Page 19 - MyFaith Mag JULY 2016 Web 001

Essentially, that’s what branding is all about. Why should I watch your
program? To justify my attention, you’ve got to be different from all the
others out there. We live in a culture where we don’t have much time,
and we have lots of choices. Make it simple for me.
3. Give Me A Hook
Why should I respond to you or your message? What’s in it that makes
me want more? Why should I care? There are lots of preachers out
there – and some are preaching good messages, but few give me
a reason to watch more. The old radio and TV serials invented the
“cliff-hanger” – leaving the audience in suspense demanding to know
what happens in the next episode. What are you doing that makes the
audience want to come back next week? Creativity, cool graphics, and
hip clothes, are all good, but they won’t matter if you’re not sharing
a message that hooks the viewer. Don’t forget that this is the key to
response. If you don’t give them a reason to respond, they won’t.
4. Unify Your Branding
The vast majority of TV ministries have no brand at all, much less know
how to unify it. Unifying your brand means that every expression of
your brand story needs to be expressed throughout everything you do.
From postcards, to the website, set design, architecture, social media,
look and feel of the TV program, and more, it all needs to tell the visual
story of who you are. Today, if I spread out the brochures, books, tapes,
websites, and more from a typical TV ministry, it would look like they
each came from a different organization. Therefore, they all tell differ-
ent stories. But when you see anything from Starbucks, Apple, or Nike
– it all has a similar visual expression of their brand. Look at everything
you do and make sure the brand story of you and/or your ministry is
told through it all. It doesn’t have to necessarily look the same, but it
needs to tell the same story.
5. Raise The Bar
By now, most TV preachers reading this will say, “So what? I do all that
already.” Maybe, but I doubt it. But even if you are, your standards are
probably way too low. You need to realize the level of competition out
there. In 1980, just about anybody could succeed on religious TV. Even
Ernest had an audience. But today, it’s the Olympics on steroids when it
comes to finding an audience. It’s a tough world out there, so you need
to raise the bar in the level of content, differentiation, branding, and the 4. Take Some Time
reason they should respond. Make it better. Go deeper.
NEWSLETTER
THE SECRET FOR GETTING A RESPONSE
FROM EMAIL NEWSLETTERS
Everyone sends out mass emails and newsletters these days, but the
problem is, most get zero response. Years ago, Gail Goodman, CEO of
Constant Contact, listed five important tips to writing effective subject
lines in mass e-mails or newsletters. If you send out announcements,
e-mail newsletters, or mass e-mails of any sort, they’re worth consid-
ering: Getting the Subject Line Right!
CL myfaithmag.com
5 Tips for Writing Great
Email Newsletters.
One of the most important elements of your email communications
is the subject line. Next to the “from” address, the subject line will
determine whether or not your email gets opened. Writing a great
subject line is no small challenge. You only have a few words to make
it compelling, urgent, and specific—without sounding overly “salesy”
or misleading your readers. Here are some tips that will help you write
subject lines that get great results.
1. Keep it Short and Sweet
Do your best to keep your subject lines under 50 characters, including
spaces, as most email clients display 50 characters or less. A recent
study done by email monitoring company Return Path showed that,
“subject lines with 49 or fewer characters had open rates 12.5% higher
than for those with 50 or more,” and that, “click-through rates for sub-
ject lines with 49 or fewer characters were 75% higher than for those
with 50 or more.” Want to have better open and click-through rates?
Keep it short and sweet!
2. Be Specific
A vague subject line is a waste of real estate. A great example of this
that I see often is monthly newsletters with subject lines like, “The
Green Thumb Newsletter: June 2007.” This tells the receiver nothing
about what they will find when they open the email and gives them
very little reason to do so. A better approach for a newsletter like this
is, “The Green Thumb: 3 Tips for Summer Gardening.”
3. Write it Last
Many email marketing services (including Constant Contact) prompt
you to write your subject line first, as you are building your email. I
encourage you to come back to it when you are done with your email
content. It’s important to determine all the elements of your email
first and then look for the most compelling topic to highlight in the
subject line. When you are done with the body of your email, read it
over and pick the “nugget” that will entice your readers to learn more
by opening.
Don’t just dash off your subject lines. Considering how important they
are, take some time to think about them and write several (3-4) before
choosing which one to use. Once you have a few subject lines you like,
run them by a friend or colleague and see which they think is most
compelling.
5. Test It!
When you have two strong—yet different—subject lines, test them.
Split your list in half and use a different subject line for each group.
After a number of tests like this, you will have a very good idea of what
works for those on your list. And as always, the better you know your
audience, the more effectively you can communicate with them.
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