Email is among the most universal business communication channels available today, and it’s only getting bigger. Research projects that the number of business emails sent and received each day will grow 3% through 2019.
This makes email a great channel for marketers – if they know how to use it. There are some do’s and don’t’s when it comes to crafting a valuable, effective email that people will read.
Don’t be presumptive or backhanded
If you’ve ever received an email that says things like “I haven’t heard back from you yet, so I guess you aren’t interested,” or “I won’t email you after this if you don’t respond because I can see you don’t see the value in our offering,” you’ve experienced a presumptive email.
Don’t phrase your emails like this. It’s abrasive and does you no favors when it comes to getting people to engage with you. Always be polite and respectful to people you are emailing: they’re giving you time and attention, so be gracious for it.
Get to your value proposition immediately
It’s astounding how many marketers create emails that go something like this:
“Hi Bill,
I hope you are doing well today. I’m Joe with the sales division of XYZ Company. We are a new business in the widgets field that focuses on developing authentic, long-lasting relationships with our clients. Several of our past customers fit your profile, and we’ve also….”
By the second sentence, the reader is already bored. There is more information than ever available in our world today, and people have a limited number of hours they can use to consume it. Don’t beat around the bush: tell them why you’re contacting them and what you can do for them as soon as possible.
Use an authentic subject line
Everyone’s received emails where the subject is jam-packed with exclamation marks, capital letters and outlandish claims. Not only will these words often get your emails marked as spam, they cheapen your message and don’t convey the real value of your offering to your recipients.
Instead, be realistic. Tie your subject line to results that your product or service will provide for customers. For example, if you are a sales training company, a subject line in your marketing email might be something like, “How to improve your close rate by 20%.”
Be careful with images
Pictures are great and can help add engagement to your emails, but they can also get in the way of your message. Some email clients are set up to automatically block emails with pictures, which negatively affects your open rate. If you do decide to add an image to your email, make sure it’s a small one and don’t make it the first thing in your message in case it doesn’t load correctly.
It’s important to get your emails seen by as many people as possible, but you also have to communicate with recipients the right way. By focusing on your value proposition and keeping your messages concise, you can get your emails read more frequently by the right people.
