When considering email marketing, flow is the key! When messages don’t flow and there is a lack of continuity, we simply switch off.

Imagine a movie or a book that doesn’t flow well – if it gets too hard or lacks flow, we stop reading the book or switch off the movie.

The same principle applies to marketing – particularly to email-based marketing campaigns. You can spend your time creating a catchy subject line that grabs people’s attention – much the same as a cover of a book might. But as you head into the body copy of the email, it’s very easy to lose your customer’s interest.

The trick is to keep the logical flow going. Once you have a catchy subject header that has lured them in to read more, you have gained their attention.

Next, look at your product from your customers’ perspective – why should they consider it? What benefits does your product offer? This will engage their interest.

Once you have their interest you focus on why your customer needs it – why they can’t live without your product. Again focusing on this from your customers’ perspective. This will create desire.

Finally, you instigate action – you promote your offer – the price point of your product and how they can purchase the product. Because they now have a desire for the product, they will be more likely to follow through with a purchase.

This process is known as AIDA:

A – attention,
I – interest,
D – desire and
A – action.
If you can organize your email in this order your chances of a fruitful campaign are significantly greater. If you get the order wrong – the most likely outcome is that your campaign will fail. Customers will not read your email through to the end – they will simply hit the delete button, and the opportunity for a sale has gone.

So consider your flow, remember the AIDA rule and you will be on the way to ensuring your marketing emails are NOT ignored!