99% of email users check their email every day, some as much as 20 times a day! It’s often the first thing people do online; 58% of users check their email before they check out social media or the news. This only shows you how important email marketing is. Your first step is to learn how to write an email that people open and reply to.
If you are looking for a cheap way to market yourself and convert customers, then Professional Email marketing is the right tool for you. According to Campaign Monitor, for every $1 spent on email marketing the return has been a staggering $44. This is 4400% ROI.
Tips for Writing an Effective Email
It is vital that you write audience-specific emails to get the most out of your effort.
A personal/informal email can be casual without any formalities. However, a professional/formal email has to be a personalized email, proofread, written in a formal language, and preferably, starting with the name of the person the email is addressed to. Here’s a few tips:
- Must have an Attractive Subject Line.
- If you do not have the full name of the person you are addressing, then it has to begin with dear sir/madam.
- Get to the point quickly and don’t waste the reader’s time.
- Use email signature.
- Bullet points lists are easier on the eye.
Email Structure & Components
Writing professional emails is a science. Your goal is to get replies, drive readers to your website, or to book an appointment for a face to face interview. Your writing skills have to be impeccable.
- Subject line
- Salutation
- Email body
- Closing/Ending/sign off
- Email Signature
1. Subject line
The first thing your customer will see is your attractive subject line. You have to make your email subject line as catchy as it gets. Think of your email the same way you think of a meal at a restaurant. The subject line is the name of the meal on the menu. You want it stand out so that it gets picked out of the rest of the meals.
Which one would you drool over more, one named “Cheese Burger” or “The Supreme Crispy Chicken Burger 160GR“? If you are anything like me you are already thinking whether to get the latter with Cola or a Soda.
A catchy subject line has a much higher chance to be opened than a boring, traditional subject line
2. Salutation
This is where you greet the reader, a good email starts with a short hello.
This is usually a short dear mr, dear sir, or dear madam.
If this is the first time you email an entity and you do not know the name of the person you are getting in touch with it is customary to begin with “To whom it may concern“.
You could follow it with “I trust you are doing well“ or “I hope this email finds you well“.
3. Email body
This is where your email message is written, the gist of what you are emailing about. So if this is an email about a job application, this is where you add why you are right for the position you are applying for. Use lists and bullet points, they go a long way helping you get reads.
Try to keep it short and direct, no one has time to read a novel in an email format.
Pro Tip: a business email should not exceed 125 words, be very vigilant with what you put in.
4. Closing
This is the part where you place your CTA (call to action). This is where you can add a button for the reader to visit your website.
It is customary to end your email with one of the following:
- Best wishes
- Kind regards
- Best regards
- Sincerely yours
Sincerely yours is more appropriate when the email is formal and you know the recipient
5. Email Signature
This is where you have your contact information for the reader to be able to get in touch with you. This includes information like:
- Name, surname, and title.
- Phone number.
- Website.
- Social accounts (LinkedIn).
Pro tip: There are lots of solutions online to generate an email signature: HubSpot, mail signatures, my signature.
Setting up your Email Account
Let’s begin walking through the process of setting up your email account.
If you want to be taken seriously then you need to have a professional email address matching your domain name.
We cannot stress this enough, no one takes an email ending with an @gmail seriously.
1. Create an email address:
Your first step is to purchase a mailbox and a domain name and connect them together.
This tutorial walks you through the setup:
The Business professional tire from GoDaddy comes with 1TB of online storage on OneDrive and the office 365 Apps
Get your business email from GoDaddy today.
2. Compose a new email:
At the top left corner of your mailbox just click “New Email“:
There’s a picture here
3. Enter your list of recipients
Here is where you insert the emails of the people you are trying to reach. It is very straight forward.
Do not worry if you do not have a list yet, learn how to build a list with this video:
Writing your first email.
This can sound intimidating. This is why we came up with this email template/sample email for you to follow:
Step 1: Add an attractive subject line:
This is the first thing your customers will see. According to statistics, the average person receives 100 emails per day. Very few people open all of them, this is why an attractive subject line is very important at this stage.
Subject line examples:
- Limited time offer, 20% off your next product!!
- We now deliver products off on the same day!
- That sweater in your cart is beginning to go out of stock.
- First phase of tickets has sold out, don’t miss out!
Step 2: Appropriate salutation.
Start your email by greeting the reader, keep it short and sweet. People rarely care about who the email is coming from and care more about what’s in it for them. They shall know who you are in signature.
Greetings examples:
- Dear sir
- Dear Mr
- Dear Madam
- To whom it may concern
Then a one liner asking about them:
- I hope this email finds you well
- I trust you are well
Step 3: Consider your target audience:
this is one of the basics of marketing, people are different, have different needs and wants, you cannot treat everyone the same way.
If you are selling to everyone, you are selling to no one.
Your sales email has to impress and connect with the reader on a personal level. Someone who purchased a $2000 keyboard from you would not be interested in the $15 earphones you are promoting right now. They may unsubscribe if the content of the email wastes their time which will result in loss in future sales.
Step 4: Stay short and to the point
As we said above, no one has time for long emails.
Remember that you are trying to peak their interest to move them to your website or to prompt a reply. Get to the important points and list them in bullet point format to make it easier for the reader.
Step 5: Proofread your email
Your email writing skills at the beginning will be very limited and that is why you have to proofread your email more than once before you press that send button. Learn when to use commas and when to use periods.
Step 6: stay consistent with your styling
This refers to your words and ideas being presented in a similar and orderly fashion that is logical for the reader. This can mean the fonts used, the placement and dimensions of images, and the lists (bullet points, numbered, or by letters).
Recommended fonts:
- Arial
- Calibri light
- New Times Roman
Any device or web browser has those main fonts, so what you see on your screen is exactly what your reader will.
Step 7: Don't Forget to Follow up on your Sent Emails
Sending a follow-up email is your last step of the email marketing journey. This is when you wait a while after your email. This period could be a few days or a few weeks. It depend on:
- The urgency.
- The content itself.
- The familiarity level with the reader.
- The product at hand.
Conclusion:
- Email marketing is the cheapest and most effective marketing tool behind word of mouth.
- Learning how to write an email professionally can help small businesses benefit a big deal because it has a high ROI compared to other means of marketing.
- You cannot possibly send the same email to everyone and expect high returns, you must know your audience and tailor your messaging to them.
- Proofread your emails more than once before you send them out.
- Writing an attractive subject line is your first challenge.
- You cannot be taken seriously if your email doesn’t match your domain name.
The GoDaddy email marketing tool comes with plenty of personalized fields and templates for your convenience.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ):
Here’s a list of the most common and frequently asked questions regarding how to write an email and email marketing:
How do you start of a formal email?
Formal emails have specific set templates and it goes as follows:
- Subject line: attractive and intriguing.
- Salutation: short and sweet.
- Email message: direct and to the point.
- Closing: your call to action comes here.
- Signature: your contact details; name, website, phone number, address, and some times even a logo.
What are the basics of email writing?
Your how to write an email journey begins with an email address linked to your domain name so your customers take you seriously. Afterwards, it is all about your writing skills, proofreading, writing style, the templates used, the content itself, and the person addressed.
How do you sound smart in an email?
This is a very delicate matter because you want to sound smart to the reader but at the same time don’t want them to get lost in jargon.
Pro tip: download Grammarly, it is very useful in suggesting acronyms, spotting grammatical errors, and placing commas and periods.
How do you write a strong opening sentence?
This is another important topic to discuss in your “how to write an email journey“. Strong opening sentences can get the reader hooked and wanting to read more.
- Keep it personal: address the reader by name (if you know it).
- Begin with why: This means; why should the reader be reading this, what’s in it for them.
- Urgency: drive them to read more.
Example:
Dear Mr. Mohammad,
75% of houses in your area have gained value in 2022, is yours one of them?
This opening sentence begins with addressing the person by name, has a statistic (statistics and numbers tend to get people’s attention), and directly relates to them. It guarantees that your reader will keep on reading.
