Why Words Matter & The Meaning of "FREE"

By: Kim Teti
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While driving home from work the other day, I passed by a girl walking her dog. As I pulled up to a red light, I noticed she had stopped beside a box on the sidewalk with the word “FREE” written across it in huge letters.

She was nosing around inside, moving objects inside in search of something she deemed worthwhile to take back home with her. Unfortunately, the light changed, and I had to drive off without knowing what it was she decided to do with the box and its belongings.

I thought back to that girl and the box of free stuff back at work the next day while working on my marketing campaigns; specifically my subject lines. I wondered: what messaging is going to entice my audience? Will writing “FREE” be enough to make them stop what they’re doing and check out what I’m offering, like the girl walking her dog?

I’m not the only marketing manager asking these questions. In fact, I attended a marketing conference not too long ago where there was a training course on this exact topic. The speaker discussed email marketing, specifically how to attract the right audience and what messaging truly works. I learned that to increase opens, you should use phrases like “BOGO” or “DEAL”, but you should never use the words “Can’t” or “Won’t”.

It’s crazy how one word can make all the difference in your marketing campaigns – and this holds true for ASI products like Email Express and Trigger Marketing. For instance, if a potential customer was checking out a supplier’s product in ESP and then later receives an email with the subject line including a “BOGO” or “FREE” offer – would they come back and complete the purchase?
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It’s been over a week now and I still think about the girl and the box – and you should too when you’re coming up with your next marketing campaign or subject line idea. Ask yourself: what are the key words your customers want to hear to make them look inside?