Patricia Walker
Creatives Director.
Multiple Stream Media, LLC
www.adclickmedia.com
I bet the tired subjects on your email advertisements don’t get half as much attention as that headline just got!
I mean, have you ever spent hours writing the perfect ad copy to use in your email marketing just to have a weak subject line practically demolish your open rate?
There are many marketing techniques that have stood the test of time, one of which could mean the difference between a click to open your email advertisement, or the dreaded click-and-drag to the “Trash” folder. This is known as the curiosity factor.
What exactly is the curiosity factor? Dictionary.com defines curiosity as follows:
Cu•ri•os•i•ty (kyu r-e-ä-s(?-)te) – n: The desire to learn or know about anything; inquisitiveness.
Are you taking advantage of the sheer power of curiosity? There are a myriad of ways how this influence can be used to increase your open rate—and of course, your sales!
This article will demonstrate how you can apply the curiosity factor to your:
• Email advertisement open rate
• Newsletter or ezine opt-in rate
• Sales letters
• Lead capture pages
• Website signups
As you might imagine, there are really no limits to where you can implement the ever-elusive element of curiosity!
Use the Curiosity Factor to Punch up Your Headlines
This is a great way for you to experience the curiosity factor in action—which of these two headlines would get you to read the rest of the advertisement?
Headline #1: New Photo Editing Software Hits the Market
Headline #2: New! Photo Editor That Works Like Magic!
I bet you picked Headline #2! But why wouldn’t Headline #1 be a good one to use?
It’s simple. “New Photo Editing Software Hits the Market” does not entice the consumer, or allude to any potential benefit the product might offer. (Nor does it convey any form of excitement, but that’s an article for another day!)
While “New! Photo Editor That Works Like Magic!” may sound vague, the consumer is more apt to continue reading to find out why it works “like magic”. Note the exclamation marks, which give the headline animation.
It is also worth mentioning that if used correctly, an outrageous headline can generate curiosity. A headline like the “Bear Eats Camper!” one above can quickly create interest, but the trick is to be consistent when satisfying the curious reader. (I mean, at least this article is about the curiosity factor behind that crazy headline!)
If the introduction to the ad does not mention anything about the headline, you could actually repel prospective customers. Make a story out of it, perhaps position your product or service as the prevention or solution.
If after reading this article you sit and rack your brain for hours to come up with a great headline or email subject…just relax! Think about what headline would draw you in to read the rest of an advertisement or article.
To jumpstart your thought process, check out some wonderful examples of curiosity-piquing headlines here:
http://www.rent-a-list.com/learningcenter/learn_internet_marketing_9.cgi/rent-a-list
Persistence Piques Curiosity
Okay, you have an exciting, curiosity-invoking headline, a bulletproof ad copy, and convincing before and after visuals…so what do you do now?
Regardless of where or how you advertise, you must be persistent when you have a great advertisement.
This is another benefit that the curiosity factor offers: If your ad is promoted on a consistent basis, new people will eventually click on it to find out what the buzz is all about.
In P.T. Barnum’s “The Art of Money Getting” (© 1880), this technique is expanded on as follows:
“The reader of a newspaper does not see the first mention of an ordinary advertisement; the second insertion he sees, but does not read; the third insertion he reads; the fourth insertion, he looks at the price; the fifth insertion, he speaks of it to his wife; the sixth insertion, he is ready to purchase, and the seventh insertion, he purchases.”
In the world of email advertising, you must ensure that an opt-out link is present somewhere in the email to comply with Anti-Spam laws. However, you will find that this process is still effective today!
In his day, P. T. Barnum was considered a marketing master—all because he used curiosity to do his advertising for him!
To learn more about curiosity in advertising, you can download P. T. Barnum’s “The Art of Money Getting” in E-book form here:
http://manybooks.net/titles/barnumptetext05barnm10.html
Beware the Dangers of Abusing the Curiosity Factor
Utilizing the curiosity factor may not always be the best route to take. It is easy to misuse (or overuse, in some cases) this power. Compare your techniques against this checklist:
• Your headline or email subject is extreme, but “tricks” readers into reading completely irrelevant content. This could lead to your future advertising campaigns being blocked or ignored.
• Your ad takes too long to get to the point. For instance, your headline may ask a question that is only answered after the consumer reads a rather lengthy, mundane wall of text. “Why is the sky blue?” could very well turn into “Who cares why the sky is blue!” mid-pitch.
• Your ad is not geared towards your audience. Let’s face it: If you are marketing an E-book about the best way to grow turnips, unless it has an affiliate program attached, it obviously should not be sent out to a business safelist. If the consumer doesn’t care about your product or service, he isn’t curious about it.
Supercharge Your Sales and Signups Just By Using The Curiosity Factor!
Just by taking advantage of your consumer’s natural curiosity factor, you can increase your open rate, number of signups, and even your sales tenfold! When you see it that way, you will find a huge new market out there just waiting for you to explore.
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About The Author: Patricia Walker is the Creatives Director of Rent-A-List.com, an online advertising service and a subsidiary of Multiple Stream Media. Want to know why over 56,000 online advertisers and marketers use us. Find out now - http://rent-a-list.com
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