Words you should and should not use in e-mail advertising campaigns

Here are some simple rules that apply to any e-mail advertising campaign that has a goal of being effective and standing out from the crowd of look-alike messages.

1. You do not want to look like a spammer.

2. You do want your message look different from other e-mail offers and proposals.

3. Your message must trigger action - a download, website visit, phone call, quote request, etc.

So, how do you write a message that does all that? Simple.

1. Not looking like a spammer
NEVER, I REPEAT, NEVER USE ALL CAPITAL LETTERS AND MULTIPLE EXCLAMATION MARKS!!!!!!!!!! Besides looking unprofessional, you are risking that your message will never get to your readers, since spam filters will simple delete your message because of overabundance of these elements. Also, try not to be too funky with font colors. Sure, it may attract attention, but probably will irritate at least some of your recipients as well.

2. Looking (and writing) differently.
Be a non-conformist. Try to use as little of cliches as possible. Yes, I mean - "prices so low, you won't believe", "this is a limited time offer", and about 100 phases that we all heard about one thousand times each. The solution? Creativity. How about "prices so low, it is probably immoral".

3. Triggering action.
You have to be affirmative. You have to be clear and concise. And you have to tell your customers exactly what they should do. This means sentences like these: "Download your free trial version of … to jump-start your web sales" "Follow this link to find out more about HTML password protection products you can download free of charge" "Call … to get a price quote for SupaPupaMegaBox set".

Remember, if you don't try to make a sale, you won't make it!

Relevant links:

    • Send personalized bulk mail
    • Get rid of dead e-mail addresses
    • Automate your subscription

Next week: What are keywords good for?
Prev week: Is your message worth reading?

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