E-mail as a promotional tool


MOST business owners rely on monthly newsletters to promote their products. But the trend of using emails as a marketing tool is increasingly becoming popular. How does one actually leverage the medium? Is it really a workable idea? How do you send an effective email to your subscribers?
For your promotional email tool to succeed, you need to ensure that the e-mail is professional. Lets take a look at some tips that can help your email look that way:
Subject line: Avoid vague and misleading subject lines. Unconnected subject lines will be seen as spams rather than as serious promotional mail. An effective subject line should relate directly to your offer.
Explain what your offer is: Your e-mail should preferably not exceed two or three paragraphs. Double space the message and keep it succinct. Use bullets or stars to emphasise key points, but avoid text in all caps or with multiple exclamation points.
The first few sentences are the most critical part of your e-mail and should contain your `grab' phrase. It should form the central message of your mail, and should be clear and exciting. The body should contain your `grab' phrase mentioning benefits, and close with a call to action. Tell readers what you want them to do and include hyperlinks such as "Click here to register."
Use clear and simple language: The usage of active voice and short sentences is recommended. This is very important because for most readers, the first few sentences create an impact, and play a major role in the readers' decision-making process.
Include all the information: Some e-mail marketing messages do not succeed as they fail to provide all the information that the customers need. Do not forget to include vital information like pricing and deadlines. It wouldn't be fair to expect the readers or customers to go through your website to gather such information. Include a P.S.: A postscript is not compulsory. But it is a useful tool to grab attention. There might be times when readers read only the subject line, the main phrase and just scroll down to check the P.S. So, highlight your effort once more in the P.S. After the P.S., always provide the readers with the option of unsubscribing from the list.