How to Write a Marketing Email

Email can be an effective marketing tool.

Email is an easy and effective marketing tool. You can send out a marketing message to hundreds or even thousands of people with one click. If you don't write an effective message, however, people will simply ignore or delete it. You must know how to catch their attention and take action, so they will buy your product or service.

Instructions

1. Define the characteristics of the target audience for your marketing email. Think about the age range, income level and other demographic statistics. You would write a much different marketing email for young adults than you would for parents or baby boomers.

2. Make a list of the most important benefits of your product or service. The reader of a marketing email wants to know, "What's in it for me?" The information should solve a problem or offer some other tangible benefit. You have to be prepared to hook readers with the benefits to hold their interest and get them to take action.

3. Keep your marketing emails short. People tend to scan their email messages. If your message is too long, it might easily get skipped over and deleted. Keep the email brief and focused on the benefits.

4. Give the reader a special offer in your marketing email. You may have a great product or service, but consumers like to think they're getting a special deal. Offer a special discount or something for free, and make it sound exclusive. For example, "Special offer for recipients of this email only: 10 percent off your entire order if you use the code 'DISC'."

5. Create urgency for a response by adding a deadline. For example, make the special discount offered in your marketing email good for one week from the date of the email. This will help keep recipients from procrastinating and then forgetting about the message as it gets buried in their inbox.

6. Give recipients an easy way to respond. Include a telephone number or a link to your website. If you use a link, create a special page for those who respond to the email. It should welcome them and highlight the special offer.

Tips & Warnings

• Always include an "unsubscribe" link in your marketing emails. This is required by anti-spam laws and is also a good customer service policy.

• You should only send marketing emails to people who have opted into a mailing list. Otherwise, many recipients will consider it to be spam. At best, they may just delete it without reading it. At worst, they might complain to your email provider or internet service provider.

References

• Marketing email writing tips