns.
1. The Foot In The Door
If you were a salesman, would you ask a prospect to purchase your products right from the get-go, or ask for smaller requests first, like questioning them about which product they prefer better, and then come up with your offer?
That’s the foot-in-the-door technique. In short, this technique revolves around the idea that if people agree to perform small actions first, they will be more likely to fulfill the more significant request, which ultimately represents the goal you want to achieve.
So how can you use this in your email campaign?
Start by implementing the double opt-in. More specifically, once a user fills in the registration form on your website, send them a confirmation email. Although it may not seem like such a big deal, it prepares your subscribers to expect more emails from you.
Consequently, they’ll be more likely to open your emails once they receive them. From there, you could ask for another series of small requests, like integrating social sharing buttons within your emails and asking users to share your offer with their friends.
If they do it, you’re likely ready to step in and try to close a deal.
2. Personalization
As mentioned earlier, emails feel more personal than other marketing channels. But you won’t achieve this by sending the same emails to everyone. That’s where personalization comes in.
Start simple. Mention each customer’s name in the subject lines or pre-headers. This will help grab attention and make the recipients feel like the message is specifically dedicated to them. Consequently, they’ll be more likely to open the emails.
That’s not all, though. Also, consider micro-segmenting your audience. This is the process of dividing your audience into multiple groups based on particular criteria, like demographics, age, purchase behavior, interests, etc.
This will allow you to craft messages specifically catered to each group. Consequently, your emails will resonate better with multiple segments within your audience and increase the chances of getting them to convert.
But for that, you’ll need to gather data. Moreover, you’ll need a place to store that data and send personalized emails automatically. Tools like Campaign Monitor or Mailchimp will do the job. If you’re looking for discounts, DontPayFull.com has coupon codes for these platforms and more.
3. Simplicity
While we’re on the theme of resonating with your audience, keep things simple.
More specifically, watch your language. Although it might be tempting to use a few pompous terms to impress your readers and show off your professionalism, it may not work that well.
When writing emails, you’ll want to let readers know that you’re one of their peers. That’s what makes them relate to you and helps them establish a strong connection with your business.
Make sure that your emails correspond with your target audience’s everyday language.
Also, make it easy for readers to process the information and understand the meaning of your emails. This is also known as maintaining cognitive fluency.
In other words, focus on readability. Users need to find the information they are looking for right away, so you should keep your copy clear and use easy-to-read fonts. You could use bold to highlight crucial information.
4. Reciprocity
You scratch my back, and I’ll scratch yours. The same thing goes with email marketing.
To put it differently, avoid sending too many promotional emails to your readers and provide them with valuable information instead. This will help you appear less of a pushy salesman and more like a friend in your readers’ eyes.
Consequently, they’ll be more likely to do you a favor and purchase one of your products in return.
So how can you make that happen?
Freebies! You could give readers free access to a piece of downloadable content, like an e-book, or invite them to a webinar covering an important subject. You can even send them a video with a free website audit, a few business tips, or anything else they might find useful. But, don’t forget to add music to the video as songs will setup a mood, and transmit emotions more effectively.
You can also offer discount codes or how-to guides that address your audience’s common pain points. However, keep in mind that the higher the perceived value of what you offer is, the more your readers will return the favor.
5. The Decoy Effect
Suppose you’re at a fast-food restaurant and want to buy some fries.
The small portion costs $2, whereas the large fries will set you back $5. The small fries seem like a better deal, right?
But there’s also the medium fries, at $4. Now the large fries may seem like they’re worth the money.
That’s an example of the decoy effect. To put it differently, this is a cognitive bias where consumers can shift their preference between two options once an asymmetrical third option is introduced.
The third option is not designed to serve as the middle ground between the other two. In fact, it’s slightly superior to the cheapest option but significantly inferior to the more expensive one.
Consequently, consumers will opt for the pricier product. This strategy can come in handy when running a promotional email campaign or if you’re offering subscription-based services with various pricing plans.
Takeaways
Email marketing is an effective way to promote your products, foster strong relationships with your audience, and ultimately boost sales. But, with a bit of psychology mixed in, you can turn your email marketing strategy into a powerhouse.
First off, your email should resonate with your audience as much as possible.
Consider splitting your audience into multiple groups and creating smaller email campaigns dedicated explicitly to each segment. Also, try to appeal to your subscribers by using a similar vocabulary.
Secondly, make sure to ask for minor requests before trying to close a deal. In the meantime, you can also offer a few freebies to encourage customers to return the favor.
Lastly, the decoy effect is an effective strategy for persuading customers to purchase more expensive products. This strategy can also work when offering discounts.
