If you want to create a buzz in the world of education, your email marketing needs to be outstanding.
Your copy needs to be well written and concise, and images should be relevant and interesting. Make sure you stand out in the inbox by coming up with a killer subject line. And don’t forget to put some thought into good supporting preview text.
And finally, your Call to Action needs to be fantastic!
Let’s be absolutely clear about this, a great Call to Action is vital… The Call to Action you include in your emails to teachers could be the difference between a mediocre campaign and a fantastic one.
In the seconds after a teacher or school decision maker opens your email, they will scan, assess, and decide what to do with your message. And that decision will be heavily influenced by your Call to Action.
Short on time? Use our quick guide to create a great Call to Action
Go there nowA highly effective Call to Action can be achieved in just three steps:
1. Decide what you want them to do
2. Tell them what you want
3. Make it easy for them to do it
It’s that simple!
Are you directing them to your website? Build in a clear direction to visit the site, with a link to take them through to the correct page with one click.
Do you have a survey you want them to fill in? Make the button directing them there the focus of your email. Don’t file it away at the bottom of the message, because some busy teachers and decision makers may never make it that far.
So, where should your main call to action appear?
Ideally, as close to the top as possible.
The phrase ‘above the fold’ once referred to the content on the front page of a newspaper that would be visible on the newsstand when the paper was folded in half. It’s now often used to describe the top half of an email.
Research shows that 80% of your readers’ time will be spent reading ‘above the fold’. In addition, with the ‘peek feature’ on the iPhone, many people will be looking at the top part of your email before they ever open it.
This means that it is really important to include your main message in that prime space.
What, exactly, is a Call to Action?
Simply put, your Call to Action is an instruction to your reader. And it’s not all about buttons. Calls to Action, like people, come in many shapes and sizes.
We’re all familiar with the buttons that appear in marketing emails and on websites, inviting, instructing, or even urging us to do something.
This is one highly effective example of a Call to Action (who doesn’t sometimes get tempted to push an interesting looking button?).
But don’t underestimate the value of some other, more subtle examples when crafting your emails to teachers.
Make sure your logo is linked to your website. Have relevant images linked to corresponding pages. And link selected text to relevant content on your website.
What should it say?
For text links and buttons, it’s really important to think carefully about the copy you use. In those few short words, you need to tell teachers and decision makers what you want them to do, and why they should.
Highlight the benefit to the reader; what will they get out of it? Dynamic language, and words that create urgency are often shown to help (e.g. Get your free sample now).
How important is design when it comes to Calls to Action?
A well-designed email will focus attention on the main Call to Action. It will place it at its heart, and build out around it.
The position of your calls to action, use of white space, and even shapes will have an impact on how effective it is.
If you would like more help on creating a great marketing email for schools, get in touch to find out what we can do for you.
Get in touch now
