Author: Chris Pearson, Partner & Email Marketing Specialist at 3BM
A few years back my grandmother started mentioning issues with her eyesight.
She told us, “I’m seeing spotty patches.”
At first, we thought she may have hit her head or was feeling dehydrated, but…
A few weeks later, she mentioned the “spotty patches” in her field of vision again.
That’s when my family got her an appointment for an eye exam.
Sure enough, she was diagnosed with Glaucoma.
And this is why I’m breaking this email down, today.
Because glaucoma, as you’ll read in this email, affects over 76 million people worldwide. It’s also estimated that 50% of those affected don’t even know they have it.
It’s what’s called a “sneaky disease.”
Eyesight is one of those senses we take for granted until it’s too late.
Glaucoma isn’t the end, but it sure does suck.
Brands like this one help spread awareness and offer products that help those in need.
Introducing:
The idea for 4AllFamily was born after an incident in the summer of 2018.
The founders witnessed their diabetic friend discover his insulin had been spoiled.
This ignited a passion in them to build high-capacity coolers designed to withstand even the most extreme summer conditions.
Click here to Learn more about this brand’s story.
Rules: The Email Muse
Each week, I venture through the marketing wilderness to find highly-effective ecommerce sales emails… and I shine a light on what made them work.
My goal with this weekly tangle with the email muse is to teach you strategies and tactics you can use with your emails.
Where do I find these magical electronic pieces of mail? My inbox, mostly, since I’m signed up to lists that I want to be on. I also take suggestions from readers who have a stellar email they’d like to share.
Did you get an email recently that made you smile, your eyes tear up, or flat out gut punched you? I want to see it.
Forward the email to me at (chris at threebeaconmarketing dot com) with a brief note about what you liked about it. If I choose to break it down, I’ll give you a shoutout and link back to your site.
And no forwarding me your own emails. That’s the only rule.
Capeesh?
Let’s get started.
Subject Line: Emoji + Turn of Phrase
A cheeky but direct subject line from 4AllFamily:
They start this subject line with an emoji, which still is a pattern interrupt in most inboxes. The first step is to get attention.
The second step is to turn that attention into action, which I believe they do with their turn of phrase after the emoji.
Once the reader clicks on this email, they get the…
Opening Paragraph: Reason Why + Problem
The first line or paragraph is important because it can either drive the reader away or hook them into the rest of the body copy.
Here, I believe, 4AllFamily hooks the reader in:
The brand continues the pun “keeping an eye on your health” to emphasize just how important our eye sight is to our lives.
They then introduce WHY they are emailing.
Finally, they explain the devastating outcome when glaucoma is missed or ignored.
These three things psychologically hook the reader in, if they are curious or concerned about this disease, either for themself or for a loved one.
Why this Brand is Talking About World Glaucoma Day
4AllFamily keeps the reader’s attention and expand on World Glaucoma Day and how it relates to their brand.
This is the WHY behind the brand talking about this specific topic:
The medicine coolers are the connection between glaucoma and this brand.
They lean into how important it is to maintain eyesight, as well as being helpful by sharing some information on the disease.
Agitate the Problem
4AllFamily continues with problem agitation:
Many emails miss agitating the problem. Why? They don’t want to “upset” the reader.
But…
If you don’t remind them of the pain/discomfort, they won’t consider your brand/product as the solution to relieve that pain.
There are many ways to agitate the problem.
You can share a story, describe a situation, or deliver a fact.
4AllFamily goes with a statistic (fact) to agitate the problem, and…
Plant the seed that you may have glaucoma and not even know it.
This is the agitation, because it injects paranoia and concern into the reader’s life.
Why would we want to do something like that?
If the reader is not feeling something while reading, then they’re not truly paying attention.
We have to get and keep the reader’s attention to get a chance at delivering our message.
Why World Glaucoma Day Matters + the “Sneaky Disease”
I think 4AllFamily missed a great opportunity here to get more attention and convert that into website visitors (if not customers).
Here’s where they buried their lead:
They first mention why glaucoma day is so important.
They offer a reminder to get your eyes checked regularly.
And they even encourage us to learn about the risk factors and treatment options.
Here’s the buried lead:
“…for this sneaky disease.”
When you imagine a sneaky disease, what do you see in your mind’s eye?
I imagine an assassin sneaking through a town, looking for their mark. Someone who does not suspect a thing. A person innocent and unaware that their life is about to change forever.
What if 4AllFamily led their email with a story that put the images and feelings in the reader’s mind that they were being stalked and targeted?
These are similar emotions to finding out that you have glaucoma. It’s a little bit of surprise plus some regret they didn’t check sooner. They may even feel betrayed by their own body.
You see…
This is where a ton of missed opportunities for selling with email exist for brands.
The emotional resonance is where you hook people and keep them all the way through your copy.
Get and keep attention = sell more products.
Intro: “Making Health Management a Breeze”
4AllFamily makes a promise and introduces their products:
After the brand agitates the problem, what logically comes next?
The solution to the agitated problem.
Anything else and you’re keeping your reader “in pain” for longer than they need to be.
Here, 4AllFamily makes a big promise and links out to their medicine coolers.
One thing I would test is spending a line or two unpacking what a “medicine cooler” actually means to the customer.
When I first heard of their product, I thought about the red and white organ transportation coolers you see in movies.
But…
That’s not what 4AllFamily offers their customers.
They offer a more convenient and effective product, one you have to learn more about to see yourself (or a loved one) using.
The Solution Mechanism: How the Brand Helps
Once you get some information on the solution, what’s next?
How the solution works, or…
The mechanism:
It’s important that you don’t bypass HOW your solution works, is different, and helps your customer.
This is what’s called the “mechanism.”
Our brains tend to fill in information gaps with what we already know.
This means that if we don’t give our customers what they need to know in order to make our offer unique to the market and unique to the customer, then the customer will fill that information gap with something they already know… say, a competitor’s offer or an educated guess from their existing knowledge.
This is why “an image is worth a thousand words” is such a dangerous principle.
Because we don’t know what those words will be for each reader.
With copy, we can use the words we mean and guide the images that do show up for each reader.
Sharing HOW something works can create a new neural pathway in the brain to separate your offers/products from all the others the customer has already seen or encountered prior.
It’s like seeing one orange flamingo in a flock of pink ones.
Your mechanism is what makes your brand, product, offer standout from the crowd–or in this case, the flock.
Restate The Intent
Here, 4AllFamily re states their intent with this email:
What does restating their intent do for the reader?
It starts to close the loop on the question “what’s in it for me?”
Every single reader, whether they’re aware of it or not, want that question answered.
When you restate your intent, you remind the reader why they started reading in the first place.
Humor + Call-to-Action
Injecting humor into this serious medical topic helps lighten the mood and bring the reader in close.
Suggesting that they schedule an eye exam does not “sell” 4AllFamily’s products, but…
It does deliver goodwill. The brand is focused on helping the patient, above all else. This sticks in the reader’s mind. And when they start shopping for medical coolers, they’re more likely to think about 4AllFamily.
The Sign Off + Button to Shop Products
4AllFamily finishes out the email with a sign off that thanks the reader.
They also use a direct CTA to their medicine cooler products.
After all the goodwill they gave in the email above, they’re more likely to get clicks on the CTA.
One thing to keep in mind, here, is that if you don’t ask for action, you don’t get action.
What You Learned
Phew…
That was a monster of a breakdown.
Glad you stuck it out with me.
Here’s the tl;dr of what you learned today:
- Glaucoma affects 76 million people worldwide. Get your eyes checked.
- Pattern interrupts get attention, but you have to keep that attention to sell.
- Give a reason why you’re emailing. Make sure it matters to the reader.
- State the problem and then agitate it to keep attention.
- Share why your brand is talking about a specific topic so the reader has a reason to listen.
- A lot of people “bury the lead” in their copy. Give it a day or two of “rest” and see if you can find a better way to open your email from what you already wrote.
- Make a promise and back it up with your products.
- Unpack HOW your products work to make your brand stand out from the crowd
- Restating your intent before asking for action can “close the loop” on your message for the reader.
- Using humor and personality makes the email feel like it’s from a human and not a robot or AI.
- Ask for action or you won’t get action.
Now what?
- Join the {NEWSLETTER NAME}, where you’ll get 1 piece of advice on how to grow your brand with marketing.
- Book a call with 3BM
- Click here to learn more about 4AllFamily and their products.