I’ve been studying a ton of ecomm emails lately, especially in the pet industry (because that’s where I’d like to hang my hat.)
And the one thing I’ve found is that many of them talk to my dog instead of me. 🤨
Worse yet, they keep trying to be clever.
But is “too clever” leaving sales on the table? It’s worth exploring and testing if you’re in the pet niche.
Again, my direct response background comes into play here. And maybe I’m totally wrong.
But I don’t think so.
In direct response, clever is a space waster. A crutch for bad copy. And should be left out at all costs. Period.
Being cute and clever does NOT drive the reader to the sell…even if it might make them chuckle.
Is it different in ecomm? Maybe.
But here’s my take…
Yes, you need to have personality. But when companies overdo it (again, especially in the pet niche) they water down the message.
And I can almost guarantee it costs them sales.
The fact is – you’re not writing to a dog. You’re writing to the owner.
So stuff like “Fetch Your Savings” isn’t necessary. I ain’t fetching shit.
(Yes, I actually got an email that said that. I’ll be nice and not expose the company.)
As a dog owner I might “Claim my 20% off”, I might click to “Get 20% off now” (which i always like because it sounds easy)…but I won’t fetch it.
It doesn’t make me want to act. Isn’t that the point of an email?
Remind them why they checked you out in the first place, and get them over to the page to buy. That’s it. Make people act is the name of the game in email.
We’ll talk more about likability and all that in another email, but when you boil it down, action is the goal.
“Save 20% on food that keeps your dog out of the vet” is what gets me, as a HUMAN, excited and clicking.
Here’s the deal…
I’m a pet owner. I love my dog more than I do most people.
Some of those people are even family.
* I watch how my dog walks to make sure she’s not developing hip problems.
* I worry if she’s not eating,
* I wonder if she’s getting enough nutrition
* I panic that her paw licking means allergies and forever prescriptions
* When her stomach grumbles I wonder what’s in her food making that happen
* And I watch her sleep like psycho wondering if her bed is comfy and supportive enough.
By the way, my dog doesn’t have a credit card.
She’s not the one that’s reading the email, pulling out her credit card, and pushing buttons to make the purchase.
The human makes the purchase. So talk to the human.
So my take…
Go for likability and personality that’s fine. But not clever.
Imagine if your ecomm store was a brick and mortar store. And one of your employees told a shopper, “Yeah come on over here and fetch some savings”.
Would you allow that?
Nope! You’d fire his/her ass…or at least a good talking to.
Why is email any different?
Winkflo does a good job at talking to the owner, not the damn pet.
This email talks to me about a problem I have with dog fur.
Lint rollers don’t work and are hard to use. Winkflo knows this.
Probably from research in forums and product reviews.
But a Wagmitt? That sounds like it might work. Clearing up fur in seconds is something that serves me. I’m interested. I’ll click over and see what’s up with that.
The dog doesn’t care that she sheds. In fact I’m pretty sure she’s got a little smile on her face when she sees me picking her fur off the ground and emptying basically another dog out of the vacuum.
Winkflo knows this, and talks directly to me about a problem I have.
So yeah, until I see some proof, I’m sticking to my guns here.
Too clever is hurting sales for these companies whether they realize it or not.
Because they’re talking to the wrong buyer in the house.