I've lost count of how many debates there have been featuring the Republican and Democratic candidates vying for their party's presidential nomination.
But I do know one thing: Most voters made up their minds after the first few debates.
It's the same thing with email marketing.
The best email marketing campaigns are short. Prospects only receive three or four emails. If you haven't achieved your goal by then -- and we'll talk about your goal in just a moment -- it's not going to happen.
Before I go on, let me put this discussion in perspective. We're talking about the best email marketing tactics for the email version of "cold calls." The advice here isn't for nurturing qualified leads or defining what makes the best follow-up email after a prospect has displayed significant interest in your offer.
With the "cold call" email your goal is to simply get a response. Understanding that fundamental idea will guide you as you explore how to write an email offering your services or product. Here are the basic principles.
Keep it short. The first four paragraphs of this article are less than 90 words. If you're striving to craft the best email marketing series, that's about the length you should strive for. Also notice how the sentence, "It's the same thing with email marketing" hangs out in white space all by itself. Your eye picks it up even if you decide not to read anything above or below.
I could have made those first four paragraphs one long paragraph, but they would not communicate as well. Keep your emails short and keep your paragraphs within your emails short -- some might be no more than:
Three words long!
Make it intriguing. Your marketing can survive a lot of mistakes, but it can't survive being uninteresting. If you can't quickly capture your prospect's attention, you don't have a chance.
The best sales emails will grab readers' attention immediately. You need a strong subject line and strong first sentence. Remember: Many will see a "preview" of your email, which typically displays the first 40-90 characters of your message. Some email services allow you to separately enter your "preview."
Make it relevant. You can say a lot of things that are intriguing but not relevant to the person receiving the email. The best sales emails will touch a nerve with their audience.
And if you can't make it relevant -- if you don't know what that nerve is -- why are you sending it?
Establish your expertise or value. You need to let the recipient know that there is "weight" in what you say. If your service boosts widget sales by 45 percent, say that, but say it briefly.
Ask for a reply. All you want from these emails is for a prospect to indicate some level of interest. What you do after interest is expressed is a different question. A different series of sales emails could follow or it could be time to make a phone call.
Knock three times. Make the above points in the first email you send. In a follow-up email -- or two follow-up emails at the most -- you briefly restate those points using slightly different words.
Your last email is a "I won't bother you again -- if you have any interest reply today" message.
With this kind of email marketing, the best practices respect the recipient's time so they are short and few emails are sent. It also recognizes the fact that people will, at best, scan the email.
Always consider this point as you focus on how to write an email marketing letter offering your services or product:
Less is more.