Email Follow-up: A Guide
Written by Customer Service
Saturday, 25 February 2006
In order to gain a clear shot at establishing business with prospective customers, you need to acquire and maintain a strong line of communication. These days, the telephone and snail mail are pretty much out; e-mail is the way to go for getting your message across in a clear and timely fashion. That being said, the key to generating new business isn’t as simple as whipping off quick notes to send out for mass mailing. There are some very definite tactics which should be employed when designing your message so that would-be patrons will stop and take notice of your message and read the content, which should be inspiring enough to drive their business in your direction.
The golden rule of the e-mail based marketing strategy is to present your messages in such a way that consumers will actually open and read them, rather than simply dismiss them as spam or, at the very least, simply a nuisance. The first way to ensure that they’re read, of course, is to provide a captivating subject line. Every bit as much time should go into the development of a strong subject line as it should to create an inspiring message. The best approach to take is to generate around a half-dozen subject lines, and then sift through them until you settle on the one that you feel is best suited for enticing folks to read the message. Make it a point to use the person’s first name in the subject line. This usually helps to attract their attention enough to read the body of the message.
Tap into the natural curiosity that most people possess. By including something with a bit of intrigue in the subject area, folks will be more inclined to go on to the content of the message, rather than chucking it into the recycle bin without paying any attention to what you’re trying to convey. Of course, don’t forget to include the mention of some sort of benefit to the potential customer, or they may not take your message seriously.
Since the general idea is for the consumer to continue reading, you’ll have to pepper the content of the message with further bits of mystique, such as tapping into the “suspense” tool. When a person’s curiosity has been piqued, they’ll typically want to continue reading to get to what they feel is the “punch line”. It’s generally accepted that, the longer someone reads, the more ensnared they become in the sales technique. Therefore, the longer you hold their attention, the more likely they are to become actual customers.
Another technique is to weave a tale through the message. For instance, if you’re marketing hand-knit sweaters, you might say something to the effect of, “Margaret’s life has revolved around the knitting of high-quality sweaters since she first learned the skill at the hand of her mother when she was a young girl. As the years went on, she learned to perfect these techniques and produce a top-quality line of fashionable, customized garments that are unique in design and unchallenged in craftsmanship.” Your title, then, might be, “Tricks of the Knitting Trade”. This will entice readers to read on much more than the title, “Hand-Knit Sweaters”. Why? Simply because the first title arouses the consumer’s curiosity enough to want to learn what those tricks involve. The second is too generic and doesn’t inspire any curiosity.
Use your e-mail as an educational forum. Quite often, people are drawn into purchasing a particular product simply because it performs better than what they already have, even though they weren’t in the market for that particular product before reading the message. For example, those who are interested in hair care products that are specifically formulated to care for a certain type of hair (and they happen to have that type) might also be inclined to buy a blow-dryer that further enhances a positive effect on that particular quality of hair. In their effort to find and purchase the hair care product, they also end up making the commitment to buy the blow-dryer.
Offering free services such as tutorials or specialized courses regarding the use of your product will further entice consumers to buy what it is that you’re offering. This is simply because these extras give them a comfortable cushion that they can use as a safety net for learning how to use your product. They’ll, then, feel more secure about making the decision to purchase it, knowing that they have some back-up reference tools. In addition, this will show your willingness to help, rather than giving the impression that you’re simply a faceless manufacturer of some mass-produced commodity on the internet. The human approach is always the most successful.
To further gain their trust, it’s best to shed light on any little imperfections that may be intrinsic to the product that you’re selling. That’s not to say that you should degrade its value or usefulness, but simply pointing out a few minor downfalls will help consumers to feel that you’re being honest in your approach and not trying to pull the proverbial wool over their eyes – and you certainly wouldn’t want any negative repercussions as a result of any minor drawbacks, at any rate, so it’s best to pave the way for those from the onset.
Including details, descriptions and other pertinent data within the body of your message will further elicit trust among potential customers. In addition to facing the many challenges of rival businesses, you also face the test of convincing skeptical consumers that your product is of value to them. Another way to drive this home, of course, is to continue to send follow-up e-mails with reminders and, perhaps, additional information. The average person needs to be prompted up to nine times before making the commitment to seriously pursue purchasing an item that they didn’t original set out to buy.
Tap into the consumer’s natural aversion to missing out on something special or significant in some way. For instance, if your message cites a special sale that’s on for a certain period of time which allows customers to save money or be the recipient of some extra product, they’ll be more inclined to purchase the product. Don’t make it sound “too good to be true,” however, since consumers tend to look for “the catch” in the midst of any deal. Be candid about why you’re offering the deal, and they’ll be more inclined to turn off those internal alarms that warn them against such tactics.
When you consider all of the thought, work and details that must be considered in the sending of a simple e-mail (much less, a series of them), it sounds like a lot to have to do in order to advertise your product. With so much involved in running a business, most people don’t have the necessary time that it takes to compose, send and resend these necessary tools of the trade. One very valuable option that you might consider is the contracting of a reputable marketing firm to take care of your advertising needs.
About the Author: Monique Danielle owns Portland Marketing Agency DivaDesignWorld.com, a full service firm that offers web development, graphic design, consulting, and a wide variety of creative services.