Businesses make sales through far more channels than just traditional advertising. In fact, many entrepreneurs make the bulk of their income via sales made from email pitches.
Sales emails can take different forms, from a highly targeted email sent to one person to a pitch made to an existing email list. This addresses the latter.
An effective sales email is different from a newspaper or Facebook ad. And in many ways, that's a good thing–your email audience wants to be there. They voluntarily signed up for your newsletters and have already demonstrated their interest in you and your business.
With that in mind, here are some key ingredients to good sales emails:
* First, recognize that one email won't cut it. The most successful business owners take time to nurture their email list, sending a mix of valuable information along with sales pitches. This establishes a give-and-take and builds trust.
* Spend time with your subject line. You can't make a sale if the email doesn't get opened. Not only do you need a hook, but you should be aware of certain words and phrases (like "free gift") that can get your email flagged and sent to the dreaded spam folder.
* Ditto for the first sentence. Many people check email on a mobile device and see the subject line and first sentence, and decide whether to trash or click with a single split-second look.
* Know your clients' needs. Also known as pain points, your clients' needs should be the focus of your email copy. Address them and offer solutions. Too many businesses tout their services before acknowledging the customers' problems. Instead, demonstrate that you understand their issues and THEN describe how you can solve them.