Email Marketing

The Psychology of Email Marketing

Email Marketing

You may think that email marketing is pretty straight forward, however really good email uses psychology.

Before starting your email campaign, you need to take the time to dig deeper into your recipients. 68% of Americans say they receive too many brand emails, make sure you are not the one sending too many. Psychology is the scientific study of the human mind and its functions, especially those affecting behavior in a given context. So, if we want to create email that people can’t help but respond to, we need to get into their minds.

Let’s break down how best to profile your recipients.

  1. Identify their pain/pleasure points – this is the driver of human behavior
  2. Find a Novelty – something new or unknown to them
  3. Find the Why – show them how great it can be
  4. Make it easy – easy to read, easy to understand and easy to respond
  5. Find what makes them curious – when you spark curiosity they make more of an effort

Once you have all of the information above, you can start to create a campaign that appeals directly to your recipients. Make sure that you focus on your campaign goals/objectives and which recipients you are targeting to get there. Emails are looked at most during the work week, so skip weekends. Adults age 35-50 spend the most time with email on mobile devices so make sure you keep that in mind. The next step is to look at both design and copy while focusing on psychology.

Design can be broken down into 5 areas of focus.

  1. Instinctive – create the reaction no one can resist
  2. Opportunity/Threat – create the feel of opportunity with the offer and the threat of what happens if you don’t do it
  3. Number of options – keep it simple, too much and it will be thrown away
  4. Patterns – eye pleasing and creating contentment
  5. Selective disregard – this is an automatic process, make sure your design is not disregarded

Here are a few psychological tricks for your copy:

  • Position – people remember what they saw first or last, not the middle
  • Unusual – is easier to remember
  • Rhyme – people trust and remember them
  • Repetitive – the more often the message is seen the more true it becomes

All the psychology in the world will not help your email if you do not have clearly defines goals and objectives. In order to send out the right information to the right people, you need to know who they are and what you want from them. If you can pull the right triggers on the right people with your email design and copy you are sure to get an increase in response. Careful thought, purposeful design and well worded copy are the foundation of great email marketing. If at all possible consult with a current customer or prospect on your design and copy. Their feedback can be invaluable to keep you from making costly mistakes or providing a new idea you had not thought of.

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