Email marketing is hailed as the most effective form of marketing
on the web. However, your email marketing campaign is only as
good as your email sales letter. An email sales letter must do several things:
Catch the recipient's attention during a scan of all the
email marketing messages they get every day.
Intrigue the recipient enough that she doesn't delete
your message.
Instill curiosity so the recipient decides to take a
chance and click on the message.
Get them reading with a headline that demands attention.
Briefly but persuasively make the pitch, prompting the
recipient to take action.
Provide links or contact information that make it easy
for the recipient to visit your site, email or call you.
I know, I know, it sounds like a lot of bases to cover. But I
assure you, it is essential that your email sales letter have all
or at least most of these characteristics.
Because email is not tangible, your prospects can make it
disappear with the click of a button, never to see it again. With
a sales letter that comes in the mail or an ad seen in a
magazine, people can return again and again to that tangible
piece paper. Non-virtual ads have a longer shelf life, where
email marketing has to make a fast impression in order to get
results.
Here is a plan to help you write an email sales letter that gets
fast results:
Don't Ignore the Subject Line - A lot of people don't pay
as much attention to the subject line as they do to the actual
sales letter. HUGE mistake. The sales letter is obsolete if the
subject line message--always very short and to the point--doesn't
draw your prospects in. Without an intriguing subject line, your
prospect will simply delete your email along with all the others
they receive every day.
You only have a few words to grab your prospects attention, so
choose them wisely. Make a promise, address a problem, ask a
question, or name your product/service/opportunity's USP (unique
selling point). Try writing several (or several dozen) subject
lines and ask family and friends which are most likely to get
them to open an email. (More Info)
Powerful Headline - Email marketing is a constant race
against time. You have about 1 second to get your prospects
attention with the subject line, and only a few seconds more to
keep their attention with the headline.
In 5 seconds or less, you have to persuade your prospect to keep
reading. A few quick tricks that are proven to hold attention are
to:
Ask a how or why question
Offer one of the most important benefits
Pose a challenge.
Say something BIG and impressive (but don't go over the top!)
Name your price, but only if it is low enough to be a major
selling point
Be careful not to make the mistake of promising something in the
headline that you don't deliver in the body of the letter. Don't
just make a claim to keep prospects reading.
Keep the Letter Focused - To make your email sales letter easy
to read and understand, you have to know the main objective of
your letter before you start writing it. What do you want the
letter to do? Get orders, generate leads, inform and educate,
prompt prospects to contact you directly? Start with a clear
objective of what you want to get out of the letter and construct
it around that focal point.
Make it Easy to Read - Don't try to impress prospects
with how many four syllable words are in your vocabulary, or how
long you can make your sentences using proper comma placement.
Those who read your letter want to do it quick. They want you to
make your point in the most concise way possible.
Keep the first sentence and first paragraphs short. No one wants
to dive into a long block of text right off. Break up the text
with indents and sub-headings. And do have someone who knows
grammar and spelling rules read your letter before you send it
out. Computer Spelling and Grammar check is useful, but not
foolproof.
Focus on the Reader's Benefits - The one thing that hold's
people's attention more than anything else is finding out what's
in it for them. Point out how the features of your product or
service will benefit the reader. Don't expect the reader to
figure out the benefits for him/herself. Try to make the letter
as personal as possible, using words like "I", "You," and "Us."
You want them to get the impression that the benefits are
targeted directly at them.
Don't Make the Reader Guess What You Want - Subtlety is not
appreciated in email marketing. If you want the reader to do
something--call, visit, fax, order, reserve, subscribe--tell
them. Give them exact instructions on how to do what you want
them to do, and tell them to do it today.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- About The Author =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Dr. Kevin Nunley writes sizzling sales letters and web copy, visit
him online here: http://www.drnunley.com/. His prices are some of the most affordable
on the Net.
Author: Dr. Kevin Nunley
