This is the dream of all web marketing consultants : write the perfect email. That is the e-mail message capable of achieving the set objective: to capture the reader’s attention and take it towards a concrete action . A click that corresponds to a booking, a sale, a download.
I imagine the first reflection: the concept of email is very broad. It means everything and nothing. In this category you can find the newsletters you send to update the public, to push them to the content you post on the blog . But also those that are part of a lead nurturing strategy.
Not all contacts are ready for the purchase of a product or service. Writing the perfect email sometimes means sending content that can satisfy a specific, advanced need, capable of pushing your business goal . In any case there are transverse elements for each sending.
Email is a simple and complex tool. He went through the ages of the web and today he is here, refined and powerful. But all in all unchanged. The e-mail message is like a shark, it has not evolved over the years. It was already perfect: intimate, precise, direct, concentrated. If you apply more attention you can increase the opening rates. And improve the performance of your email marketing strategy.
- Before you start: think about the strategy
- The sender is important for the success of the email
- Customize the email content
- Care the subject of the email to get the maximum
- You must measure the effectiveness of the email
- How to write the perfect email?
Not all mailings have a reflection behind them, but those that involve a commercial objective (indirect or indirect) should follow a project. A thoughtful marketing strategy designed to achieve the best possible result. Do you want to write the perfect email? First you need to know who the recipient is, if he has needs, if he expects something from you.
Of course, everything depends on the type of email you’ve decided to send. Do you want to send a press release? Okay, how do you start your email? With an inflated and hateful: “With prayer of publication” ? It can work with journalists, when you send 10,000 emails to as many national newspapers waiting for the official source to write the article as the manna from heaven.
But if you are writing to bloggers to work on an influencer marketing action, you must evaluate each word in relation to the possible reader. This applies to every occasion, for every message that passes through your e-mail box or email marketing program . You must be strategic.
The sender is important for email success
An important step: when you organize your platform to send emails, remember to carefully set the field that allows you to show the sender and the reference address. Just like the Mailchimp form captured on this screen suggests: micro content is decisive on the web.
How to write the perfect email
They are decisive because, in a minimum time, they allow you to communicate everything you’ve built over the years. People trust Riccardo Esposito (or at least those who signed up for the newsletter) and the domain mysocialweb.it communicates authority, quality content. Then it affects the open rate.
Customize the email content
I repeat the reasons announced above, inserting some examples to reinforce everything: with a publication prayer, a kind blogger, a kind journalist and other cases of bad communication via email must be set aside. The success of an email is in the personalization of the content, but also of the presentation.
Individuals love what they carve around their essence. And to their needs. Then, call the recipients by name and write a content that will satisfy that contact or segment of the public. I know, it takes longer. But you want to write the perfect email, right?
Another point linked to the quality of the content: segmenting means sending the right audience what they expect. If I realize that your newsletter shoots in the pile, I don’t open it. Indeed, the abandonment. The unsubscribe rate increases when irrelevant content is sent.
So the idea is this : I create a basic guide to blogging , and the mail contacts that are left to download the document end up in a list that will be fed with content (commercial or otherwise) intended for those who take their first steps. This way everything works, people open emails and follow your call to action .
Care the subject of the email to get the maximum
The subject of the email is decisive for increasing the opening rates. The reason is simple: when the message arrives in the e-mail client, few contents are highlighted. And that you can actually read . Especially if you consider that most of the messages are read by the mobile phone.
That is, in a condition where few words are displayed. Care for the subject field must be meticulous if you want to increase the chances of having your work read to the target audience. But what are the steps to get good results ? In this Hub spot presentation you can find useful information.
First of all, the email object must be short: on a mobile device the first 4/7 words are read, the rest is useless. So you have to gather the most important part in the first section of the string. That is the benefits linked to the very opening of the email . If you waste time at the beginning of the object you risk nullifying it all.
Furthermore many emails are labeled as spam by the client because they contain words that activate the protections: I’m talking about free, discount, free. In reality it is not only the use of these terms that determines the success or failure of an action, but the combination of several elements. For example the sender, the frequency of mailings, the content, the reputation of the domain, the presence of an image and little text…
In short, you don’t become a spammer just because you used a commercial word in the email. Otherwise all the newsletters would be automatically trashed. In any case I advise you to avoid all the letters in capital letters in the object, the abuse of exclamation points and newsboy formulas: apart from the anti-spam filters , they are solutions hated by all.
There is no decisive formula, I do not know a way that can always lead to effective messages. What makes the difference is empirical observation , the ability to analyze the data that arrives on the dashboard of your email marketing software. A detail not applicable with a normal mail client. In other words, you can’t do this with Gmail. Although there are interesting extensions.
Steak, for example, turns your e-mail account into a sort of CMR to create a workflow. And bring those who ask for information towards a precise and effective funnel. You can define the tracking of conversations – after all we work for this – and change Gmail into a perfect tool. In any case, this is the way to go to create an effective email: measure and observe what the public does.
How to write the perfect email?
In this article you can find my opinion, my point of view on the subject. And above all you can read my tips to write the perfect email. Or at least to try, here. The rest comes from experience and study. This is why I ask you to contribute to the improvement of the post: do you want to add something? What increases the opening rates in email accounts? Leave your experience in the comments, it will be valuable.
How to write a company newsletter
This is an essential point to define the online presence of your company. You know that email marketing is a decisive step, you have purchased a useful profile for your purpose on Mailchimp or Mailup , now you have to face the next step: how to write a company email? In this case you have to put all your copywriting skills into play.
The newsletter has a different power from any medium; it can reach the user in a special place. That is the mailbox, a reserved corner that forces the individual to a concentrated reading, dedicated to the message. In addition, it requires another step: the recipient of the content has asked to join the list.
So he expressed a clear desire: I want to read your content. Often lists are enriched through solutions that are not always linear, this is true, but they are not solutions that concern us. Clean players get good results over time. You have a good email marketing program, you have given quality content in exchange for emails so the agenda is substantial: how to write a company newsletter?
How to write a successful newsletter
- Email subject
- Care for identity
- Text and image of the newsletter
- Examples of corporate newsletters
- Your personal experience
Define an email marketing strategy
This is the starting point for every activity, I am sorry to repeat it but it is like this: to understand what to write in a newsletter you must first insert this tool in a complete strategy. What are emails for? To retain the readers of the corporate blog? It may be a good idea, in this case you think of a certain type of content. You want to sell products or services? Perfect, this is a different solution.
With the company newsletter you can achieve more goals. Modern email marketing programs allow you to define different templates for different needs, without forgetting that you can create segments to send a specific message to interested contacts.
So, before understanding how to write a newsletter, it’s right to define what it is for. You can manage emails to maintain a link, or you can use messages to do lead nurturing. And feed potential customers with specific content such as case studies, white papers, webinars and presentations.
Establish an editorial calendar for the newsletter
How to write a company newsletter? By carefully managing the times. Because one of the fundamental causes of abandonment is precisely this: excessive publication. On the other hand, if you do not maintain relationships, members risk getting the opposite result: little involvement, little attention.
how to write a company newsletter As you can read in this graphic, the excessive amount of newsletters is the reason that drives people to abandon the company newsletter. So you have to focus on careful planning and never improvised. What does this mean? How many emails do you send in a month?
There is no definite answer, in the sense that these data can vary depending on the type of company and the message. The fundamental rule is this: you have to make tests, attempts. Only through tests can you have a clear answer. This also affects the best days and the ideal time to send: empirical evidence gives you the answer. What you need to consider, however, is the topic of the newsletter.
You know that a commercial content, based on sales, can be considered too intrusive. Look at the other reasons that lead the user to abandon the newsletter : they concern the contents. They are not relevant, they do not represent what I expect. On the other hand, a discount is always a pleasure, especially on a specific date. This is why it is essential to have a publishing calendar of the newsletter. I usually fit what I use for blogging, you can download it here: editorial calendar template in Excel.
What to write in a newsletter
As suggested, there are several reasons to write a company newsletter. Because it is precisely the nature of the company that has different communication goals. So to answer this question – what to write in a newsletter – you must first consider the sending goal. You can be told four.
One of the pillars of the company newsletter. You can use this tool to increase blog visits and bring visits to your content. I am not referring to the daily update via email, in this case you can use the rss feed and the Feedburner function, but send it via reasoned summary emails .
For example, Studio Samo could send a newsletter with a selection of articles dedicated to the world of email marketing. With an introduction, a title and an image: 5 boxes with links to the article to give registered people clear indications on what to read. You can do the same thing for a single important post, to give more emphasis.
One of the most interesting content for corporate email marketing. You can not always produce content to be shared exclusively on the newsletter, so you can make collections of resources taken from the web and refer to something useful. Whoever deals with web marketing , for example, can find the best SEO tools : at this point your content curation skill will make the difference.
- An unpublished article.
- An eBook you wrote.
- A slide presentation.
- A video or webinar.
- A case study or a white paper.
The concept is simple: you have to make your resource special. Seriously. How long did it take to create that ebook? And the presentation? Is the video valid? The concept of gift must be taken to the extreme if you want to gather good results. Otherwise your document will end up in the usual PDF folder to read.
Here you have to bet on sales and send offers, or maybe discounts with a coupon to be used at certain times. I won’t deny you that commercial content is likely to become a problem: people hate these solutions when they become insistent , and when they are out of context. Dilute this work in the contents, not bombard those who have subscribed to the newsletter with continuous requests for attention to the sale.
How to write a successful newsletter
Let’s get to the point, how to write an effective company newsletter. The first point to respect: you cannot send a newsletter from any e-mail program (like Gmail). You must use dedicated software such as the aforementioned Mailchimp or Mailup. They cost? Do they have a high price? It’s part of the business, email marketing is one of the most effective strategies for selling online. So you have to be willing to invest.
What are the decisive elements of a good newsletter? First of all: the email object. The reason is simple, this string of content introduces what the reader will have to read. So if you want to get good results you have to convince them to click. What are the rules of an effective email object?
In particular, you must enter the most important aspect of communication at the beginning, in this way the reader from the phone can understand what the advantages of the message are. One more point: avoid all the words that could be defined as spam and don’t boast something that you don’t offer. The first click passes, then people will trash you without mercy.
Make sure that the identity of the person sending the newsletter is always visible (I insert a box at the end of the email to explain who I am) and set up your email marketing program to recognize the contact’s name : content customization it’s important, but make sure everything works the right way. Receiving a message starting with “Hello username” is not the maximum.
Text and image of the newsletter
The newsletter must be a balanced balance. Images are important, but do they make sense? Do they help to contextualize the content? What works for a blog article or for a landing page applies to the newsletter: it all depends on the objective of the message. Here are some tips.
- Simplify, write the right.
- Evaluate the tone of voice.
- Care for the legibility of the text.
- Insert beautiful images.
- Use the call to action button.
If you have actions to convey, this is the way to go: call to action buttons can make the difference, the same goes for images. If they are added at random they become obstacles for reading, especially from mobile, but if you are selling a holiday in Thailand and insert a photo of a beach the difference is obvious.
Examples of company newsletters
The examples are endless, you can browse dozens of corporate emails to understand what to publish in these messages. On the Studio Samo blog I have already addressed the topic and listed a series of cases to be taken as a reference. They can be found in the Newsletter Examples section .
The ‘ Email Marketing or DEM (Direct Email Marketing ) is one of the earliest forms of direct marketing used on the Internet. Although it is the most “old” form of web marketing , today it is certainly not the least effective.
But this is not what we want to talk about, even if it is from this that we want to start.
Because if we wanted to analyze every single point of email marketing in depth, the Lord of the Rings trilogy would not be enough , but with some simple rules it is possible to achieve great results and avoid those mistakes that many companies, unfortunately, still commit often.
One of the main reasons is surely that many continue to buy (or rent) email lists.
Although it is possible to purchase customer lists and use them to send your own Newsletter, in many cases these will not be really profiled lists , which will probably be of little or no importance to the product you sell or the service you offer (so much work for nothing) .
We tear another patch: even when these lists are profiled, it is always and always people who have not chosen to receive information from you . Think about it for a moment: when you buy emails from a list, do you know how many other companies have already been sold previously? The answer is obvious, you can’t know it!
Finally, I strongly advise against (read: it is illegal ) to send promotional emails without the recipient’s prior consent.
Email marketing is the tool that should be used to send information (and whose purpose is the sale) to those who voluntarily decide to receive this information from you (the so-called Newsletter).
Here we start from here: send information through specific and functional texts.
- The advantages of the Newsletter
- The basic rules for the text
- Conclusions
The advantages of the Newsletter
Customer loyalty : setting the concept of a newsletter as a free service gives the user a way to see it as a plus for the company
Very low or even zero costs : there is a wide variety of software designed to be used directly online and often in Fermium mode .
Measurable actions : it is possible (and, dare I say necessary) to analyze emails sent, and in particular to know the rate of delivery ( delivery rate ), open rate ( open rate ), click-through rate ( click rate ), unsubscribe rate ( unsubscribe rate ). These are the main KPIs to watch when you launch a campaign.
Let’s talk about it immediately: writing a good text is not as easy as it seems, much less writing a good text for Email Marketing.
Leaving aside those that are the dictates for the creation of an email marketing campaign (and that I propose to you in this interesting article ), I would like to concentrate on the text field of the email , whose goal is to persuade and at the same time inform the reader, through the highlighting of advantages and benefits.
Without going to disturb Moses and his ten commandments, I will list below what I believe may be the 7 basic rules for writing a good text:
Less is more : it is true, we have studied for years and it seems legitimate to show off a polished language worthy of Oxford and Harvard, but what really works in the text of an email is to use simple terms, without turns of words and coming straight to the point!
Division into paragraphs : then, it is clear, the reader (or presumed one) does not read, or rather, does not read everything we write. To make the text pleasant, but above all effective, this should be divided into blocks (paragraphs): for each concept, a paragraph no longer than 5 or 6 lines, to give the user a way to concentrate on each individual concept .
Text formatting: formatting is your best friend: choose the most suitable font for your communication (prefer those without thanks , such as Helvetica, Arial etc.) and don’t be afraid of using bulleted, bold, italic and underlining lists . They are all fundamental elements to highlight the text and to make it become more fluent.
Be Friendly! : repeat it like a mantra: the more friendly and spontaneous the text is, the more effective your email will be (target permitting)! This in a nutshell means using the You (yes, I know, stride and it seems unprofessional, but it is much more intimate and direct) and avoid the Lei (legitimately retired).
Use CTAs : Call To Action is literally a Call to Action ; this is where the user is invited to do something. The most efficient CTAs are represented by “buttons” (colored and highlighted), with a text that is usually composed of a verb in the imperative way: Download the e-book !, Book now! , etc. Note the immediate sense of urgency caused by these sentences.
PS : at the end of your email you can use a post scriptum , but as long as it is strong and relevant: you can enter extra information, a secondary CTA , or refer to an even more advantageous offer.
Secondary Call To Action : it is not mandatory, but if you want you can insert a secondary Call To Action, both in the post script (as already illustrated in the previous point), but also in the text, perhaps using a different color to differentiate it from the first .
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