Marketing emails continue to be one of the most important Internet marketing tools. Building your list is one thing, but you also need to create compelling emails that catch the attention of your readers. Even if they have all the right content, if they aren’t interesting people will either ignore your emails altogether or end up unsubscribing.

Here are some valuable tips to help you write better marketing emails.

The Subject Line

The subject line of your marketing emails is more important than you might think. You should make it interesting and lure in the reader to click on it. Email copy is all about the subject line. When writing your subject line, you want to briefly summarize what the email is about, including short keyword-enhanced phrases explaining the benefits of opening the email. Put yourself in the reader’s place and ask yourself what you would click on.

Speak to the Reader

When you get to the body of the email copy, write to the reader, speaking conversationally and in second person. Avoid first person as it’s like you’re talking about yourself and 3rd person is too formal. Second person has a good balance and makes the reader feel like they are part of the conversation. Use words like “you” and “your” as opposed to “I”. The exception would be to use a balance of “we” that implies you’re having a conversation together.

List the Benefits

Instead of listing the features of your new product or whatever the email is about, list the benefits instead. You want to explain to the reader what they will get by ordering this product or service, not simply showing the specs. If they want to know more about what it is, they will click your email link and go to the website. In the mail copy, you should be explaining how they benefit and what they will lose out on if they don’t choose to learn more about it.

Keep it Short

Nobody is going to sit there for an hour reading a 10-page long email copy and you shouldn’t be spending that much time writing it. Be as brief as you can while explaining the benefits or announcing new ideas for them to explore. It shouldn’t be more than what a single page would be on a document. Don’t forget to follow it up with a call-to-action.

Whether you are selling healthy vitamins or are a marketing firm specializing in offline media, you want your emails to grab attention and convert readers to buyers. These tips can help you to make all of your emails more compelling, engaging and successful.

By: Ian Lamont – CC BY 2.0