The “letter” is probably the oldest form of written communication. But when it comes to e-mail marketing, most of us regularly use HTML based e-mail marketing formats full of photos and image graphics. We’ve also discussed why subject lines mean so much to the effectiveness of your e-mail campaigns. But do you ever get in a rut and just have some things you want to say to your customers without a bunch of fluff and graphic fireworks? If so, maybe it’s a good time for you to go back to basics and just write a letter.
Recently, I got just such a letter from the Editor-in-Chief at a marketing e-zine to which I subscribe, and I actually opened it and read it – something I honestly, rarely do with their mailings.
What do I mean by letter format?
Just how it sounds. A letter format when it comes to e-mail marketing for your small business is just that – a letter written in normal e-mail typing text with a greeting, body, and salutation. A P.S. is also a great bonus because statistics say that those get read the most of any element of a direct marketing letter.
Why does the letter format work so well for e-mail marketing?
I think it boils down to being a real human every now and then. We humans of the earth like to connect with other humans – not mechanical, fancy looking businesses. As a locally owned small business owner, you have an edge on this marketing opportunity – and you should use it. Don’t overuse it, or you’ll lose your authenticity, but maybe once a month, this method would work phenomenally well for your small business. Insert your personality, your passion and your knowledge. Connect with your customers and share something valuable with them. Maybe it’s an event or maybe it’s just knowledge about your business niche that you thought would help them out. Maybe it’s a thank you for their loyalty. But at the end of the day, the letter format inserts another human element into your customer relationships, builds authenticity and leads to increased trust… And these elements lead to higher lifetime value of the customer, increased customer loyalty and stronger referral values.
With that in mind, what are the elements of a letter format, e-mail marketing communication?
Here are some common elements I would probably include in your small business e-mail marketing letter:
1. Greeting with real name. As in “Hi there, Marianna…” or “Hello, Marianna.”
2. A personal, authentic and thoughtful first paragraph.
3. A link to the relevant information.
4. Supporting information in subsequent paragraphs, maintaining the chatty, authentic, personal tone of the human sending the e-mail.
5. Bullet lists of relevant information
6. Close by repeating the main details in summary list format. For example, if you’re sharing an event with them, re-state the details as follows:
Webinar entitled: Seven Marketing Strategies that Work in Any Economy
Thursday, July 22, 2010 at 9 a.m.
Register here: insert bit.ly link
7. Friendly closing that says something like “I hope you can join me…”
8. Your first name
9. P.S. This is the place to restate your offer or add a bonus to the existing call to action offer, if there is one.
10. Skip two lines then insert your “signature file” with links to your web site and social media, general business and contact information, etc.
Please let me know if you’ve ever used this format and what the results were. If you’re considering this idea, what stood out to you or what ideas would you add to this post? Post in the comments below! Happy letter writing!
Photo Credit: a.drien (the letter)
Trackbacks/Pingbacks
[...] It’s a personal letter style format similar to the letter style format for e-mail marketing that we recently discussed – except this letter was send through Facebook’s messaging system [...]