While the US and UK share the same language, the way in which it is used in email marketing in the two countries is quite different! Because of this, when targeting both American and British customers it’s important to consider both the obvious and nuanced cultural differences between the countries exhibited in their varying email strategies. While sometimes it may be as easy as switching “soccer” to “football”, other times the necessary changes may be trickier to identify! Luckily, we’ve compiled the the top 4 differences between US and UK marketing emails, check them out below:

Differences Between US and UK Marketing Emails

Message Length
Emails sent from American companies tend to use an upbeat tone and direct language. By contrast, British emails are typically longer and make customers work a bit harder to find the call to action. British marketers beware– when it comes to sending emails to American customers shorter is better. Conversely, American marketers should create messaging that mirrors the verbose nature of British marketing emails when sending messages to the UK.

Building a Case
Typically British customers like to read evidence before making a decision with a particular preference for third party reviews. For British brands, including customer testimonials, links to reviews and encouraging customers to leave their feedback is important for creating a conversion. While this certainly won’t hurt a marketing campaign targeted towards Americans it is an absolute must for British email marketing.

Star Power
American email marketers often use celebrity endorsements in email notifications to customers. The American political arena uses this approach particularly well, especially when it comes to raising funds. For instance, the Obama campaign used tailored emails from celebrities to encourage supporters to donate to their cause. Across the pond however, this technique is used sparingly. Rather, British political emails typically only use political candidates or party leadership as the sender.

Spelling it Out
As mentioned, American emails tend to be shorter than those from the UK. What may be surprising is that this actually applies to the length of words used in American and British emails! While it is not rare to see an American marketing email employ abbreviated language like “OMG” or “FTW”, this is actually uncommon in marketing emails from the UK. That said, when sending emails to British customers, when in doubt spell it out!

British marketers write and send email notifications a little differently than those from America. But, despite the differences in email style, American and British email marketers alike focus on delivering updates, offers and news that is targeted and informs users. Ultimately, without this approach to email content, regardless of your message length or tone you run the risk of both American and British customers treating your message like trash…or rubbish.