Steve's blog :
random musings of a professional scribbler

Them and Us

I read with interest that the average UK resident receives 59 pieces of email a day.

Now… imagine receiving 59 brown envelopes through the post – with just a short stick of ‘outer’ copy to differentiate their contents. Which will you open?

The ones that make a direct appeal to you, of course – offering a benefit; addressing a need.

Those envelopes whose copy is designed to intrigue, amuse or impress – with clever word play, or self–indulgent superlatives – will invariably be consigned, unopened, to the ‘big round filing cabinet’.

The same applies to your email campaigns.

You’ve just five or six words – your Subject field – separating your epistle from the Trash.

To maximise your chances of success – of getting your email opened – premier American copywriter Bob Bly advocates the use of the Four Us, ensuring your header appears:

• Useful – containing an important benefit.
• Unique – something the prospects will believe they can’t get somewhere else.
• Ultra–relevant – absolutely targeted to their specific needs.
• Urgent – giving them a reason to open your mail now (such as, for example, a ‘time-limited’ or ‘while stocks’ last offer).

With email volumes on the rise, it’s a doctrine you ignore at your peril.

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