Writing emails can be a whole different ball game when addressing your customers. Try to imagine talking to a person in real life as if you are trying to introduce a product to them. You might think that writing versus talking to a person in real life is totally different, but the reality is it is not that much different in terms of the things you want to say to your customers. The advantage of writing emails is that it will give you time to think before writing down your thoughts whereas talking requires some degree of spontaneity.
This article describes six important tips to remember when writing emails.
1. Shorten Your Messages
Avoid writing long-winded emails to your customers. You must not assume everyone will spend time reading your emails from top to bottom. Chances are there are hundreds of emails coming into their mailbox everyday and seeing another elaborately written email means will just mean they might skip it and your messages will never get across to them. Simplify and write in a concise succinct manner.
2. Attention Grabbing Headlines
This is one of the most important feature that you must have when writing emails. Sometimes all it takes is a headline that grabs your viewer's attention, compelling them to open them. Again avoid writing headlines that contain the word "Free!" or "Extra Income" as this will trigger junk email filters. Spend some time writing your headlines as it pays in the long term.
3. Reasons for Writing
Sometimes attention grabbing headlines aren't sufficient enough for your customers to open your emails. A very well-known article on the psychology of selling concluded that people like to know a reason why they have to do something. People like to know why they should purchase a particular product before taking out their wallets and pay for it. Writing emails with a "reason-why" headline instead of just an attention-grabbing announcement does make a whole lot of difference.
4. Simplify Your Emails
You don't have to show your vocabulary skills in your email. It is pointless to write emails and assume everyone will understand what you are trying to say. No one has the time to refer to a dictionary on complicated words you use. Nobody cares if you could use"rambunctious" or "ostentatious" in your sentences. Write it in plain simple to understand English. You have to understand that your potential customers are not all well English educated.
5. Personalize Your Emails
Address your customers by their name. You don't have to put in their full names when addressing them but even just their first name is enough. Of course, don't overdo this. Achieve a balance between the introduction, body and ending part of your emails.
6. Be Passionate
No one likes reading emails if they sound monotonous and plain boring. You might not have the luxury of speaking to a customer and gauge their emotional response to what you are saying but surprisingly this applies even to emails. Imagine that you are speaking to a person and then write emails as you would say it in real life. Be enthusiastic in your emails and inject some energy to it. If you are not passionate about what you are saying, that how do you expect your customers to be interested?
Writing emails takes practice. You might not get it right during the first few emails but there is always room for trial and error. Make use of the tips I've written above and apply them in your emails.
Wishing You Success!
Bryan Wong YH
