How Storytelling is a Important Aspect in Email Marketing

Storytelling is important when you are email marketing.Why?  Because people are resistant to being sold to but they do like to buy and the way we have found to do this effectively is through storytelling.

Did you know that Email marketing is 40 times more successful at acquiring new customers than both Twitter and Facebook? Moreover, 66% of online consumers have purchased a product or service as a result of an email. This and other interesting email data proves that email is still one of the most effective online marketing channels for sales and it’s one we use in our business every day.

Why do people respond so well to storytelling?

Well it’s because we have been communicating through stories for decades, ever since we were telling stories around the fire in the stone age.  Just think about it for a moment … in our everyday lives stories probably take up more than half of all conversations!  That’s why storytelling is so important in our marketing – in yours too.

The Storytelling Components

In your emails you will want to use some or even all of the following

A relatable character – stories are usually about people. You should be writing your email as if writing to ONE PERSON – to your perfect client (known as a client persona) so that when you are writing they can totally relate to what you are saying and feel that you are speaking directly to them.  You can create a character who they can identify with or use yourself or someone who has or has had the same problem as the person you are talking to

A problem – Use a story (your own is the best) to build the vision of a ‘problem’ that your character (you) experienced. This problem should be one that your product or service can solve.

Empathy – The “I’ve been there too“. The email you are writing does not aim to shame or blame the readers. Rather to show they like you are human too and we have the same problems.  The aim is to make them feel emotional and that their problem is one that anyone could be experiencing.

Relate the story you are telling to the problem so your reader can see what the could have done or can do to avoid the issue they are experiencing“

The vision – create a vision of how your character (or you) finally managed to solve the problem and how did it make them feel? What changed for them.

The solution – It is at the end of yur email that you introduce your reader to your product or service and its USB (unique selling point) – this is your first call to action piece

Re-Emphasise – Bring your reader back into reality. Ask them if they are ready to change their situation / to solve their problem

The Final Call To Action – Leave a link with your final call to action

What Else Needs to Happen…

It needs an attention grabbing subject line and/or headline.

So, your story is not wasted you need ensure your headline gets opened.  Think about the last time you read a book and just wanted to get to the next chapter … keep it short or at least make the first 40 characters count.  Create curiosity as it really is the best way to have someone open your email.

Last but not least, the most important factor for writing effective emails is to really know your target audience. Understand your prospects’ buying behaviours. What motives them to make a purchase then create the stories that take them on that journey

If you have not seen it before we highly recommend you check out The Hero’s Journey – on our blog.  There many videos that have been created on the subject, however, this one is the most entertaining. It is storytelling at it’s best.

Thanks for joining us today.

Happy storytelling!

Nicky and Dave