Today spotlights another guest post from Denise McGill, content copywriter of epic awesomeness!

Do you press the send button before really looking at the email you are about to send to clients and customers? Is it full of typos, confusing, or missing key information?

It’s easy to fire off an email, but remember…email is often the first impression you make on a customer or client. If it has misspelled words, a vague message, or even a weak subject line, you can come across as unprofessional and lose prospective clients. Individuals often make the mistake of looking at email as a casual source of correspondence, but to succeed in business it must become a powerful communication tool.

Before pressing the send button to a new or existing customer, strive to make a lasting impression of professionalism. Follow these six tips for writing successful emails in your marketing campaigns and general correspondence:

• Pay attention to your email subject line – Bolded words, italics, or character keys in your subject line fall prey to email spam filters. Unless your email recipient checks their spam folders often, they won’t receive your message. Make subject lines concise and compelling so your email gets opened especially for email marketing campaigns.
• The first few sentences are the clincher – In today’s workplace, clients and customers are busy. If your first few sentences don’t capture their attention, it’s a good bet the rest of the email won’t be read thoroughly…if at all. Tell your email recipient right up front why you are emailing and don’t make them guess or plow through a long, exhausting email.
• Clear as a bell – Make sure your email message is clear and informative. A rambling train of thought, abbreviated phrases like “Meet u at 4,” and venting frustration in an email come across as unprofessional. When your message is clear and succinct, it doesn’t have to be read 3 or 4 times to understand the meaning. And messages that are unclear or rude typically get deleted.
• Clearly state your “call to action” especially when email marketing– A call to action simply lets potential customers and clients know what you want them to do next after they read your email The goal is to get the customer to respond to your email by taking a particular action such as “call within 5 days to receive a 15% discount” or “register now for our free newsletter filled with valuable coupons.”
• Signing off – Please include all contact information. I can’t emphasize this enough. This means including your company name, contact name, title, address, phone, and web address if applicable. This should be included in EVERY email. Often business is lost because your email doesn’t provide the information prospective clients or customers need to contact you. Even clients you know well should receive full contact information in email responses. No one wants to dig through business cards, company correspondence, etc. for contact information. Make it easy for someone to pick up the phone to talk to you if they want after getting your email message.
• Rude behavior is inexcusable – Its waaayyyy to easy to go on an email rampage to vent frustration on a client, vendor, or customer. Because email is faceless, many individuals use it as a weapon. Email messages like these are typically impulsive and a GREAT way to lose respect and business.

Email is a powerful communication tool when used correctly. Inboxes of clients and customers are deluged with email every day so make sure yours gets opened and acted upon.

About the Author:

Denise McGill is a versatile freelance copywriter and author of “The DIY E-book on How to Write Product Descriptions.” She writes engaging product descriptions, catalog copy, sales letters, and web copy for businesses who want more than just fluff in their marketing campaigns. Visit her website at McGill Copywriting to learn more.

Image credit: HebiPics | CCO Public Domain