Just as you want to attract attention with the web copy on your web site, there is also the need to structure promotional emails so that they will catch the attention of consumers, and help to generate interest in the goods or services that you have for sale. There are a couple of key factors to keep in mind when you put together a promotional email.
First, the subject line for your targeted email needs to include elements that will grab the attention of the reader. There are several schools of thought on how to best accomplish this.
One approach is to employ a question in the subject line. The idea behind the question is that people have a tendency to not overlook a question, while a statement may not make much of an impression.
Because the question will result in more people at least stopping to consider the email, the chances that the promotion will be opened and read increases. This at least gets the promotional email past the first obstacle, which is being junked by a consumer without being read.
Another approach is to build on the relationship that you already have with the consumer. Assuming that the email campaign is directed at persons who have done business with you in the past, you may want to include an identifying mark in the subject line, such as the name of your company, or the name of the product that was previously purchased.
Using a familiar term helps to create instant recognition. If the consumer had a favorable experience with your company in the past, there is an excellent chance that he or she will open the email and take a few moments to read through your epistle.
Of course, once you have gotten through the minefield associated with getting the consumer to open the email, it is imperative to entice the prospect to keep reading after the first couple of sentences. Most people today are not interested in long winded emails that seem to have no end in sight. This means you want to do several things with the text to keep them reading.
First, use short paragraphs. When the email is opened, the eye will quickly note how many solid lines of text occur before there is a break of some sort. The brain immediately sends out a signal that reading this email is going to be a tiring process, and there is a good chance the email will be scanned at best, then abandoned. This impression can be avoided by using shorter paragraphs that focus on one aspect of the subject.
Breaks in the text make it easier to digest the whole email in manageable pieces. The end result is that you have the chance to build your sales pitch point by point as the reader moves through the text of the email.
Using bullets in the body of an email can also be effective. However, it is important to keep the bullets focused and short. Using a bunch of words to create what amounts to a bulleted paragraph will quickly cause the reader to lose interest.
A bullet should contain no more than seven to ten words, and focus on one complete thought that the consumer can easily relate to and digest. Remember, the purpose of the bullet is to present an idea, not expound on it. You can always do that on your web copy. Don’t try to accomplish that with any email, and certainly not in a bullet contained in the body of the email.
Another good thing to keep in mind about the wording in an email is to not get complicated. Employing the old business adage of KISS is ideal for crafting email text. The need to keep the wording simple and easy to read is essential.
You may have only a few seconds to attract the attention of the reader, and that is most certainly accomplished by using words that do not cause the consumer to pause and have to think about what the word may mean. Technical wording should be kept at a minimum, thus keeping the talking points accessible to just about everyone who might read the email.
The main factor to keep in mind with the use of words in promotional emails is that the text needs to be easily read, does not seem to be overwhelming, and is focused enough to increase interest in going to the web site for more details.
