How to Structure a Marketing Email - With our Easy-Checklist

Despite many marketers claiming that email marketing is dead – a recent report by Statista.com reported that 66% of online consumers purchased a product or service because of a marketing email they had received. This leads into the question of what happens to the other 44%?

Do they end up in spam folders or get deleted before they’re even opened? The answer: Probably.

 

Getting noticed in the world of email marketing is becoming progressively harder, however there are certain things you can do, which, can improve not only your open rate, but, your conversion rates too.

Because let’s face it... If your response rate is less than 10% then you really could use some work!

Firstly let’s go through the “do-nots”

I won’t spend time talking about list-building as I’ve covered this in previous blogs. But I should mention that, before composing any type of email, always make sure you are sending it to a relevant, segmented list. It’s essentially the only way your email will get opened at all, let alone converted.

• Don’t make your emails too long – No-one wants to read your dissertation (I am guilty of this and am trying to curb my habit).
• Don’t try and cram too many ideas into one email - If you have one product, then stick to one per email, you can always write more emails if necessary.
• ‘Me, me me’ - The ratio should be 80% ‘you’ and 20% ‘me’, if you find yourself talking about your company more than your customer then something needs to give.
• Using lots of jargon - When you’ve worked in marketing for a while you can take it for granted that people know what you’re on about. The thing is they don’t. That’s not to say you have to be too patronising about it either, but using terminology that is niche and specific to your industry lets you run the risk of bamboozling your potential customer – simply, use plain English!

I have compiled a list of 8 points that an email should cover, ideally all 8 should be in there but, I realise, that keeping it short may mean missing some of them out, in which case remember the main point, the email should have purpose and get your potential customer to do something at the end. 

8 Things to include in your Email

1. PROBLEM: Outline a problem that your potential customer has, or maybe, doesn’t know they have.
2. SOLUTION: Provide them with the solution.
3. BENEFITS: The solution should be in the form of a product or service you offer, but remember to sell the benefits not the features.
4. UNIQUE SELLING POINT: Why should the customer choose you over other competitors, what makes your product or service different from the rest? Here you can add in figures, statistics supporting your products success.
5. TESTINOMIAL: there is nothing that sells a service better than social proof!
6. FURTHER INFO: Give the customer the opportunity to gain further info by driving them to your website or asking them to opt-in to an email campaign.
7. CALL-TO-ACTION: Ask the customer to do something or take action at the end of the email.
8. OFFER/DEADLINE: To add a sense of urgency and action always end with an offer and a deadline.

OK so those are the points and although they are the key elements of a good email, of course you can play around and be creative. If you have any success stories or anything to add then please feel free to contact me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

Until Next Time

Kelly the Marketeer x