Marketing your products or services to yourcustomers and prospects through e-mail is not the same as writing a businessletter. Because the Internet began as a way for people to communicate with eachother, e-mail is expected to be conversational, concise, and genuine. When doneright, it can be a very successful way of selling your products and buildingrelationships.

Here are five tips to writing an effectivemarketing e-mail:

BREAK HERE

·        The mostimportant – and most difficult ‑ part of any e-mail is the subject line (youcan’t sell them anything if they don’t open the e-mail). Make it catchy andto-the-point, but don’t over-promise. Keep it 40 characters or less if possibleso it can be read without opening the e-mail (test it by sending it toyourself). A compelling offer makes the best subject line. Asking a questionthat addresses the pain point/benefit can be effective as well.

·        Make the offerin the first paragraph – that may be the only paragraph they “screen” throughthe preview pane. Discounts or special offers with a firm expiration date workwell in grabbing attention and prompting action. If appropriate for yourbusiness, online coupons are a sure-fire way of getting the customer/prospectto open the e-mail and try something new.

·        Since peopletend to skim e-mail after the first paragraph, short and/or bulleted paragraphswork best, with “active voice” headings throughout that sum up the benefits ofyour offer or your product/service. As a general rule, do not write beyond onescreen length so people do not have to scroll down (they may give up).

·        Beconversational, genuine, real. Establish a rapport. Find the “unique voice” ofyour company and consistently write in that voice. Be interesting and notoverly technical. Know your audience and their challenges. Ask yourself: isthis relevant to my audience? Have I made it compelling enough to read all theway through, then take action?

·        Include a phonenumber and a URL, if possible, so your audience can respond in the way that’smost convenient for them.

If you don’t remember anything else, remember this:Get their attention, give them a compelling offer, and get out quickly.

Note: This brief article does not cover the legalaspects of sending e-mail to a mailing list. However, you should familiarizeyourself with guidelines regarding SPAM, opt-ins and opt-outs, etc.