Email Marketing Do’s and Don’ts

Planning an email marketing product launch this year? If you’re wise, please don’t follow the example set by an unnamed software company that sent me an email recently touting its latest release.

The subject line was: Big (Product Name) news in advance, from me to you!  That piqued my interest, so I opened the email. Here is what the message said:

Hi Gloria,

First of all I hope your 2014 is shaping up beautifully as we approach the midpoint.

Next, I want to personally break the big news to you before the official release.

The long awaited Product Name for Windows and Mac will be released tonight and made available for purchase tomorrow!

Everyone we talk to is looking to put a strong finish on Q2.

Here I am looking to accomplish what I can now before taking on the massive influx of new demonstration requests that will come from the official = release.

This makes the next week of business a perfect time for you to call me up and see what we can make happen for you. I will do everything in my power to earn your business in June!

If you have given serious thought to purchasing an initial license or bundle of Product Name, but have been waiting for the right time, call me asap on my direct line: 

It was a nice letter, but the author blew it on a couple of points.

Want a Sale? Be Clear on Product Benefits

#1 – The author assumed I had heard about this product.  (I hadn’t, or at least didn’t remember.)

#2 – The author assumed I knew what the product’s features and benefits were. (I don’t!)

#3 – The author promises to do everything in his power to earn my business. (That’s nice – but he would have been more successful if he had told me how this new product would help my business.)

What did the author do right?

#1 – He personalized the letter – using my first name, instead of something generic.

#2 – He played up the exclusivity angle – suggesting that he was giving me first dibs on the new product to make it more appealing.

#3 – He started off well – writing a subject line that made me open the email.

Don’t Assume Your Audience Knows You

What’s the lesson here? Never ASSUME your audience knows you when sending a product launch email. I searched my email and discovered that I had received several emails from this company, dating back to last November.  But I never read any of them, so that was why I didn’t recognize the product name.

If you’re going to announce a new product, let your reader know WIIFM — otherwise known as, “What’s in it for them!” With the volume of emails the average person receives each day, you have to be able to cut through the clutter in order to get your message heard.

If you’d like to learn more about email marketing and how it can help your business, contact me today to schedule a free 30 minute iinternet marketing breakthrough session.