kick-ass copywriting & email marketing tips for your marketing program
Post on 17-Oct-2014
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While it’s true that we live in a highly visual world, in many cases – and especially when it comes to marketing campaigns – it’s the words that can make or break how quickly you deliver a point, how people perceive your brand, or how compelled they are to follow through with an action. With thousands of brands competing for our loyalty at every turn and more ways for marketers to reach us than ever before, it’s also becoming increasingly difficult for brands to get our attention and keep it for long enough to communicate any kind of message. But when people subscribe to your email program, it’s an indication that they want to hear from you, inviting you right into the privacy of their inbox and creating an opportunity for you to engage them over and over again. It’s therefore no surprise that email is still the #1 preferred marketing communications channel. In this presentation, long-time copywriter & email marketer Noya Lizor talks about what it takes to create effective copy, how to create a professional Copy Brief, what are the key elements of a successful email marketing program and how to use email to successfully engage and retain users.TRANSCRIPT
Kick-ass Copywriting & Email Marketing Tips
For Your Marketing Program
By Noya Lizor The Best of Email :: www.thebestofemail.com
February 2013 (Updated March 2014)
By Noya Lizor, The Best of Email :: www.thebestofemail.com February 2013
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Table of Contents
Copywrite vs. Copyright 3
How is copywriting different from other type of writing? 4 Traditional advertising copywriting vs. copywriting for the web 5
What do you need to know before writing any piece of copy? 6-11
Writing copy for on overcrowded web 12 Writing for the web? Then learn how to write a good headline. 13
How to write a good headline 14 More great articles on copywriting for the web 15
Email Marketing (the entire history in a nutshell) 16 What is permission-based email marketing? 17
Why is Permission-based Email Marketing so powerful? 18
Developing an Email Marketing program 19 Yay, someone’s signed-up! Now what? 20
Types of emails 21 Types of newsletter content 22 Why the subject line is so important 23
Why you should use an ESP (Email Service Provider) 24 Email marketing metrics 25
The future of Email Marketing 26 About Noya Lizor 27
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February 2013 By Noya Lizor, The Best of Email :: www.thebestofemail.com
It involves an advertising or marketing angle,
as opposed to news reporting, creative writing, business writing, etc.
It requires an understanding of what drives
readers to feel a certain way about a product, brand or offer
in order to engage or compel them to perform
some kind of action.
It’s the art of using creativity to inform or
persuade without coming across as a blatant
sales pitch.
How is copywriting different from other types of writing?
February 2013
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By Noya Lizor, The Best of Email :: www.thebestofemail.com
Before the World Wide Web:
TV, print (magazines & newspapers), radio, outdoor and direct marketing delivered via
snail mail (brochures, flyers, etc.)
Since the Word Wide Web: Websites, online ads, emails, etc.
These days, a professional copywriter needs
to have specialized know-how in order to write for many different media
channels.
Traditional advertising copywriting vs. copywriting for the web
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February 2013 By Noya Lizor, The Best of Email :: www.thebestofemail.com
What type of copy is required?
Is it for a print ad?
Is it for an educational brochure?
Is it for a website?
Is it for a promotional email?
Is it for an online banner?
(Etc.)
What do you need to know before writing any piece of copy?
Each type of copy needs to be approached differently.
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February 2013 By Noya Lizor, The Best of Email :: www.thebestofemail.com
What media will the copy be required for?
TV? Print? Web? Mobile?
What context will the copy appear in?
What type of website or publication (what’s the subject?)
What kind of publication (is it a women’s
magazine? A news portal? A tech blog?)
What do you need to know before writing any piece of copy?
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February 2013 By Noya Lizor, The Best of Email :: www.thebestofemail.com
Who is the audience?
Broad classification: Mothers, teenagers, business people, 18-35 year old males, locals of a particular neighborhood, etc.)
Further classification by interest: Cooking, computer games, marketing, pet owners, soccer fans, fashion lovers, etc.
What do you need to know before writing any piece of copy?
Knowing your audience is vitally important because it allows you to create copy that is targeted specifically for them, using language that will appeal to them most.
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February 2013 By Noya Lizor, The Best of Email :: www.thebestofemail.com
What is the main objective of the copy? What is the desired action?
Is it to buy something?
Click on something to find our more information?
Register for something?
Is it meant purely to inform?
(Etc.)
What do you need to know before writing any piece of copy?
Always write the copy with the main objective in mind.
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February 2013 By Noya Lizor, The Best of Email :: www.thebestofemail.com
Are there any special factors that need
to be taken into consideration?
Is it time/event/season sensitive,
e.g. a limited-time offer, back-to-school,
election time, holiday (Christmas, New Year), FIFA World Cup, summer, etc.
Are there space/time restrictions?
E.g. Must fit into a 1/8 page newspaper ad, or 100x100 pixel online banner, or
15-second radio spot, etc.
What do you need to know before writing any piece of copy?
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February 2013 By Noya Lizor, The Best of Email :: www.thebestofemail.com
To summarise:
The more is known about the requirements for a piece of copy, the easier it is for a copywriter
to “nail it”, so when preparing a brief for a
copywriter, try to provide as many details as possible.
What do you need to know before writing any piece of copy?
Useful Resources:
• More on how to write a Copy Brief
• Here’s a sample Copy Brief template
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February 2013 By Noya Lizor, The Best of Email :: www.thebestofemail.com
We’re living in an age of information overload.
Consumers have become super selective
about how much time they will devote to
reading something, or whether they will even
read it at all. So…
The most important tip for writing for the
web, is to get to the point quickly: Your copy
needs to engage users enough to want to stay
on the page so you can engage them further.
Writing copy for on overcrowded web
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February 2013 By Noya Lizor, The Best of Email :: www.thebestofemail.com
Legendary copywriter and direct marketer Joe
Sugarman once shared his secret to successful
copywriting:
“Every element of copy has just one purpose —
to get the first sentence read”
“And the purpose of the first sentence is to get the
second sentence read,” and so on and so forth,
until your reader is primed to take the action you
intended all along.
Writing for the web? Then learn how to write a good headline.
So how do you get your first sentence read?
Write a kick-ass headline!
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February 2013 By Noya Lizor, The Best of Email :: www.thebestofemail.com
How to write a good headline
First, understand what you’re about to write.
Then, bearing in mind what your audience
will respond to, squeeze the crux of the copy
into as short and engaging a sentence as
possible
Tell the whole story in the headline (be specific)
Don't try to be clever or funny if it doesn’t come
naturally, it’s not always the most compelling
way to get someone to read on.
More on how to write great headlines:
• How to write headlines that work
• Writing headlines that get results
• How to write awesome headlines
• 2 Methods for Getting an Email Opened and 1 That Doesn't Work 14
February 2013 By Noya Lizor, The Best of Email :: www.thebestofemail.com
More great articles on copywriting for the web
The Structure of Persuasive Copy
10 Companies That Totally Nail Copywriting
Five Tips for Writing Email Copy That Sells
SEO Copywriting: Five Secrets to Online Success
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February 2013 By Noya Lizor, The Best of Email :: www.thebestofemail.com
The history of email [INFORGRAPHIC]
Highlights:
Born in the 70s
Learned how to walk in the 80s
Became popular in the 90s
Got a little (ok, a lot) annoying in the 00s
Then permission-based
And highly sophisticated
Now mobile in the 10s
NOW: Let’s go back in time to 2003
Email Marketing (the entire history in a nutshell)
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February 2013 By Noya Lizor, The Best of Email :: www.thebestofemail.com
In 2003, George W. Bush signed into law penalties
for unsolicited email, known as the CAN-SPAM Act.
Basically, it meant that marketing emails could no
longer be sent to recipients without their consent,
and this became the global standard for all email
marketers until certain countries developed their
own anti-spam laws.
The main difference between US anti-spam laws and those of other more strict countries, is that in
the US it’s OK to send a marketing email even without consent as long as it includes an ‘ubsubscribe’
link, where as in most European countries and Australia, a subscriber must opt-in himself to receive
marketing emails from the sender.
What is permission-based email marketing?
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February 2013 By Noya Lizor, The Best of Email :: www.thebestofemail.com
Today’s typical newsletter subscriber is most likely
experiencing ‘email overload’ as it is. But if you can
interest someone enough to want to receive information
from you and subscribe to your email program, they are
actually inviting you into their own private little world.
When someone subscribes to your email program, it’s
nothing short of a golden opportunity to attempt to
engage them over and over again. These days, the email
marketer’s biggest challenge is to keep subscribers from
revoking this privilege, and the way to do that is by
sending relevant, useful, and engaging content EVERY
single time.
You should include Email sign-ups EVERYWHERE you can,
but especially on your home page, since this might be
your ONLY opportunity to get someone to provide a way
for you to contact them again.
Why is Permission-based Email Marketing so powerful?
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February 2013 By Noya Lizor, The Best of Email :: www.thebestofemail.com
Always aim to have an email program in place before you start sending emails to your mailing list so that you can ‘attack’ each stage of a subscriber’s ‘lifetime’ in your mailing list effectively.
For example, consider sending different types of emails to different segments of your mailing list who need to be ‘spoken to’ differently in order to get the desired result. These segments might include:
brand new subscribers,
subscribers who have been with you for a while
subscribers who have proven to be regular shoppers
subscribers who have been inactive for a long time
etc.
One of the most valuable opportunities you’ll have to make a good impression is right after someone subscribes, so every professional email program should always include a Welcome Email.
Developing an Email Marketing program
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February 2013 By Noya Lizor, The Best of Email :: www.thebestofemail.com
Say ‘Thank You’ of course!
It’s not only polite, it’s also a good
opportunity to tell them about other
important things they need to know,
plus it’s a good way for you to show
some personality.
Send a Welcome Email. This is even
more important than the ‘Thank You’
message, since sometimes people are in
a hurry and don’t always get to read it.
It’s purpose is very similar though:
Welcome user and remind them of the benefits of signing up
Invite them to follow you on Social media
Email Preference Centre – Allow subscribers to choose which types of emails they want to
receive and how often.
Show some personality but keep it short!
Yay, someone’s signed-up! Now what?
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February 2013 By Noya Lizor, The Best of Email :: www.thebestofemail.com
Newsletters: Most of the time when someone signs up for
your email program, they expect to receive some sort of
newsletter, so don’t start an email program if you don’t
know in advance what content you plan to send (you
shouldn’t send newsletters just for the sake of it). Make
sure you have an editorial plan in place and tailor your
newsletter template to suit the content you want to send.
Promotional Emails (also known as eDMs, or electronic
direct mail) allow you to promote stuff outside of the
newsletter framework.
Trigger emails are automated emails that are sent in
response to a particular subscriber action. For example
signing up to the program, registering for something or
buying something (also known as transactional emails),
not doing anything for too long, etc. They’re an important
part of your email program so they should be crafted very
carefully for maximum impact.
Types of emails
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February 2013 By Noya Lizor, The Best of Email :: www.thebestofemail.com
Many email marketers struggle to find content that will engage their
subscribers EVERY single time. One remedy for this, is to think outside
the box and dare to send content that isn’t always just about your
products or your company. The trick is to stay creative!
Types of content can you send:
News about new products of product features
News relating to your industry (there’s a wealth of material here,
including videos)
Customer Spotlight (share great customer experiences for the
benefit of other customers)
Fun/interesting trivia
Links to online versions of recent newsletters in case they were
missed
Etc.
Types of Newsletter Content
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February 2013
Useful Resources:
• More on how to create engaging email content
By Noya Lizor, The Best of Email :: www.thebestofemail.com
If someone has subscribed to your newsletter, it’s probable that they’ve subscribed to other newsletters too, and sometimes there just isn’t enough time to read ALL the emails we receive each day.
More often than not, the thing that will get YOUR email read over other emails in an overcrowded inbox is the subject line, which is why it needs to stand out. The subject line needs to be so appealing, that the reader can’t resist clicking on the email to open it.
The best subject lines:
Are usually short enough to be read in their entirety in the preview pane
Offer something of value to the reader
Make the reader feel he’ll be missing out if he doesn’t read the email
Are not “clever” or “funny” just for the sake of it
Often phrased as a question, statement or call-to-action
Never (ever!) lie about the true contents of the email, or your readers will never trust you or open any of your emails again. Most would just unsubscribe.
Why the subject line is so important
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February 2013 By Noya Lizor, The Best of Email :: www.thebestofemail.com
Sending emails to your users is completely useless unless
you can measure their performance. For this, you’ll
need at least a basic Email Service Provider (ESP).
There are lots of ESPs out there. Some cater for the
“big fish”, i.e. mailing lists of a few hundred thousand
or more (e.g. Silverpop, ExactTarget, Responsys,
Cheetah Mail) and some cater for the little fish i.e. small
businesses, even individuals (e.g. MailChimp, Vertical Response,
Emma, Constant Contact, etc.).
Advantages of using an ESP’s professional Email Marketing CMS:
Automatic List Management (email subscriptions, unsubscribes, bounces)
Ability to track performance of email campaigns, including opens & click-throughs
Ability to segment lists based on different criteria, e.g. subscriber behavioural patterns,
subscriber activity or inactivity, individual subscriber interests & preferences, etc.
Why you should use an ESP (Email Service Provider)
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February 2013 By Noya Lizor, The Best of Email :: www.thebestofemail.com
Email Marketing Metrics
One of the most appealing aspects of email marketing is
the ability to measure its performance both in the short
and long term. With metrics that shed light on everything
from engagement (campaign activity), conversion and
revenue, email analytics offers a smorgasbord of options for
marketers to review and optimize their email programs.
The trick to analyzing your email performance with
confidence is understanding what the key metrics are, what
they mean individually, and what conclusions can be drawn
when you combine them.
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February 2013
Useful Resources:
• More on email metrics and how to use them to analyze the performance of your email program
By Noya Lizor, The Best of Email :: www.thebestofemail.com
It has been suggested by many a so-called marketing
“expert” countless times that “Email is dead”, and yet
according to ExactTarget's 2012 Channel Preference
Survey, “email is not only alive - it’s the number one
direct channel in terms of daily use and consumer
preference for both personal and marketing
communications.”
The sophistication of email as a marketing tool has
evolved over the years and it isn’t going to disappear
any time soon.
About 50% of emails are now opened on a mobile
device (as of January 2014), which means that email
marketers need to start adapting their email program
(quickly!) for display on small screens.
The future of Email Marketing
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February 2013
Useful Resources:
• More on how to create mobile-friendly emails without any responsive coding skills
By Noya Lizor, The Best of Email :: www.thebestofemail.com
About Noya Lizor
Hailing from Sydney, Australia, Noya has spent over a decade honing her
skills as a copywriter, marketer and business developer. She has worked in
a variety of industries including publishing, fashion manufacturing, online
games and advertising, namely at world-renowned advertising agency
McCann Worldgroup where she worked both as a copywriter and email
marketing manager, managing the email program for the agency’s largest
client, Microsoft Australia.
Since 2009 Noya has been working in “The Startup Nation” (a.k.a. Israel)
at startups with a focus on email.
These days Noya is Head Honcho at The Best of Email and assists startups and organizations with marketing
strategy and implementation.
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February 2013 By Noya Lizor, The Best of Email :: www.thebestofemail.com
About this presentation
This deck was originally presented by Noya at a Meetup in Tel Aviv in February 2013 (prior to the launch of
The Best of Email) and was updated ever-so-slightly (in March 2014) to include additional resources now
available at The Best of Email.