The 30 magic marketing words you should be using | Email Marketing Words
Language is a powerful tool — it enables you to connect with audiences and spur them to take action. For email marketers, the importance of using the “right” words cannot be overstated. Which word or phrase will click with your subscribers and nudge them to open emails, click to visit your website or make a purchase?
Many words have the ability to motivate. The trick is determining which ones work for your business and your particular situation. A word or phrase that performs well in one campaign may not be the best option for your next campaign. Trial and error, and of course A/B testing, can help you narrow down which words connect with your audience.
Open rates are a crucial metric in determining the success of an email marketing campaign. To maximize open rates, it’s important to use power words in your email subject lines that grab the reader’s attention and create a sense of urgency. Understanding your buyer persona is also crucial in creating an effective email marketing campaign, as it helps you tailor your messaging and calls to action to your target audience. open rates email marketing campaign power words buyer persona call to action sense of urgency transactional emails blog posts marketing efforts plain text lead nurturing email subject lines. Transactional emails, such as confirmation or receipt emails, can also be used as an opportunity to reinforce your brand and continue lead nurturing. In addition to email marketing spam filter, other marketing efforts, such as blog posts, can also be used to drive traffic to your site and build brand awareness. When creating emails email marketing words, it’s important to consider using both plain text and HTML formats, as plain text emails often have higher open rates and can create a more personal and intimate connection with your audience.
To get you started, try some of the following “magic marketing words” in your next email or social post. (Don’t hesitate to use them on your print marketing and your website too.)
- You: Write as if you were speaking directly to the customer. Make it about the reader, not about yourself.
- Because: Give customers a compelling reason to take action.
- Free: Don’t underestimate the appeal of “free.”
- Value: Highlight the value that customers receive for their money. “Cost” or “price” imply losing something – in this case, money.
- Guaranteed: Make readers feel they have everything to gain and nothing to lose.
- Amazing/incredible: Customers respond to something out of the ordinary. But be careful not to overuse these terms, or they lose their power.
- Easy: Let subscribers know how much easier life will be with your product or service, and then make it simple for them to take the next step in the purchasing process.
- Discover: Imply there is something new and unknown to the customer, something that offers distinct benefits and gives them an edge.
- Act now: Motivate an immediate response with a limited-time offer.
- Everything included/everything you need: Establish that your product or service is all your customers will have to buy in order to achieve their goal.
- Never: Use this to point out a “negative benefit,” such as “never worry again,” or “never overpay again.”
- New: Like “free,” “new” has the ability to make people sit up and take notice.
- Save: The best, clearest word to showcase monetary or time savings.
- Proven: Remind customers that your product, service or business is tried and true.
- Safe and effective: Minimize risk perception for health and monetary loss.
- Powerful: Let customers know that your business, product or service is robust.
- Real results: Everyone wants results.
- Secret: Is your product or service the secret to success? Let customers know you can reveal that secret.
- The: This implies your solution is the be-all and end-all. Consider the difference: “3 Solutions for Marketing Success” vs. “The 3 Solutions for Marketing Success.”
- Instant: Instant access or downloads are more appealing than waiting.
- How to…: Help your readers accomplish a challenging task or goal.
- Elite: Invite newbies to join the highly desirable club you’re hosting.
- Premium: Premium helps denote high quality.
- Caused by: If your email campaigns build a case for your product, transitional phrases such as “caused by,” “therefore” and “thus” reinforce the logic of a purchase.
- More: Do you offer more than your competitors? Show it.
- Bargain: Customers want a great deal.
- No obligation: Create a win-win situation for your customers.
- 100% money-back guarantee: Again, no risk.
- Huge: A large discount or outstanding offer is difficult to resist.
- Wealth: If you’re selling products and services related to money, wealth is a desirable word for customers.
Bonus: 10 more words and phrases that trigger positive responses in readers
The list of powerful marketing words is nearly endless. Here are some more to consider in your campaigns:
- Complimentary: This works almost as well as “free.”
- Last chance: Inspire urgency.
- Now: No one likes to wait.
- Flash sale: Flash sales create urgency and a sense of being in the know on a great deal.
- Convenient: How will you make readers’ lives easier?
- Breakthrough: Stay on the cutting edge with new solutions customers haven’t seen before.
- Buy one, get one: It’s easy for customers to understand the value you’re offering.
- Thank you: Readers like to feel appreciated.
- Introducing: Let readers know they’re the first to hear about something.
- Join: Encourage readers to join a select community.
And 5 words to avoid
- Miracle: This oversells. Is what you’re offering truly a miracle?
- Revolutionary: This is another oversell. Unless the product or service truly upends its industry, it’s not revolutionary.
- Unique: Everyone uses unique now, so nothing is unique.
- Great: Don’t be generic by using “great.”
- Exciting: This is nearly as generic as “great.”
[Sources: Forbes, 60 Second Marketer, Vocus, Small Business Sense, FiveStars]
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Editor’s note: This post was originally published in January 2014 and has been updated for accuracy and relevance.
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just read King Solomon and apply moderation to everything.
At first I felt that the mails will hit spam box with the use of these keywords. But your explanation of ‘Free Shipping’ was great. I am sure gmail, yahoo spam filters are very well evolved to
understand the sentences and not just get triggered by words.
Rishikesh Somshetti
Hi Sandra,
Thanks for reading! All of these words are perfectly acceptable to use in an email, and the use of the word “Free,” specifically in your email and email subject line won’t send you to spam all on its own. Yes, it’s a trigger word, but it’s fine to use as long as the rest of your email’s content is useful. “Free Shipping” is one of the most popular/commonly used subject lines, particularly during the holidays, and all of those emails are safely delivered to your inbox. Your email’s content is a large determinant as to whether you’ll be flagged as spam. If you’re making outlandish claims, you have bad URLs, your email’s HTML isn’t clean, and you have unengaged readers, then you’re running the risk of being sent to spam more so than for using the word “free.” Hope that clears things up. Thanks again!
Cheers,
Colleen
VerticalResponse
As an online marketing professional, I always try to learn and implement something new. This post is full of ideas to use accurate words while speaking with clients and using words online. Thanks
You’ve mentioned spam words in your list. It’s more important NOT to use words like “Free”, for example. Your email will be marked as spam. I actually wouldn’t trust a lot of those words.
Adding to the magic marketing words, in your sales copy/emails……
“Sell the sizzle, not the steak!”
What I mean by that is:
Let the reader know how it will help them….how it will make their
life easier…how it will save them time……and so on……
Don’t just tell them what all the “bells and whistles” are. Tell them
how all those “bells and whistles” will help them.
Caution – overuse of these 30 words renders the message ineffective & unbelievable.
this is out wonderful collection, very thoughtful, thank you
That’s a great selection of words Brian, especially the word YOU makes wonders, people love to feel that you are actually talk specifically to them and there is no better way to do that on your copy than using YOU language. Additionally there should always be a call to action so words that make readers think that they should act now always work…
Just downloaded the article/blog to my Google Drive.
Great list, folks. Glad to see that we could be of some help with it. You’ve added a bunch more words that I think are terrific. Keep up the good work!
— Jamie Turner
Great information on marketing. Excellent tips!