Direct mail tips

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Step-by-Step Guide To Write A Text Email Quickly

Writing emails to your clients and prospects is imperative in today's business scenario. Fancy HTML emails don't always create a good impression about your company and many times they get blocked by spam filters, therefore the need for powerful text email is even more.

Text emails are generally used to give an introduction about your product or service to the people who do not know about it in a subdued, business-like manner. Nevertheless, they have to be effective enough to make people take the right action. Here are six simple steps to achieve that goal:

1. Use the old trick - start with a question

Find out the major problem your prospect might be facing and start with a statement that asks the reader if he faces the same problem. For instance - "Is lack of efficient IT infrastructure management escalating your downtime and decreasing your employees' productivity?" You will be able to grab attention right at the beginning if this question hits the paining nerve.

2. Tell them they are not alone

Next, talk about a fact and inform them that they are not the only one challenged by this situation. Give reliable sources and studies that prove this problem is faced by many people in different forms. Example: "An email marketing study conducted by DMA in Q4 2006 states that the deliverability of B2B emails has gone down by 12% and 63% of the marketers in North America want to solve this problem at the earliest."

3. Talk about the potential harm

Paint a picture of the problem and what could be the outcome of that. If they have not thought about the problem till then, your mail will make them do it. You may write, "If left unmanaged, your simple pest problem might slowly eat away your house's foundations and bring it down."

4. This is where you come in

Give a short description about your solutions and how it can make it all better for your reader. List down a few important benefits and also mention why you are better than your competitors. Make sure you do not write too much about yourself; two-three lines should suffice. And, avoid being a narcissist.

5. Don't forget the call-to-action

To end, inform them what they can achieve by contacting you immediately. It could be a free of charge consultation, a free survey, or a discount coupon. There should be a reason why they should contact you at the earliest. Sign off with your name, phone number, link to your website, and email ID.

6. Format it right

Paste the entire email in notepad and do the formatting manually. Press a hard-enter wherever you need a line break. Make each bullet point using (-) or (*) and give appropriate spacing. This is essential part and should not be missed, lest your mail might look odd in some email clients.

Voila your plain text email is ready!

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