How to Write a Marketing Email Sample

If your boss has directed you to write a sample email blast, you have your work cut out for you -- in a good way, of course. After all, you probably have plenty of practice reading -- and deleting -- both wanted and unwanted emails from your in-box. Think about the emails that have caught your eye -- and kept your attention -- and apply those real-world lessons to the task at hand. If you can overcome the constant mistakes you see in other email blasts, chances are great that your boss will award your efforts and approve your email sample for dissemination to people in your marketing database.

Instructions

Invoke Email Psychology

1. Entrench yourself firmly into the recipient's frame of mind before you begin to write. This is called invoking "email psychology," and it should help you craft an email blast that not only will be read, but acted upon, too.

2. Make some harsh assumptions about your reader -- and then underscore and boldface them in your mind to make them as prevalent as they can be. First, remember that most readers are inundated with email messages, so yours must stand out. This does not mean using capital letters in a weak bid to GRAB THEIR ATTENTION; in fact, using all caps has the unnerving effect of screaming at your reader. Standing out goes to the heart of supplying catchy but concise content.

3. Remember that "catchy" does not mean "cheesy." Moreover, remember that email readers are accustomed to sales pitches and may well scan their email messages with an impatient attitude and a cry of "Now what?!" Still, nearly everybody likes and will respond to a genuine good offer or good deal; almost nobody likes gimmicks or cheap sales ploys. By all means: be personable and friendly, but be sincere and straightforward, too.

4. Remember that most email readers are pressed for time, to say the least. In fact, conjure a picture of someone multi-tasking as they scan their emails. There they sit, scrolling emails as they talk on the phone or send a text message. They don't have time to read and don't want to read a manifesto-length email. They also don't have time, and won't take the time, to decode unknown words or phrases or untangle twisted syntax. So be brief and write clearly, in simple English, and with specificity.

Make that Email Sizzle

1. Set up your email for success, not failure. Choose an easy-to-read font in an easy-to-read size. Fonts that are too large appear boisterous; fonts that are too small can create eye strain. Besides avoiding capital letters, resist using boldface type and more than two colors. The goal is to be viewed as professional, if not classy.

2. Get straight to the point. Let's assume that as a business owner, you are capitalizing on one of the most overlooked ways to generate customer goodwill -- and future business: coupling a birthday greeting with a special offer. Begin your email by wishing your customer a happy birthday (or, for a database that tracks birthdays by the month, a happy birthday month). Tell your customer that their business is remembered and appreciated -- just as they should be on their birthday.

3. State your offer (or offers) clearly. If you are giving your customer a choice of goods or services, spell them out clearly, being sure to state the dollar value of the gifts or the dollar amount of the discount you are extending. Some business owners prefer to put an expiration date on such offers -- thereby fortifying the call to action. However, conventional marketing wisdom holds that such expiration dates could undermine your offer. Ultimately, the choice is yours.

4. Close the email with a sincere wish to see your customer soon. If applicable, encourage your customer to view your website to catch up on new services or product lines. To maintain a personal touch, create a "signature" line -- or a font with a handwriting style, such as Lucida Handwriting -- to end the email.

Tips & Warnings

• Read your e-mail aloud and proofread and edit it before disseminating it. Have someone else read it, too.