Does Urgency Help In E-mail Marketing?
As anyone who has an e-mail account knows, subject lines from marketers are beginning to look more and more alike. The trend is to boast a percentage off, free shipping, buy-one-get-one free, etc., all designed to create a sense of urgency to utilize a special offer while it lasts. But is this urgency real? And does it work?
Creating a sense of urgency in an e-mail marketing campaign does in certain situations help, especially when taking advantage of timing and holidays.
In the article "3 Ways to Build Urgency In E-Mail Subject Lines", Rebecca Swayze discusses some of the benefits of creating urgency in e-mail marketing.
“To boost sales before a major holiday, retailers use their subject lines to highlight products, offer discounts and stress the importance of ordering early for shipping purposes,” Swayze said. “According to MarketingSherpa’s 2010 Email Marketing Benchmark Report, the top three types of subject lines that compel subscribers to open e-mails contain one of these: Discount Offer, Free Product Offer, Familiar Brand Name.”
Although these tactics can compel consumers to open and click on the e-mail, it can lead to a slippery slope if done too frequently. Urgent discount messages may work for new subscribers, however if the e-mails come too often, long-time subscribers will catch on and feel no sense of urgency to open them. These over-saturated consumers will have been conditioned to recognize the urgency as a hoax and realize they can wait a couple of days to receive the same, if not better, offer. In turn, this leaves the consumer skeptical about the credibility of the claims, unmotivated to open the e-mails, and can give them the impression they never should pay full price again.
In the article "The e-mail that cried wolf, deliverability and the unemotionally subscribed", Mark Brownlow discusses the impact that the long-term urgent effect can have.
“That long-term effect has two other potential downsides. First, if you teach me to distrust your subject lines, how does that impact my broader trust in your company? Second, if they really do have a one-time-only sale, I'm not going to take it seriously,” Brownlow said.
The goal is to create urgency when the offer is in fact urgent. If utilized correctly, the e-mail campaign can generate immediate sales and even return customers; however, if used too frequently consumers could resent the overflow of “urgent” deals. Most importantly, marketers should incorporate other, more creative ways for consumers to engage with the e-mail.
To learn more about increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of your e-mail marketing, visit the digital marketing professionals at The JLS Agency.
