Email marketing & mail shots Archives

Marketing 101: Vigorous, written marketing

By Jim Connolly | April 2, 2025

vigorous written marketing, marketing copywriting, content marketing

Most of the marketing copy I see is at least 75% too long. Overlong copy lacks impact. It also lacks clarity and fails to motivate prospective customers or clients.

I want to help you avoid this expensive mistake, which is why I wrote this for you.

Vigorous, written marketing

And it starts with one of the best-known quotes on the subject.

“Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts. This requires not that the writer make all his sentences short, or that he avoid all detail and treat his subjects only in outline, but that he make every word tell“.
Professor William Strunk Jr. – The Elements of Style.

The vigorous writing referred to here, is writing that is strong and full of energy. That’s the kind of writing that moves people to take action; to contact you, buy from you or hire you. It’s the kind of writing that gets the results you need.

How can you and your business benefit from the power of vigorous, written marketing?

The answer comes from understanding why the problem exists.

Google usually gets the blame

That’s because Google’s search algorithm rewards overlong, written content. It prefers 2500 words to 250. So, for over 20 years, online marketing writers have been rewarded for high word counts. That’s certainly not what’s needed for vigorous, written marketing.

But Google isn’t responsible for the wider problem.

Email marketing and off-line media is just as ruined by overlong content. Neither of those formats have ever required the writer to dance the Google dance.

The problem exists because most written marketing is created by people who lack sufficient training. It’s either written by business owners who ‘dabble’ or by below-par copywriters.

The solution?

The business owner wishing to switch to vigorous, written marketing has two options.

Learn how to do it effectively.
Pay someone who already knows.

How to decide?

The cost (in time) of learning is considerable. It takes years of practice. However, you’ll start seeing improvements relatively quickly.
The cost of hiring an expert is lower. And it’s a lot faster.

The price you pay for starving your business of vigorous, written marketing is far higher than either of those options. So pick one of them and run with it.

Photo by Cherrydeck on Unsplash

Why email marketing doesn’t work in 2025

By Jim Connolly | March 5, 2025

A reader shared an interesting observation with me. She told me she had “found out the hard way that email marketing doesn’t work in 2025″.

She asked me for my thoughts on why email is so ineffective. I said I’d share them here, as I’m sure some of you will find it useful.

Email marketing works

Email marketing works. In fact, email marketing works extremely well. Better than ever.

Just ask any business owner who’s using it correctly. Whether it’s used for newsletters or promotions, the return on investment is off the charts.

Email marketing also works more predictably than just about any other form of marketing. And the tiny financial investment required for email marketing makes it the most cost effective form of marketing out there.

Email marketing doesn’t work when…

What doesn’t work is ineffective email marketing. Just ask anyone who’s doing it incorrectly.

Here’s the thing: ineffective email marketing can’t work.

Here are just a few, very common examples of how small business owners get email marketing wrong.

A poorly written email won’t work. It will fail to motivate the reader to take action; to call you, email you, visit your website, make a purchase from you, whatever.
A professionally written email, sent to the wrong people, won’t work. It will fail to reach those with a want or need for your services.
A well written email, sent to the right people, with a dull subject line, won’t work. That’s because no one will open it. The subject line has to be compelling or no matter what your message is, it will literally be ignored.
A well written email, sent to the right people, with a compelling subject line, offering a generic product or service, won’t work. No one wants to switch to a service that’s no better then their current service.
A well written email, sent to the right people, with a compelling subject line, but sent on the wrong day of the week, won’t work. At least, it won’t be anything like as effective as it would be, if you research the best time of day and best day of the week, to send it.
Oh, and if you send your emails frequently, or not frequently enough… that’s right, your email marketing won’t work.

You get the idea.

In short, before you reject any form of marketing as ineffective, make sure you’re using it correctly.

So, instead of telling yourself that email marketing doesn’t work, ask yourself why YOUR email marketing doesn’t work. Otherwise, you’ll needlessly miss out on one of the most powerful forms of marketing on the planet!

Image: Shutterstock.

Why your subscribers aren’t hiring you (and how to fix it).

By Jim Connolly | February 22, 2025

Hannah has almost 2000 newsletter subscribers. Her open rates are always over 80%.

And yet in 5 years, she’s attracted just 4 paying clients directly from her newsletter readership.

She asked me what she was doing wrong. I suggested, with her permission, that as this is a really common problem, I’d share my answer with you.

Marketing data can mislead you

We’re now able to test and measure our digital marketing with great precision. And it’s causing hard working small business owners to make very expensive marketing mistakes.

For example. Service providers like Hannah, often look at the data for their newsletter’s open rates, clicks or shares, then write certain styles of headline or content, based on what’s popular.

That seems to make sense.

Until we look at the massive difference, between what’s popular with readers… and what generates bankable income for our business.

The key point here is that readers are mostly just that. They’re readers. They read our free stuff. And that’s it. This is especially the case when you provide free business information. The vast majority of people who subscribe have no intention of spending a dime with us. They’re looking for free information. Period.

Oh yeah. It really messes with your marketing data

That’s because the free stuff crowd are also the people most likely to open newsletters and click links.

They especially love sensational headlines. They’re attracted to them because they dabble rather than hire expert help, so their businesses are constantly struggling. Over-hyped headlines give them hope that they’re one ‘killer free idea’ away from solving their latest problem.

It’s not a coincidence that none of the 4 readers who hired Hannah directly from her newsletter, had high open rates or click rates. They almost hired her in spite of being on her list. This is because our ‘prospective client readers’ behave very, very differently from the ‘free stuff readers’.

The same approach that gets opens and clicks from freebie readers, leaves our prospective clients rolling their eyes.

Allow me to explain.

Yes, our prospective clients are certainly looking for great, useful information. And that’s a fact.

The BIG difference, is that they are also looking to provide their businesses with the resources and expertise it needs. This means when they consume our newsletters, podcasts, YouTube videos, whatever, they do so with a prospective need for our services and are building a picture of us.

And unlike the freebie crowd, they’re looking for clues.

For example.

They’re looking to see how reliable we are over a period of time. They want to know if we regularly show up with ideas or go missing unexpectedly for long periods.
They’re also looking for clues as to whether we’d work well together or not.
They want to see if our communication style is consistently clear and easy to understand.
And they want to see the depth and breadth of our knowledge over a period of time.

Plus a ton of other things they pick up on, which guides their decision to hire us.

In a nutshell: Don’t chase the subscriber data that has little, if any, real-world commercial value. Focus instead on creating for your prospects.

Stop offering solutions

By Jim Connolly | November 12, 2024

The word ‘solutions‘ is one of the most damaging in marketing. Here’s why. Plus, how to stop it from losing you a fortune in lost sales.

I need to stat with a quick question: What is the main reason someone should buy from you or hire you?

That’s a question, which many small businesses struggle to answer correctly. And it means they’re unable to provide their prospective customers or clients with a clear, compelling reason to buy from them, rather than a competitor.

This is where the problem with solutions comes in.

The thing about solutions

The lack of a clear, compelling reason is why we see the word solutions used in small business marketing all the time, to describe what their business does.

Note – I’m only talking about when business owners use solutionsinstead of being specific. For example, when their marketing offers prospective customers.

HR solutions.
Email marketing solutions.
Cost effective solutions.
Training solutions.
Or “a range of solutions”, etc.

By using solutions, they’re telling us nothing. Their message is weak. There’s no reason for us to contact them. So, their marketing is largely ignored. And it loses them a fortune.

I don’t want that to happen to you, my friend. So, here’s a far more effective approach.

The alternative is to get specific

Determine the core value you bring to a prospective client. Then, communicate it with impact.

For example, instead of saying you, “offer a range of email marketing solutions”, get specific. Tell them, “We can help you increase sales and boost your profits, with professional, proven email marketing.”

Back in the 1980’s, business owners were advised to develop an elevator pitch. The idea was to create a compelling 5 or 10 second business introduction. Commerce today, online and offline, is like a series of elevator pitch-type interactions. Your prospective customers are busy. Really busy. They’re being bombarded with emails, calls, social network updates, text messages… it’s relentless.

They don’t have time for long or vague marketing messages. They want answers. Fast! That’s why a specific, brief and well-crafted message has never been more important or more effective.

So, get specific.

Look for the core reason why a prospective customer should hire you, rather than hire a competitor. Look for the tangible, measurable value your service offers. Then, communicate it in a compelling way.

You’ve grabbed your reader’s attention. Now what?

By Jim Connolly | October 18, 2024

You have grabbed your reader’s attention. Your next step is extremely important. Here’s what to do next, plus something you must avoid in order for your marketing to be effective.

Let’s go.

Getting the reader’s attention is the easy part. We can do that with a clickbait headline or an outrageous statement.

However, a marketing message needs to tell them something or sell them something. And it absolutely must be consistent with that headline or statement we used.

If not, we lose twice over.

We’ll lose the sale.
We’ll lose the reader and the chance to market to them again. They’ll remember that we used an inaccurate headline to trick them into opening that email or clicking that link. They’ll feel foolish. They’ll feel duped. They’ll remember for a long time.

It’s a terrible tactic with a limited lifespan. The longer a business owner uses it, the more prospective clients they will alienate. That means when we have something to share with them, which is well-written, which is worth their time, which is what they need, which is what they want… they won’t click on it or open it.

The solution

By all means, grab their attention. Just make damn sure that your message is of interest to them, that it’s consistent with your attention-grabbing headline or statement, and that it motivates them to take whatever action you require.

That way, you win twice over.

You’ll win the sale.
You’ll win the attention of the prospect, because you’ll have trained them that you’re worth taking notice of.

Now that’s a win-win situation worth striving for!

Not already a subscriber? Then join my mailing list here.

Powerful words for your marketing toolbox

By Jim Connolly | September 2, 2024

I’ve compiled a brief selection of powerful words, which can increase the sales effectiveness of your marketing. They’re in no particular order.

So, let’s dive in!

Limited

Fear of missing out is so powerful it has its own acronym, FOMO. Limited equals scarce and scarcity is a powerful marketing motivator. Limited time, limited stock and limited space/spaces are common examples.

Now

Now is a direct command that creates urgency. It inspires your prospect to act, and to act fast. All that power is packed into a tiny, one syllable word. Compare the following. “For more information, call us on the number below“, or “For more information, call us now on the number below.”

Simple

People prefer things that are uncomplicated. When your prospect reads or hears that something is simple, it can make them more confident to take the action required. You’re signalling to them that it won’t take too much time. And that it won’t be too taxing. Note – easy is also a great word to use, especially if you want to avoid repetition of simple in a marketing piece.

Just

When you want to show that something simple or easy (as above), another great word to use is just. Just implies your request takes very little effort. ‘To subscribe, just drop your email into the box below.’ ‘For more information, just click here’. And famously, ‘Just do it!’

Guaranteed

When a prospect sees that you guarantee your product or service, buying from you becomes a less risky decision. That’s because you’re offering them peace of mind and reassurance. So, if you provide a guarantee, don’t keep it a secret. Include it liberally in your marketing. Naturally, the better the guarantee, the more effective it will be.

Proven

When you tell a prospect that your product or service is proven, you’re telling them that it works. That it’s reliable. A known quantity. Low risk. This helps build confidence in what you’re offering and makes it a lot more compelling. Yet, many businesses omit proven from their marketing. They will often allude to it, hoping the prospect will join the dots. But it’s better to put that word, and the feelings associated with it, into your marketing.

You / your

Use you and your to directly address the prospect. It will help them to connect with what you’re saying, because it’s focused on them. Sadly, a lot of small business marketing is self-focused. This makes it sound impersonal. Your marketing should be directed to the reader, as if you were writing only to that specific person. For example, compare the impersonal “Our service is designed to help businesses prosper”, with the personal “Our service is designed to help you and your business prosper”.

By replacing just one word with a more persuasive alternative, you can significantly increase the marketing power of your message. So, if one of those examples jumps out at you, give it a try.

Want to regularly create great content marketing? Use these 3 tips

By Jim Connolly | August 28, 2024

If you’ve ever wondered how to regularly produce content marketing that converts prospects into clients or customers, this information is for you.

I’ve divided it into 3 core tips.

1. Is this useful?

There’s a sign on the wall in my studio. It’s a small sign, containing just 3 words: “Is this useful?”. That’s the mark I set for everything I create. Nothing gets published unless I believe you’ll find it useful. I don’t try and look clever. I don’t try and be edgy. I don’t try to shock people. I just try to be useful to you. And as long as I think you’ll find an idea or observation useful, I share it.

Many business owners are put off creating content, because they try to make it as close to perfect as possible. The thing is, your prospective clients or customers want something useful, not perfect.

Once you stop aiming for perfection you’ll find it a lot easier. You’ll also get massively better results.

2. Don’t let duff content ideas block you

If you’re anything like me, you’ll find that most of the content ideas you get are pretty average. Most of mine are terrible! But maybe 1 in 5 or 1 in 10 are good enough to be turned into a useful piece of content marketing.

The challenge is that in order to get that 1 useful idea, you need to give yourself permission to have the duff ones.

The way I overcame this, was to deliberately allow myself to think of lots of duff ideas, knowing that something useful would come from it.

So, regard your duff ideas as essential steps on the way to creating the content you need. This switches them from being disheartening, to highly motivating.

3. Your work is way better than you think

We often overestimate the ideas and the work of others and underestimate the value of our own. Here’s a great example of what I mean.

A business owner told me how she was taking some files off a computer for archiving, when she discovered an old documents folder. It contained loads of articles that were really interesting. She looked to see who wrote them and found they were all her own work, from 9 years earlier!

She didn’t publish them at the time, because she thought they weren’t good enough. It was only when she thought they were written by someone else, that she saw them for what they really were. Your work is almost certainly way, way better than you think.

So get it out there!

In short, if you’re looking to improve the quality and quantity of your content marketing, focus on being useful. See your duff ideas as necessary steps to your useful ideas. And give your content the respect it (and you) deserve.

Lists dominate content marketing. Here’s why you should use them

By Jim Connolly | August 23, 2024

lists, content marketing, power of lists

Ever wondered why so many articles, videos and newsletters are based around the idea of a numbered list? It’s because lists are extremely popular. People love them. Today, I’m going to explain why, and how, you should incorporate lists in your content marketing.

Why then are lists so popular?

Lists promise ideas. Lots of ideas. And fast!

Lists promises a number of bite-sized ideas or suggestions. And quickly. So when we see “21 Business habits of highly successful people“, we’re not expecting an in-depth examination of 21 habitual characteristics of people who have achieved business success.

No.

We’re expecting lots of ideas. And we hope that at least one of those ideas will help us in some way. If it does, it will repay the 3 or 4 minutes we invested in reading it. That’s a good return for just a few minutes of our time.

Now, I have a question for you. Does your content marketing mix contain list-based content?

If not, I suggest you give it a try. Lists are perfect for sharing, which makes them ideal if you want to expand your reach on social networks. New readers who discover your work through list content, will then get the chance to see your more detailed work. Others will follow you on the social networks, where they see your lists shared. Many of my most shared blog posts are lists.

Lists can also be very powerful, when it comes to increasing your email marketing open rates. Email marketing that has a list in the subject line, can result in significantly increased open rates.

Here’s why.

Most small business owners are not expert copywriters. As such, the subject lines they use for their email marketing tend to under perform. And poorly written subject lines result in low open rates. This means no matter how good their marketing message is, very few people will see it.

Using an average list title as the subject line of a marketing email, will always, always out perform an average, regular subject line.

Should you focus exclusively on lists?

No.

No you shouldn’t.

Seriously.

Don’t!

Allow me to explain.

True, there are YouTubers making a fortune from creating only list-based videos. And yes, there are sites that attract millions of page views, who rely very heavily on list-based content. The business model behind both of these examples is primarily advertising. If your business sells ads based on open rates, keep churning out the lists.

However, for every other kind of business, relying exclusively on lists is a bad idea. And they should be used sparingly.

For example, I could have written this article as a list.

It would have taken me a lot less time to write.
It would have been shared a lot more on social networks.
And the email version of the post would have been opened by a lot more people.

However, I wanted to dig a little deeper into one subject; the content marketing effectiveness of lists. I didn’t want to weaken that focus with “10 Reasons why lists dominate the internet”.

Going a deeper than a list

Sometimes, you need to offer more substance around one subject. Other times, an issue could be impacting your audience and you need to address it. And there are times when you want to share one really useful idea, which wouldn’t work if you broke it down into a list of sub-ideas.

The surface level approach that makes lists so popular, renders them ineffective for anything that requires depth.

So mix it up. But include lists as part of that mix.

In short, if you haven’t already used list-based articles, videos, podcasts episodes, posts or newsletters, give it a go.

Experiment. Test different types of list. Measure the feedback. Check the numbers, including; sales, client enquiries, open rates, social shares and new subscribers, etc.

And let the numbers be your guide.

Stop: Don’t hide the bad stuff

By Jim Connolly | August 5, 2024

You’re reading about a product or service.

It sounds amazing.

Then you spot it!

You spot the dreaded *asterisk. And your heart sinks.

You know you’re about to be disappointed. You’re about to discover the exclusions, restrictions, omissions and conditions, which means that offer isn’t as good as they said it was.

They could have told you the truth without hiding it behind the asterisk. However, they deliberately chose not to. They intentionally concealed it from you, hoping you wouldn’t dig deeper. And in a split second, they’ve totally changed how you feel about them.

You wonder what else they’re hiding from you.

Your guard is up.

Your trust is diminished. Perhaps totally diminished.

The asterisk risk

If a business owner feels they need to hide something behind an asterisk, there are always better alternatives.

The most effective alternative, is to make the product or service as good as you said. This eliminates the need for an asterisk. Plus, it simultaneously pumps more value into your offering, making it more attractive and giving you a huge competitive advantage.

Another powerful alternative is to openly state, in honest and clear language, exactly what you’re offering. And include whatever would have been behind the asterisk, out in the open. Here’s an example of what that could look like.

Imagine it’s an introductory deal, offering your service at a reduced price for the first 3 months. Rather than quote the introductory price (and hide the fact it increases after 3 months, behind an asterisk), tell them up front. Let people know that you’re so confident they’ll love your service, you’re offering it at a super-low discount, so they can discover for themselves, why it’s outstanding value at the regular price.

There’s another reason for adopting a transparent approach to your marketing.

And it’s a biggie, too.

Social networks give your prospects a powerful voice. That voice can either be used to tell everyone how great you are, or how disappointed they are. Thankfully, you get to choose the kind of experience that’s being shared.

Not only does transparency start to work immediately, it’s also a proven way to build an outstanding reputation in the long-term.

This word can ruin your results. Here are 12 better alternatives

By Jim Connolly | July 16, 2024

Photo | Buro Millennial

When it comes to creating successful marketing, the word ‘new’ is overrated. Moreover, it can seriously damage the effectiveness of your marketing, losing you sales or client enquiries in the process.

There are 2 main reasons why this happens.

A new product or service is thought of as risky. Untested. Less robust. At best, it’s a bigger gamble than the existing solution. At worst, the customer feels like a paying guinea pig. Ouch!
A new product or service is seldom, if ever, the best. It lacks the improvements that come from years of customer feedback.

Yes, when you have an announcement to make, like moving to new premises, people expect to see ‘new’ and they understand the context.

The challenge comes when a key part of your marketing message is that you offer a new way to do something. Even some big brands struggle to sell new to people, despite multi-million dollar marketing campaigns. Who remembers ‘New Coke”?

Thankfully you can totally avoid this problem.

Here are some far better alternatives

Instead of relying on new, offer your marketplace something more compelling. More secure. More attractive. More motivating. And a great deal more appealing.

For example, rather than offering your prospects a new way to (whatever), look at the core benefit of your product or service. Then market that benefit to them instead.

Here are 12 alternatives that I have used very successfully over the years. All of which offer the prospect a more attractive benefit.

A faster way.
An enjoyable way.
A secure way.
A greener way.
A stylish way.
A stress-free way.
An original way.
A premium quality way.
A proven way.
An ethical way.
A guaranteed way.
A cost effective way.

The key is to intentionally use words that paint better mental pictures. Pictures that build trust and inspire people to take action. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve seen this simple adjustment lead to radically better marketing results.

What next? Do a review of your current marketing and look for opportunities to replace the word new, with a better alternative.

The content marketing your prospects want from you

By Jim Connolly | July 7, 2024

I regularly write about the importance of creating marketing that’s useful to your prospects. So, here are some specific examples, which you can adapt and apply to your own marketing.

Let’s go.

Their needs and your products or services

Start off by thinking about the services you provide or your product range. Then, consider the following topics or ideas and how you can incorporate them into your content marketing messages.

People have an inbuilt need to feel connected: Share ideas to help your prospects connect with useful contacts. The Wall Street Journal wrote about how I achieved this for one of my clients – 4 Marketing Strategies That Paid Off For Small Companies.

People also have an inbuilt need to belong: Share the opportunity to become part of your community. Lots of content marketing fails to address this. Newsletter creators talk about their ‘list’. Podcasters and Youtubers talk about their ‘subscribers’. These are all self-focused. Instead, do as I have done and build a community.

For example, when one of my community hits reply to my newsletter, they can email me direct. And they always, always get an answer from me. No AI. No automation. Just me. I make it very clear that I’m part of the same community as you… the small business owner community. Your prospects value that kind of connection. They’re less attracted to being part of an impersonal list.

Everyone is trying to succeed at something: Share ideas to help your prospects achieve their targets, goals or dreams. Obviously, as with pretty-much every topic here, if you offer a specific product or service that can help them in this area, incorporate that into the content.

We all need to feel safe and secure: Share ideas to help your prospects reduce risk or feel safer.

Everyone wants to avoid wasting time: Share ideas to help your prospects maximize their time, or help them complete certain tasks faster, etc. I’m not a time management expert, but I’ve shared tons of ideas in this area, based on decades of running a successful business, without working crazy hours. The response is always excellent. So don’t be put off sharing from your experience.

People want to improve and expand their knowledge: Share your industry knowledge, sure. But also share your experience with them. For example, if you’re an accountant, don’t just focus on tax, profit and loss or the latest business news. They can get that anywhere. Tell them the common factors you’ve identified in successful businesses. And the ones you’ve identified in those that flounder or fail.

Your specific experience is extremely valuable. It sets you apart from all your competitors. And in doing so, you make it far easier for prospects to feel a sense of connection with you.

We also want to avoid unnecessary stress: Share ideas to help your prospects feel more relaxed and assured. If there’s a specific product or service you offer, which can assist them with this, incorporate that into the message or idea.

Aim for unmissable

Are any of those topics missing from your content marketing? If they are, look for ways to incorporate them. Because this kind of useful, relevant information is the cornerstone of successful marketing. You’ll know you have the balance right, when your content marketing is so useful that people would miss it if you stopped.

You may want to publish your newsletter differently. Here’s why!

By Jim Connolly | May 27, 2024

I have an idea to share with you today regarding newsletter marketing. Specifically, how to reach a wider spread of your readership. Just think how that could help you increase your sales or client enquiries.

It starts with an accidental discovery I made years ago, when switching email marketing providers.

People sometimes ask me why I often publish my newsletter on a public holiday or on a Sunday. These are 2 days when far fewer of by readers are likely to be at work or focusing on work. The answer is that I publish when I have something useful to share with you. And I usually write and publish on the same day. That’s it.

I then noticed something extremely interesting when I dug into the email software analytics.

I discovered that my newsletters tend to get a similar open rate on Sundays and public holidays as they do on a regular week day.

However, the mix of readers is very different!

Many readers who open 90% or more of my weekday newsletters, seldom open those I send at different times.
But readers who seldom open my newsletter on a weekday, are far more likely to open those I send on a Sunday or public holiday.

If you have a set day and time to publish your newsletter, it’s worth testing an alternate day and/or time. It is entirely possible your marketing message will reach a far wider number of your overall readership.

Tip: I wrote this post about how to increase your email marketing open rates that you may find useful.

Photo: Miguel Á. Padriñán Pexels.com

How to increase your email marketing open rates

By Jim Connolly | March 4, 2024

One area I often get asked about, is how to improve email marketing open rates. So, I thought I’d share 10 of the most common reasons why emails remain unopened.

In no particular order.

1. The recipient of your email uses Gmail

Gmail automatically dumps valid emails into the recipient’s promotions folder. This means they get no notification when your emails arrive. As such, open rates plummet. I know from personal experience that my Gmail newsletter subscribers miss over 90% of my emails, unless they’ve added my email address to their contacts list. This happens, even though they used Gmail to double opt-in to receive my stuff.

2. Your email subject line didn’t motivate the recipient to open it

Obviously, people only discover how valuable or interesting your email is, after they’ve read it. To read it they need to open it and to open it, the email subject line needs to motivate them. It needs to compel them to want to find out. Getting this right is trickier than it sounds. That’s because many of the words used to inspire people to open an email, are also triggers for junk mail filters.

3. You sent the email at the wrong time of day or on the wrong day

This can have a massive impact. Despite what some people say, there’s no universally ideal day or perfect time to optimize email open rates. For example, different timing is required for when you target consumers, compared to when you target businesses. Different times also work better for different industries. For example, hotels work completely different hours than accountants. They also have totally different peak times, when they’re unavailable to check email and are least likely to see your message. One time doesn’t work for all. Test and measure until you find your email open rate sweet-spot.

4. The recipient’s email address is on a list you bought

If you’re using a list you bought, rather than one you grew yourself, you’re emailing strangers. And to make things worse, the strangers on these ‘sold lists’ get bombarded with tons of marketing emails, from all the others who bought their email address. This means they’re far more likely to have very, very aggressive email filters.

5. Your list is out of date

Some people work so hard to build their list, that they very seldom remove inactive contacts from it. As a result their lists contain lots of addresses that no longer exist or are no longer monitored. Non-existent email addresses will register as ‘bounces’, and are easily cleaned with email marketing software. Unmonitored addresses, for example, when someone’s left a company, but their email hasn’t been deleted from the system, can still receive emails, so they don’t bounce. Most email marketing software will let you automatically delete contacts after ‘X’ number go unopened. Use it.

6. The content of a previous email didn’t engage the reader

Your next email campaign’s open rate will be impacted by how successful your last email campaign was. The people who failed to engage with your previous campaign, will be less motivated to open the next one. Remember: You never have ‘a list’. You need to earn and re-earn their permission. So stay useful.

7. You send marketing emails direct from your desktop email software

This is a universally terrible idea. Always use a trusted, commercial email marketing provider. These providers can deliver over 99% of your emails every time. By sending your marketing emails via your computer’s regular email program, even to a relatively small list, your IP address can get blacklisted for sending too many identical emails. Once blacklisted, your emails won’t even reach the recipient’s junk folder. Tip: You can check if your IP address is blocked, using Spamhaus.

8. The email content triggered email filters

One of the ways your email junk filter protects you from spam, is by checking the content of incoming emails. If an email contains certain words, this increases the likelihood of that email being junked. These words range from swear words, to words and phrases often used by spammers. Tip: Think hard about the wording you use in your calls-to-action.

9. The email contained too many links or images.

This is closely connected to the previous point. One of the tricks spammers use to bypass junk filters, is to hide their spammy words in images, rather than write the words in regular text. Another common factor in spam is the use of lots of links; certainly more than a regular email might have. So, go easy on the number of images and links.

10. You built your list by offering a freebie

Something internet marketing gurus often fail to mention, is that people seldom use their primary email addresses for give-aways. If your list was built on the back of offering lead magnets, be aware that a subset of the contacts on your list may not be regularly monitored.

Email is a spectacularly powerful marketing tool. And sometimes just a few improvements can lead to dramatically better results. So, take a look at the above points. See if you can identify anything you’re missing, which will improve your email marketing open rates.

Photo by Miguel Á. Padriñán on Pexels.com

Write short. Be understood

By Jim Connolly | November 24, 2023

People’s attention spans have never been shorter. This includes your prospective clients or customers, which is why your writing needs to get to the point. Fast. This is something known as, writing short.

Writing short

As you’ll know if you’ve followed my work for a while, I’m an advocate of learning how to write short. (Roy Peter Clark introduced the phrase to me). It’s not for everything you write. Just for those times when space is limited or you want to get an extremely focused message across.

Here are some specific examples, where writing short is essential.

Email subject lines.
Tweets.
Event hand-outs.
Advertising copy.
Store signs.
Elevator pitches.
Messaging on products / packaging.
Political slogans.
Headlines.
Banners.
Social media profiles.
Flyers.
Vehicle signage.
Website buttons.
Calls to action.

That kind of thing.

So, what’s the problem?

By default, most business owners write long and see no reason to write short. And it’s perfectly understandable why this happens.

Think about it.

The internet provides you with endless writing space. You can add an unlimited number of pages to a website, with an unlimited number of words on each page. Your newsletter or marketing emails can be as long as you wish. In other words, you have far more space than you need.

So on the face of it, you have very little motivation to use fewer words than you currently do.

Except you really have.

Write short: The rewards are huge

That’s why I strongly recommend you learn to write with as few words as necessary. It’s a great way to improve your email open rates, get better advertising results, improve your click through rates, get prospects to take action and lots, lots more.

To get you started, here’s some tips on how to write short, from the best writers in the world.

Sorry to disturb you

By Jim Connolly | November 23, 2023

why email marketing doesn't work, why email marketing works ,email marketing

I received a marketing email earlier, which contained a serious error. This error will have dramatically reduced its conversion rate. Here’s what happened, so you can avoid it from happening to you.

The email copy started with the following 4 words: “Sorry to disturb you”.

There’s a lot of information packed into those 4 words. Enough for the vast majority of those who received it, to form an opinion on the sender.

The sender knew what they were doing was wrong, which is why they opened with an apology.
The sender also knew that their email was a disturbance. An unrequested interruption from someone I’ve never heard of.
Knowing all this, they still decided to send it anyway.

Like others who received that email, I stopped reading after the opening sentence. After all, a stranger had interrupted us, without our consent, to tell us that what we were about to read is just spam. It’s an instant delete.

What if the email had been valuable?

That email may have contained a useful message. It might have offered an outstanding deal. It could have provided details of a wonderful opportunity. But their email marketing let them down. So no one will know. The copy they used, the list they used and the tone of their opening line destroyed their email campaign.

Oblivious to this, the sender will be wondering why they received no positive response. Especially if they genuinely had something valuable to share. They’ll perhaps be pondering whether they need to lower their prices, or if email marketing is a waste of time, or if their great offer isn’t actually great.

If we consider this to be merely an example of ineffective email marketing, we totally miss the point!

It’s way, way bigger than that.

This example provides us with a powerful insight into how easy it is, for a business owner to offer an amazing product or service, only for ineffective marketing to let them down. It’s the difference between being inundated with sales and enquiries or being greeted with silence.

The great news

Thankfully, it also gives you an insight into how quickly you can massively increase your sales, when you decide to improve just one area of your marketing.

Now multiply that potential by every other marketing activity you’re doing, and 2024 can easily be your most successful year ever. This is true, no matter how challenging things have been for you.

New is getting old

By Jim Connolly | November 9, 2023

marketing risk, new, change, fear of change

When it comes to creating a powerful marketing message and attracting customers, the word ‘new‘ is overrated. New is a very loaded word and can destroy your marketing results.

There are 3 broad reasons for this.

The newest product or service is always a riskier bet. At best, it’s a bigger gamble than the trusted incumbent. At worst, the customer feels like a paying guinea pig.
The newest product or service is seldom the best. It lacks the improvements that come from years of feedback. It lacks the robustness that comes from stress-testing.
New doesn’t last for long. This makes it a short-term marketing message. Anything that’s new is only new for now.

A dozen better alternatives

Given the challenges of using the word new, I recommend you replace it with something more compelling. More motivating. More attractive. To get you started, here are 12 alternatives.

A faster way.
A more enjoyable way.
A cleaner way.
A proven way.
A stylish way.
An profitable way.
A premium quality way.
An ethical way.
An exciting way.
A safer way.
A more reliable way.
A cost effective way.

What next?

Take a look through your marketing and search for opportunities to replace new with a better alternative. This is usually in situations where new is used as the only adjective.

Also, you can apply this to your presentations, negotiations or meetings. For example, if you’re trying to sell a new product, service or idea to someone, they’re more likely to pay attention when you tell them about your ‘more profitable way’ of doing something, than your ‘new way’ of doing something.

Finally, in situations where you need to use the word new, such as a press release or product launch, combine it with another word. For example, new and improved.

Photo by Werner Du plessis

Stop using buzzwords in your marketing. Seriously. Stop it

By Jim Connolly | October 23, 2023

remove buzzwords, marketing copy, clarity sells

One thing in business is certain. There’s no shortage of buzzwords and phrases. Here are just some that I’ve seen in use recently.

Knowledge transfer.
Price point.
Intersection.
Deep dive.
Disrupt.
Ruckus.
Knowledge transfer.
Ideate.
Pragmatic.
Whiteboard it.
Paradigm.

Buzzwords are used by people, in an effort to appear informed or fashionable. Interestingly, using buzzwords has the total opposite effect.

Here’s how they work against us and our marketing.

Buzzwords make informed people cringe. Not only is this embarrassing, it’s a terrible idea if we want our peers to take us seriously or recommend us.
Buzzwords confuse the uninformed. And that’s the last thing we need, when we want people to understand our message.

In short, buzzwords not only add nothing positive to our marketing, they actively weaken it. And because they’re totally unnecessary, we can remove them with no negative impact.

Remember: One of the keys to effective marketing is to always aim for clarity.

Photo by Kim Gorga on Unsplash

Tonight we’re gonna market like it’s 1999

By Jim Connolly | September 28, 2023

Today you will be served hundreds, maybe thousands of advertisements. You’ll also be sent dozens of spam emails and texts. And one thing they all have in common is that you will ignore them.

But a targeted letter, sent to you, in a plain envelope, which addresses you by name, WILL get opened.

It will have your attention. And this is great news for you and your business.

Pushing the envelope

If you send a marketing letter like the example above, you will enjoy the same impact. Your message will be seen. And you’ll have the attention of your prospective client or customer.

As long as your message is well written and provides them with something of genuine value, you could win big.

What next?

To start with, target 5 or 10 prospects with that same approach every week. Soon, you’ll have lots of actual, prospective clients to follow-up. Lots of irons in the fire. A steady, regular flow of leads.

Just because email marketing is so cheap that everyone is using it, doesn’t mean you should ignore investing in small-scale direct mail marketing. In fact, that deluge of email is precisely what makes your marketing letter stand out and get opened.

Photo by Mediamodifier on Unsplash