Charlie Cook's MArketing for Success Insider's Club

 

3 Email Copywriting Tips for Business Owners

Author: Charlie Cook   |   May 14th, 2012

I typically get 75 to 100 emails a day, so cleaning my inbox out is like flipping through the channel guide on cable tv. If an email doesn’t catch my attention, it’s skipped over without another thought.

If the sender is someone I don’t know and the subject is about something… I could care less about, then it’s immediately put in my trash bin; the lid is placed securely on top and it is sent to the curb never to be seen or thought about again.

And, in all honesty, some emails from people I do know are removed just as eagerly if I don’t think they offer me anything valuable. I discard them like used banana peels, empty milk containers and leftover macaroni and cheese. I watch the trash icon on my computer screen open it’s lid and close it…like it’s verification that the email has successfully disappeared from my desktop.

Is this happening to you with your emails that you send to clients or potential clients? Are you sending them out only to have them discarded…sent to the trash icon on their desktop?

Let me share with you 3 things that I have learned about email copywriting that helped me write emails that had clients not only opening them, but reading them too:

1) Have an attractive subject line

If the subject doesn’t get your reader’s attention, they won’t even open the email. Would you bother to open an email that has a subject line that reads “Build Your Business with Email”? Pretty stale. How about one that says “Transform Your Business with These 3 Email Tips”? Different ring, right?

2) Write like you’re writing directly to one person.

When I read an email that starts out “Dear Valued Customer” I think, “Yeah, right. I’m valued…just like the other 20,000 people you sent this too.” Now, I know that no one has the time to personalize each and every part of an email. But, if I get an email that says, “Dear Charlie, …” I tend to keep reading. I feel more like they’re talking directly to me.

3) Keep it short and to the point.

Most of us have to-do lists a mile long and feel like we spend way too much time on the computer as it is. If I get your email and it’s more than a few paragraphs I will just delete it. It may be a masterpiece, but I won’t take the time to read it to find out. Value your customers’ time as much as you want them to value your business.

Emails can be a great way to share your products and services with potential clients. You can reach many people quickly, efficiently and with minimal cost. However, if you don’t abide by simple rules of email engagement, you will be discarded, deleted and removed from the list of the very people who could be your future clients.

Don’t let this happen to you. You didn’t spend all your time, money and effort to create a business that doesn’t have customers.

If you need help creating an effective, proven email system, check out my website for additional tips or contact me directly to discuss how I can help you stay out of your future client’s trash can and, instead, be placed proudly on their mantle where you belong…


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