| How to write an email sales letter that gets
results
by Kevin Nunley
http://www.DrNunley.com
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:
1. Catch the recipient's attention during a scan of all the email marketing
messages they get every day.
2. Intrigue the recipient enough that he/she doesn't delete your message.
3. Instill curiosity so the recipient decides to take a chance and click
on the message.
4. Get them reading with a headline that demands attention.
5. Briefly but persuasively make the pitch, prompting the recipient to
take action.
6. 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 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:
1. 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 The sales letter is obsolete if the subject line message--always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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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
Kevin Nunley provides marketing advice and copy writing. Spice up
your marketing with sales letters, ads, and web copy that sizzle and
sell. See all Kevin's services and free tips at http://DrNunley.com
Reach him at mailto:kevin@drnunley.com |
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