If you type the name of this post into Google you will invariably get a whole slew of answers and other blog posts on this particular topic. I’ve read through many of them personally, and while they do have some sound advice, they also miss the mark in my opinion. Let’s be honest, not every business in the world is out there selling eBooks. People have real businesses to run.
Writing a good email that generates business, or helps retain customers, is not going to adhere to a particular set of rules because every business is unique. Emails that come from the service industry could and probably should be different than businesses specifically in the retail space. One could think yoga studio versus ecommerce store. If you run a business that tailors to a small number of customers with items of high purchase prices, emails will look different than high volume low purchase prices. This could be a jewelry store versus a toy store. All of that said, here is the best advice that we can offer and how Pushsent.com can help.
So, you sell stuff and depend on margin of goods bought to goods sold. You stand up to the behemoths of the Wal-Marts, Targets, and Amazons of the world. I could take a guess and assume that you are most likely a small business compared to those corporate leviathans, but that would be dumb and stating the obvious. That said, if you compete with the big dogs for market share you most likely do it with one of the following ways.
- You sell unique items. (Antiques or specialty items)
- Your retail is tied to in house manufacturing of unique goods
- You have tied service and retail together. (i.e. You sell carpet and install it.)
- Your business deals in high end goods. (i.e. expensive jewelry, cars, boats, RVs)
Useful Tips
Subject line should clearly and quickly state new unique item or upcoming deal. Unless, you’re going for catchy because the item is just that unique.
Examples include:
“25% off all women’s sleepwear”
“10% off MSRP on all new (fill in the blank)”
“New (add in year) Polaris, Yamaha, snowmachines in stock!”
“15% off all 18K wedding bands”
“Free installation on (yards of carpet, types of countertops, types of other flooring)”
Catchy email subject lines can get people to laugh and pique their interest enough to open. Your email however, should still be relevant to the subject line. If not, people are going to laugh, feel duped, be upset, and definitely not buy.
“Scrambled eggs made with flame thrower. Finally!”
“The endless uses for a butterknife”
“Legos you won’t step on barefoot”
Post a picture of items on sale and use an email template.
Inside of Pushsent.com there are dozens of email templates that you can choose from. You can also upload a professional picture of the item or items that you wish to push. This gives character to your email, makes it look professional, and will grab the attention of the reader over just words.
Personalize as much as possible
I like it when people call me by my name. I think everybody does. Makes us feel special and relevant and more than just a number or transaction. If you run a business that depends on repeat business, this is a must.
Use actionable language
Actionable language is simply words that get people moving or to take action. Examples include:
“Click now”
“Get your new ___________today”
“Explore now”
“Activate today”
“Shop now”
Use balance with both first person and second person language
Some prominent email writing books and blogs state that you should always use first person and others contradict that advice and say you should always use second person. I personally feel that using a balance is best.
First person- Language containing “I”, “We”
Second person- Language containing “You”, “Your”
As with all writing, and maybe this goes without saying, understanding the uses of “our” versus “are” or “there” versus “they’re” is also a must. A good marketing email also requires good writing.
At the end of the day, every business is unique and thus every email marketing strategy is likely also unique. The above represents a few tips, but most important is that the emails quickly display good value or a item on sale, look nice, are written professionally, and are targeted to the right customers.
Ready to learn more? Pushsent.com can help