There’s a fine line between writing an email that looks good in general, to an email that will connect with a customer. The best kinds of emails will sell because they create an emotional attachment between the reader and the product. We’re talking big subject headlines, enticing one-liners, questions that will draw your reader to click through and effective calls to action.
Let’s run through a list of tips and tricks so that you can write emails that WILL SELL –
Headlines – Raise the Reader’s Eyebrows
Your headline will be listed directly below your organisation’s title when you send your emails out to customers. Remember – Your email headline is going to appear on the recipient’s email list as a preview in a small narrow box. It’ll be, by no doubt, submerged between the dozens of other sales emails they have about McDonald’s and Boohoo.com, so you have to make it look different.
35% of email recipients only open emails based on the subject line – If your subject doesn’t sell to them, say goodbye to email leads. You should avoid using special symbols, and most certainly avoid using these obsessively (e.g. ???!!!), instead, focus more on speaking directly to the reader, what’s their name, and do they need your product/service? Have the mentality that everyone needs your product/service, so perhaps create a bit of urgency (A promotion/sale on your products can be a useful carrot to dangle).
Is it worth the extra hours of labour to add in the customer’s name to each email you send? Probably, yes – Reports show that emails with the recipient’s name in them received a higher click-through rate compared to those without. A personal favourite of ours is to use your headline as a direct question or as an offering to the reader (while including their name). The email is about them, not your product – Try to stay away from saying “our service is the best because blah blah blah…”
Here’s a good example:
- It addresses the reader by name, rather than just a row in your email marketing data
- It uses sentence-case grammar (Every word is capitalised, but not every letter, that would be more like shouting at the reader
- It creates urgency for the reader – A service is being offered (and teased) personally to them, so the recipient might find more value in checking it out
Tell A Story – Make the Reader Relate to It
If you know of a problem the majority of your email recipients have, use your product/service as a viable solution to their problems. If you’re a coding course service that improves people’s chances of landing their next coding job, tell them a story.
It doesn’t have to be so personal to the point where it clogs the entire email, just write how you feel when you are looking for a job and you keep being rejected, for example:
“Want to get into coding, but you don’t have the time or money to study a course at university? Try out our comprehensive coding course online – Free For 30 Days”
Now you don’t actually need a degree for coding, but I can bet the majority of people wanting to get into this field of employment believe you have to attain a programming degree or tertiary qualification of some kind. This kind of opener in your email will generate leads as it is immediately stating a solution that a broad range of people will be looking for; it doesn’t have to be a coding course it could be a course about anything.
59% of people in a survey by SaleCycle (2018), stated that marketing emails influence their buying decisions, so having that personal touch might be the turning point to get them to click through to your website.
Use Images That Are Relevant and Consistent With the Brand
Nobody likes just text; this is exactly the reason why as kids, we would enjoy reading books a lot more than we probably do now – This isn’t to say there aren’t lots of adults still reading books. Our minds are fuelled by visual details, so we will remember an image more clearly than a piece of text. Having a great balance of images and impacting text can really enhance your email pitch.
Please, do not resort to stock photos or casually take an image from the internet – Take your own photo/s, it adds a touch of personality. Perhaps even a photo of yourself, so the recipient doesn’t feel as if the email is automated. Fabricating the idea of a personal message from the C.E.O of a company looks far better than an email from “John – Sales Support”.
You can, and should, try different types of images, whether it is screenshots of your service online, cartoons, diagrams or just your logo – Adding a bit of colour and shape to your email can have a big impact on the emotional response you get from each recipient.
The image, as long as it fits with the colour scheme and works in line with the text, can serve as an effective click-through call to action tool. Businesses that use a call to action button in their emails achieve conversion rates up to 28% higher than those that don’t (Survey by Campaign Monitor – 2019).
A Powerful Close and Interactive Signature
When you have filled out your main section of the sales email, which must be clear, concise and trigger an emotional response, you’ll need to close off in the kind of fashion that makes the reader want to take action.
If you’re looking to consult the customer, to discuss their requirements in relation to the service you offer, give them the directional approach to allow them to approach you. “Should you be interested in our course, feel free to give me a call, weekdays between 9 am – 6 pm”. Give them the professionalism they need so they know that you are wanting to get to know what they like.
We want the customer to make the first approach first, remember, whoever says something first loses – (Wolf of Wall Street Reference). If they are interested, they will call or email you, but if you email them and then go on to follow up via email and phone multiple times, there most likely isn’t a sale there – 63% of email users open up and respond to an email within an hour of it being sent.
When it comes to your signature, you should choose between including your position, company name, company website, a landline number, mobile number, and maybe a Facebook page. Try to avoid using all of these, as it may overwhelm the reader, the most important elements for most companies will be:
- Name
- Telephone number
- Website
- Your email
You only need one call to action, as by the time the reader has reached your signature at the end of your marketing email, it can be safe to assume they are interested in what you’re selling to them. Having your key contact options in your email signature can make it easier for the recipient to get back in touch with you if they begin to consider investing in your product/service.
The bulk of your email content might not even be that good – But by giving them direct links to your profile and/or website, they can get straight to the products without you having to throw the website in their faces – What we mean by this is that you don’t need to be using big bold, capitalized wording such as CHECK THIS OUT all over your email, this is going to deter a lot of readers. If they are interested you don’t need to throw the product or service in their faces. An accessible yet subtle call to action will work best for getting the open rates you need. Who knows, they might be so impressed by your website and products that they end up buying in the end.
Here’s a great example – It shows a picture of a sales representative (Jessica), it has their phone number, the company website, as well as a call to action – This is often an excellent opportunity for the reader to check out the product or service.
Well, there you have it – 4 great ways to make emails that sell. Remember, the four important steps, a great subject headline, personal and emotional content which tells a story to the reader, making sure to use brand fitting images, logos, cartoons or clickable links, and a solid sign off (Signature), which gives the reader an accessible, but not overwhelming, call to action.
Here at MailNinja, we specialize in making your emails look the best they possibly can. If your sales emails aren’t getting good enough click rates, why not check out our free handy guide on how to improve your email structure, to increase your email click-through rates?
https://mailninja.co/how-to-increase-email-click-through-rates
