In the world of email marketing, it’s easy to get stuck in a rut and find that your open rates and engagement are starting to decline. When this happens, it can be helpful to look to the past for inspiration and guidance. In this paper, we will explore five “dead” marketers whose strategies and techniques continue to be relevant in the world of email marketing today. By studying their approaches, you can breathe new life into your email marketing campaigns and see improved results.
David Ogilvy: The Father of Advertising
David Ogilvy is one of the most massive names in advertising. He is also amongst the most charismatic and lucid writers. His basic concepts will make a world of difference to your email marketing strategy.
Know Your Customer
Ogilvy said, “The consumer isn’t a moron; she’s your wife.” That’s a reminder to know your target well. To send effective emails, you do research on the demographics, interests, and pain points of the audience. So use this in composing messages that would hit near the recipient’s heart.
Create Appealing Headlines
Ogilvy said, “Headlines are read by five times as many people as body copy.” For this reason, he had suggested to treat the headline as if that accounted for 80% of your writing budget. In email marketing, that means writing clear, concise, and creative subject lines that drive people to open your emails. A great subject line may mean the difference between an opened message and one that gets deleted in three seconds.
Tell a Story
Storytelling is considered one of the most viral marketing methods, and Ogilvy knew this. Emails that could tell a great story engage readers emotionally, establish rapport, and build trust. Weave storytelling into your emails as much as possible to make your brand more relatable and memorable.
Be Authentic
Authenticity works today in a mainly digital world. Ogilvy, however, fell on the truthful and transparent elements of a message, which just so happened to be pretty timeless advice. That builds trust with a very authentic and honest message to your audience to help build subscriber loyalty.
Claude Hopkins: The Pioneer of Scientific Advertising
Claude Hopkins is often considered the father of direct response advertising and has strongly advocated for systematic measurement in marketing, as borne out in his seminal book “Scientific Advertising.” The following are extremely crucial lessons to maximize email marketing campaigns.
Test and Measure
Hopkins insisted on the importance of testing and measuring the result of one’s marketing effort. In email marketing, this would mean tracking the open rate, click-through rate, and conversion. Very often, testing of different elements of your emails-the subject line, content, visuals, and call to action-can provide more valuable insights that might help you refine your approach.
Gary Halbert: The Prince of Print
Gary Halbert is one of the most persuasive copywriters in the history of marketing; his words can move people to take action. And his advice can help you supercharge your email campaigns significantly.
Create a Compelling Offer
Halbert insisted that “the offer is the single most important element in your sales message.” With your email campaigns, focus on real value to be delivered-be that through exclusive discounts, early access to new products, or valuable content. Show what makes this offer so irresistible that it will drive better conversions.
Write in a Conversational Tone
Halbert believed in the power of a conversational tone to engage an audience. In writing those emails, make sure you have a friendly and approachable writing voice. This bonds readers into your message and they become more likely to read on.
Use Emotional Triggers
The late Halbert was a genius at using emotional hot buttons to motivate activity. Know your audience and what drives them, whether urgency, enthusiasm, or scarcity. Use those buttons in your email marketing campaigns. An emotionally packed message will go a long way toward persuading your readers to do something.
Test and Measure (Again)
As advised by Hopkins, Halbert really drives the point home about testing and measuring on a continuous basis. That means you do A/B testing of different approaches and try to make sense of the results so that you can fine-tune your email campaigns over time.
Dan Kennedy: No-Nonsense Sage
Dan Kennedy is widely regarded as one of the masters of direct response marketing whose no-nonsense plans have transformed scores of marketing campaigns. Bring your focus to his obsession with emotionally connecting with your audience, and watch your email marketing campaigns begin to move from a snore to a roar.
Tell a Story
Kennedy believes in the art of storytelling-the most powerful way to involve your audience. Using story techniques, construct letters relevant but personal. Tell stories to stir your readers’ emotions. Opens will rise, and more importantly, response/engagement, since people would already have invested time in opening your email and reading your story, hence conversion rates.
John Caples: The Headline Guru
John Caples is widely known for his classic book entitled “Tested Advertising Methods” in which he underlined the crucial role of headlines in capturing the audience’s attention. Now, with increasingly crowded inboxes, his insights are more relevant than ever.
Headline: Craft Compelling Headlines
Your subject line-your first impression in email marketing-must follow Caples’s suggestion: commanding attention and delivering a clear promise. You must spend some time thinking about how to make your headline stand out and call readers to open your email. A great subject line will surely drive your opens effectively.
Conclusion:
While these marketers may be “dead” in the traditional sense, their strategies and techniques continue to be relevant and effective in the world of email marketing. By studying their approaches and applying their principles to your own campaigns, you can breathe new life into your email marketing efforts and see improved results. Whether you’re looking to increase open rates, engagement, or conversions, these five “dead” marketers have valuable lessons to teach. So don’t be afraid to look to the past for inspiration and guidance – it could be just what your email marketing needs to succeed.
