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Emails
Writing effective sales and marketing emails is an art form that can be difficult to master. What does the prospect want to read? How can I know that I will receive a high response rate? How can I prevent my email from showing up in their spam folder? Our email best practices section will provide you with a few tips on how to improve your response rates.
The Twelve Rules of Emails
- Use the customer data that you have on each of your prospects to personalize the emails you send to them. If an email is more personalized, the receiver is more likely to respond and potentially want to pursue a relationship with your company. Personalization is a vital trust-building component to effective email marketing.
- It is a good idea to provide a text version or Web version of your email message. This enables viewers who could potentially be using an older web browser to view the email without it being scrambled.
- A simple way to improve the value of emails is to pay close attention to the layout design. An attractive email is going to please receivers more than an unattractive one.
- Keep HTML-format messages as simple as possible. The more images, graphics, sound or video you include, the more likely it will be something that won't work on your recipients' computers.
- Be explicit about the actions you want users to take. "Download your white paper today" is more descriptive than "Learn more."
- Create a clear email value proposition; give prospects a reason to open your emails every time they are sent.
- To avoid the dreaded spam folder, test each email message in different browsers (IE, Firefox, etc.), email clients (Outlook, Thunderbird, Gmail, etc.) and platforms (Mac and PC) before you send it. This will enable you to scan your emails for possible spam-like content and ensure that your prospects receive your information.
- Personalize the subject line of each email. If you are segmenting your list of prospects in any way, then each segment should receive different subject lines accordingly. Even if you are not creating separate versions of your email, tailor the subject line to their interests. This personalization will more than likely improve the click-through rates.
- Make sure to put the most value in the top line of the email. Additionally, add personality and creativity throughout the body of the email. In order for you to connect with your customers, they must be able to first connect with you.
- Give recipients the tools they need to manage their subscriptions, contact you, forward information to others, and get more information, right in the email.
- To make sure your emails don't get marked as spam, avoid using triggers such as 'free', 'save', or 'discount' in the subject line or body of the email.
- Make sure to maintain a sense of consistency in your emails. By keeping the look and feel consistent, you will be able to create a solid image for your prospects.
Best Practices
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