Email recipients are lazy. There we said it! Let’s be honest, when it comes to emails, we want to quickly find the ones that are important, get rid of the ones that aren’t, and get on with our day.
That also goes for the content of the email. Your message needs to quickly convey what it is you’re trying to get across and encourage the reader to engage. There used to be a time when you could put everything you wanted to say in the body of the email and then encourage action at the end, unfortunately, this just isn’t cutting the mustard anymore.
Smart links are the perfect way to keep readers engaged and interested without suffering from information overload.
All too often we see links in emails such as read more, more info, click here. These techniques were great 20 years ago when emails were relatively new as they gave the reader an instruction to engage with. Everyone was using a desktop computer with a separate mouse and the instruction made sense but now we all know what a link looks like and how to use one. Plus with so many people reading emails on phones and tablets having links to more information at the bottom of an email simply isn’t enough. People want easy to digest information and they want it now!
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We’ll give you an example: say your company rents out holiday cottages and you are highlighting a particular cottage. You describe the features and benefits in the body of the email and then at the bottom is a link saying “read more” which takes recipients through to the full listing. You are expecting your reader to invest a significant amount of time in actually reading the email all the way through, getting to the read more link, and wanting to click on it. Not only does it look clunky, it’s also not how people are consuming information any more. Emails are no longer perceived to be something to invest time in, readers want to get to the point as fast as possible unless it’s something interesting. You need to be engaging to keep readers interested and ultimately get a click-through to your website.
There is zero point in leaving all the good bits until the end, get the key bits of information in there quickly and get readers excited!
There’s no need to worry though, there are a few things you can do to persuade readers to keep going or take positive action towards making a purchase in the body of the email. By using smart links throughout your campaign in a different colour and/or underlined they will stand out while your recipient is reading over the copy, which means a split second’s more attention. More attention means an increased likelihood of clicking the link and being directed to the thing you want them to see. Hurrah! It also helps you keep the length of the email down by ensuring only the very key bits of information are included, another excellent step in keeping recipients engaged. Another great thing about embedded smart links? They direct the reader’s skimming eye to the information you want them to read first so you stay in control.
Carrying on with the holiday cottage example from above, if you were describing picturesque views or saying it’s close to local beaches you would link the words “picturesque views” and “local beaches”. The reader instantly knows what they’re expecting to see when they click on these links and can make a decision without you having to describe each one in detail in the email. It also makes it significantly more likely that these are the phrases they will see immediately after opening your email, enticing them further to take a look. After all these are the main selling points for the holiday cottage so why wouldn’t they want to find out exactly how picturesque the views and how lovely those local beaches actually are!
Your marketing emails should make it as easy as possible for the recipient to take whatever action you’re trying to make them take, whether that’s subscribing to your email list or clicking through to your website to make a purchase. Smart links are key. Ditch clunky “click here’s” for smart links and see your engagement rates increase. Next time you’re skimming through your inbox (we know you do it) take a look for yourself and see which emails use smart links and which don’t. We’re willing to bet the ones that do attract your attention.
To find out how Smart Messenger can work for your business get in touch with our team on 01603 858 250 or email us on communicate@smartmessenger.co.uk, we’ll be happy to help and can even offer a free demo.
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