0:04
"Make it simple. Make it memorable. Make it inviting to look at. Make it fun to read." This is a quote from Leo Burnett, one of America's iconic advertisers. He's behind legendary campaigns for Coca-Cola, McDonald's, and Hallmark. And he built a company worth hundreds of millions of dollars on the foundation of creating campaigns and copy that authentically connect with customers. Now, how do you do that exactly?
0:27
In this lesson, you're going to learn how to write simple, memorable, fun copy by focusing on what not to do. You'll learn four mistakes that will kill your copy and your customer's attention right away. The good news is you don't have to have an MBA from Stanford to be able to write copy that converts your subscribers into customers. In fact, that actually might hurt. So let's get right into the first mistake to avoid. Number 1, writing to everyone.
0:52
When you're writing, I want you to imagine that you're writing to your ideal customer. If you don't have one yet, take a few minutes to dig into who has purchased the most product from you or who you imagine will be the dream customer. Your starting point should always be your ideal customer. Number 2 mistake, writing an essay. I recommend you keep your copy to five sentences or less, and keep it at a 6th grade reading level.
1:18
Remember that most people will be reading your email on their phone or have limited time. They want you to get to the point. Number 3 mistake, a complete lack of personality. Many big-box ecommerce sites sound like what they are-- big corporations without a soul. They don't connect. They don't engage. They hardly sell the value of the products they offer. Nobody likes chatting with a faceless corporation.
1:42
As an entrepreneur, you get to set the tone. Aim to have a conversation with your ideal customer. Share advice and be helpful and engaging. Your customer will reward you for it. Number 4 mistake, being pushy. There's nothing worse than signing up for an email list that's all sales and no value. It's like meeting up with a friend who keeps talking at you and doesn't ask how you are or what you care about, not sure why you'd want to meet up with that person in the first place.
2:08
Aim to create value. Integrate educational content that can provide real value to your customers. Ask them questions. Get them engaged. So now you know the four email copywriting mistakes to avoid. To recap, they are-- number 1, writing to everyone; number 2, writing an essay; number 3, a complete lack of brand personality; and number 4, being all sales.
2:32
I always find that my emails come out more authentic and avoid these mistakes if I just dictate them into my iPhone then clean them up later. You might start there. If you haven't done so yet, I highly recommend you start subscribing to ecommerce emails to start collecting examples of what can work for you. Taylor Stitch, Chubbies, and my own blog, nerdmarketing.com, all feature some interesting, original copywriting. Now, head to the next lesson, and we'll put it all together and show how to design your emails.
