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.
