One of the hottest trends in email marketing lately has been to use case studies. Case studies are quite different from traditional email marketing messages.Traditional email messages use the standard formula. How does the “standard formula” work? First, the email attracts the attention of the reader with a nice headline. They filter the reader based on interest, and try to speak to the needs that the reader has. Once they have made rapport with the reader's needs, they try to present the product or service as the solution. Normally, the way they do this is to list down the features. The email then lays out how each of these features meets the needs of the reader.
More effective marketers would try to go the extra mile, and compare the proposed solution with existing solutions. This comparison, of course, ends up with the proposed solution coming out on top. Still, there will be a lot of facts and data in the comparison. The whole point of this exercise is to build credibility, up to the point where you can call the prospect to action.The problem with most email marketing messages is that they assume credibility. They assume, just because the reader is on your list, that the reader is ready to buy.
This is a serious problem. This opens a credibility gap. There is a hole in your credibility and authority.Not surprisingly, a lot of marketing emails, or emails that contain ads, don't make much money. How can they? You just send out an ad and you expect somebody to buy immediately? Sure, from a numbers game perspective, there would be some people who would buy. But you are actually leaving a lot of money on the table. If you had gone through extra steps in seducing your reader, chances are you would get more buyers.
Instead of settling for the typical pattern of trying to get a list as big as possible -so that only a small fraction of that huge list would actually end up buying -there is a better approach. The better approach would be to get more targeted people on your list and use a case study. Even though your marketing message is getting in front of fewer sets of eyeballs, you enjoy a higher chance of conversion because of your case study.
Why do Case Studies Work?
Case studies lay out before and after scenarios. This is effective story-telling right here. You tell the story before the problem, you tell the story during the problem, and you tell the reader what happens after the solution is introduced -pretty straightforward. This is how our minds are hardwired to process information.The great thing about the case study is that there is a distinct protagonist. There is distinct drama: because this person tried one product after another, one solution after another, and they all failed.
There is emotional connection: when you are writing out the case study, each failure should get the reader to identify with the frustration of the person in the story. This emotional identification is rooted in the fact that you are using the actual experiences of people in your case study.This is not theoretical. We have gone way past theory. We are now in the concrete land of reality. People who read your case study can't help but identify with the protagonist in the case study.
Also, case studies are numbers driven. Usually, you would lay out solid numbers to highlight results. This is more emotionally urgent than the typical email ad. An email ad may seem distant, impersonal, or too theoretical. It might even seem like you are just making things up or writing straight out fantasy. When you mention numbers, the reader's attention is riveted to results. When they use your solution, they are going to get results.
Also, these results are tied in to a timeline. They are not just floating out there. They are not just saying that they could happen. They are actually tied to something that happens in the sequence. They actually come about at a certain point in time. This makes your offer more credible because it is easier for the mind to wrap around it.
Moreover, the reader is less skeptical or suspicious. By filling him/her in on the details -of what happened, how ithappened, who it happened to, what happened before, what happened now, what issues were at play, and what issues are present now -you make something, that is otherwise theoretical, very real.
People are drawn to real life examples. If there are enough emotional triggers in your case study, they would want to be that person in the story. They would want to be that person who went from rags to riches. They would want to be that person who went from scaring females away to being a chick magnet. Whatever product or service you are selling, make sure that you leave the reader with an emotional state -where they would want to be identified with the protagonist of your story.
Beware of Income Claims
One of the cheesiest ways to promote using an email list is to mention the amount of money your system will make, or the results that they would get. Unless you can guarantee that the person would actually make that amount of money, or get certain results within a certain period of time, you would probably be better off leaving that kind of information out. I know that this may make me look like the odd man out, but I would rather sound weird to you than steer you wrongly.
Obviously, lying to people or misleading them is wrong. One of the most common ways email marketers mislead is when they take an income that -somebody using specific methods and operating with a special set of circumstances -produces extraordinary results. This is going to be a problem, because most people don't have access to those resources, or aren't in the same situation as the person who generated those results. There is an undertone of lying here, because you are not showing the full picture. You are hiding the ball.
You cannot write your squeeze page marketing stories this way. You have to be transparent with people. If there is going to be work involved, tell them. If the chances of success are not 100%, say it. Be straightforward. Be clear. The more transparent you are, the more credibility you build, the more people would think you are authoritative. However, if you try to hide the ball, you are bound to disappoint people. If you disappoint enough people, your brand will suffer.
It really is that simple. It is important, when you are sending out emails to your list members, that you work to build your brand. You build your brand by being honest, being accountable, and calling a spade. Don't be afraid to tell the truth. In fact, when you tell the truth, you stand out from your competition.Of course, there are many ways to tell the truth.
You can't just tell the truth -in the worst and harshest way possible -that it destroys your brand. You also have to tell the truth in the proper context. Again, truth and success are not anti-theatrical. Truth and success in email marketing are not mutually exclusive and are not anti-theatrical to each other.