Email Marketing by the Numbers: How to Use the World’s Greatest Marketing Tool to Take Any Organization to the Next Level

Creating Emails That Sell

By Sheri WaldropOwner, Waldrop Marketing CommunicationsBlog: www.waldropmarketing.com

Creating great emails really isn’t based on knowing the “right technique” or even having great writing skills. The difference between emails that get opened and read and those that get deleted right away is how well they reflect what the reader wants to learn about.

This brings me to the first rule of creating emails that sell:

Rule 1: Know Thy Customer

Even the BEST email message, perfectly written, with an exciting offer, will fall flat if it goes to the wrong audience. You really can’t sell snowshoes to people living in the tropics, hard as you might try. This is why broadcasting emails to everyone in the world brings in such abysmal response rates, with open rates measured in the hundredth of a percent, not to mention spam reports.

Instead, develop a highly targeted in-house email list. Once you know who will be reading your email, you can personalize.

Many people new to writing sales emails tend to oversimplify this process: “It’s easy. My customers are anyone who needs car accessories and wants to buy them online.” But dig a little deeper, and you’ll find that your customers come in different sizes and shapes—and so should your emails to them.

Here are three possible audiences for car accessories:

1. Older individuals who are looking for a nice-looking seat cover to protect their expensive leather upholstery.

2. Middle-aged auto enthusiasts who love to restore classic ...