As I write the rain is lashing down, it’s very dark in the office for 11.30 in the morning and I think we can safely say winter is upon us!
Of course the news is hardly brightening things up is it? The economic prospects are mixed and there’s real fear about the impact of spending cuts on jobs, housing benefit cuts, pensions and the like.
So we sales professionals have to be absolutely on top of our game. As Steven Covey puts it in his ‘Seven Habits of Highly Effective People’ we have to ‘Sharpen Our Saw’! Let’s make sure we get it right in our email campaigns to give us the best chance of success.
Target your message
Make sure your message is entirely appropriate for those receiving it. Segment your database according to the niches you intend to appeal to. Use their buzzwords, their language, acknowledge their likely issues
Personalise
Personalise the opening greeting. If you can personalise the body of the email or the subject line then so much the better. You might need to modify the personalisation if you market to a very formal industry not accustomed to first names!
Create a subject line to grab attention
Everybody’s in box is full to bursting these days. You have a second to catch the eye of the reader, so the subject line is crucial. You will need to experiment here – the open rate will tell you how well your subject line performed. Keep the subject line short and snappy. Consider asking a question. You need to appeal to both positive and negative types so test both types of heading (i.e. positive ‘Ten great things you get with xyz’ and negative - ‘Avoid XYZ with these ten tips’.
Position Key Content at the Top
If your email is opened you’ve got to first base – but then have about 5 seconds to make an impact. So get your key message in quickly. Once again make sure you appeal to both those whose glass is half full and those who take it as half empty. This means positive statements about what they will get mixed with negative statements about what pain they will avoid by using you and your products.
Use ‘You’ Language
Don’t write ‘we can do this, we can do that etc’ Make sure your content revolves around ‘You’ (i.e. them!). For example, instead of ‘we design great websites’, use ‘if you’re looking for a great website’. Get into their map.
Include Powerful words
These can depend on the market you operate in, but research suggests some of the most powerful words in eshots are ‘You’, ‘Money’, ‘Save’, ‘Results’, ‘Discover’, ‘Proven’, ‘Guarantee’, ‘Now’, ‘Important’, ‘Solve’.
Incorporate a Clear Call to Action
What do you want them to do next? Invite them to do just that, in more than one place preferably. Telephone, go to website, register for free tips, whatever it is make sure the call to action is easy to find, easy to read and easy to do.
Add Testimonials
A quote from a satisfied customer or two always helps. Make sure you use the name of those giving the quote (ask their permission first).
Manage your Stats
Make sure you know the success rates of each email so you can compare results – crucial for improving ongoing effectiveness. Open rates, click through rates, bounce rates, unsubscribe rates are typical parameters. There are others too and you should choose those critical to your business.
Frequency
Don’t bombard your database with eshots. They will unsubscribe or just bin them or ignore them. Two or three times a month is sufficient in most cases.
Follow up
Contact those who open the email. Either ring them or at least make sure they get a follow up email which is a natural follow on from the previous one.
Leigh
