But almost everyone uses email. Not only must you get recipients to open your sales email, but you also need to drive conversions. I recommend creating at least a few different personas and sending out individualized emails based on each group’s needs and preferences. To ask questions I find asking questions to be a great way to mimic the feel of a face-to-face conversation. There’s no need to go overboard, but asking a few key questions is an effective way to create rapport and get readers interested. A branded template Speaking of visuals, I can’t stress enough how important it is to create your own branded template. More specifically, they get a little crazy with their fonts, making the content difficult to read. In 2017, “37% of marketers said visual marketing was the most important form of content for their business, second only to blogging (38%).” I suggest using at least one image per email to give it some pizzazz and fulfill your reader’s inherent desire for visuals. But they’re definitely an effective way to increase your open rate and click-through rate. A clear CTA The CTA is hands down one of the most critical elements of a sales email.
Did you know Gmail alone has more than one billion monthly active users?
That means roughly one in every seven humans on the planet has a Gmail account.
And that’s what I love so much about email marketing: the fact that it’s so universal and allows you to reach such a huge audience.
Just think about it. Not everyone uses Instagram. Not everyone uses Snapchat.
But almost everyone uses email.
I look at email as the great equalizer in marketing. It’s especially helpful if you need to reach an older demographic of baby boomers and beyond.
Of course, there’s a lot that goes into a well run email marketing campaign.
Not only must you get recipients to open your sales email, but you also need to drive conversions.
To accomplish this, you’ve got to cover all the bases.
Here are 39 things every sales email needs to have.
1. A definitive purpose
Before you do anything, you need to have a clear understanding of the specific purpose behind each and every email.
One may promote a new product; another may discuss a major update to your service…
This will dictate the direction you take, the content you feature, the CTA you include, and so on.
Make sure you always know the precise purpose of your message before getting in too deep.
2. Specialized targeting
It’s likely your brand has multiple audience personas.
Effective segmentation is critical for getting the right marketing material in front of each email subscriber.
I recommend creating at least a few different personas and sending out individualized emails based on each group’s needs and preferences.
Here’s a very basic example:
This should ensure no one receives irrelevant content, which should have a noticeable impact on your open rate and conversions.
In fact, “segmented email campaigns have an open rate that is 14.32% higher than [that of] non-segmented campaigns.”
3. A killer subject line
Almost 75% of people don’t open emails.
A big reason for that is lackluster subject lines.
They’re not inspiring enough to motivate subscribers to open the email.
This is why you need to understand the psychology behind a killer subject line.
As a huge proponent of email marketing, I’ve done a considerable amount of experimenting with this process.
Check out this post I wrote on NeilPatel.com to learn the fundamentals of creating better email subject lines.
4. A personalized message
Research from Aberdeen found that “personalized email messages improve click-through rates by an average of 14% and conversions by 10%.”
Other studies have seen a similar trend:
Ideally, use each recipient’s first and last name.
5. To be brief
I love long-form content.
Aferall, it’s long-form content that tends to rank the highest in SERPs.
But a sales email isn’t the place for it.
Keep it short, sweet, and to the point for maximum impact.
6. A natural voice
I would wager that the majority of email subscribers don’t want to be addressed in some hyper-corporate, formal fashion.
Instead, most prefer to be spoken to like an actual person.
Use a conversational tone, and approach it as if you’re speaking to your blog readers.
7. Power words
Studies in psychology have shown that people respond better to some words than others.
Utilizing power words is a simple way to connect with readers and pique their interest.
Check out this list from SmartBlogger for examples of power words.
8. The word “you”
At the end of the day, we all want to know what’s in it for us.
If you want someone to read through your email in its entirety, you’d better darn sure appeal to them on a personal basis.
One of the easiest ways to do this is to use “you” when addressing your readers.
“You” is one of the most persuasive words in the English language and should help you connect with your readers.
9. To ask questions
I find asking questions to be a great way to mimic the feel of a face-to-face conversation.
There’s no need to go overboard, but asking a few key questions is an effective way to create rapport and get readers interested.
10. Empathy
People are interested in buying a product or service for a reason.
They have a problem or pain point they’re seeking a solution for.
Make it clear you understand their struggles and that your goal is to help them find a resolution.
11. Trustworthiness
Any semblance of sketchiness is a recipe of disaster.
Be diligent about establishing your brand as a trusted source.
12. To say “thank you”
I find that simply thanking readers for their time and consideration to buy my product is a perfect way to humanize my emails.
Here’s a great quote from The Harvard Business Review:
13. A personalized product recommendation
Keeping with the theme of personalization, I suggest including a personalized product recommendation whenever it makes sense.
Take into consideration the needs, wants, and overall pain points of each targeted demographic.
Then include a link to a particular product they would be interested in.
14. Educational and/or entertaining content
One of the quickest ways to kill your subscriber’s vibe is to blast them with super salesy content.
Of course, you want to be actively promoting your brand, but it shouldn’t come across as obnoxious.
I suggest focusing on the two E’s:
Educating and Entertaining your audience.
Use these as guides for creating your email, and the rest should follow.
15. Eye appeal
Platforms, such as…
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