Is your message worth reading?

David Ogilvy, world's renowned copywriter and ad expert wrote, "Advertising is a business of words, but advertising agencies are infested with men and women who cannot write. They cannot write advertisements, and they cannot write plans. They are helpless as deaf mutes on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera."

David said it all. All too often e-mail advertising is ineffective not because the goods or services are bad but because the message is simply not worth reading. Such e-mail messages don't inspire, aren't provocative or empathetic. You can't sell much with these messages. So, how do you write a message that IS worth reading?

1. Talk to your clients directly and address their needs. Keep in mind that your audience is not interested in your problems. You've got to keep selling to stay in business, but that does not bother them much. They care more about their problems. Your job is to offer solutions to their problems. This should be at the core of your message. Ask yourself - what bothers your client the most? How can your company help him or her?

2. While we live in the age of mass consumption, impersonal messages do not sell anything. Sure, you may not be able to personalize your message for one reason or another, but your message should be exclusive or have that special feeling. Your recipients probably understand that thousands of people have received the same message, but if they feel that the message speaks their language, they are much more likely to read it completely and make an order.

3. Be creative and use rich media capabilities. One word of caution - don't abuse reach media. Don't be too "aggressive." Another important component is wording your choose. Compare "beautiful" and "exquisite". Which one do you like more? And always stay away from cliches.

4. Your message should be "muscular". Don't just write for the sake of writing - think what each word and each sentence means to your target audience. Open your messages with a hook line that will make people read the message to the end.

5. Always ask your recipients to make a purchase at the end. After all, this is why you spent so much time writing the message. Remember the rule - good message is the one that generates most sales.

Relevant links:

    • Bulk e-mail marketing for small businesses
    • Bulk Email Marketing. The Whys and Hows
    • Building a successful newsletter


Next week: Words you should and should not use in e-mail advertising campaigns
Prev week: Battling short attention span of Internet surfers

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