I’d like to start the year by attempting to post a monthly tip for those of you who own your own on-line business and like to do things yourselves.  Being a small business person myself, please bear with me if I miss a month or two!  I know you’ll understand.  :O)

I’d first like to hit on some inside email marketing tricks that might seem super simple, but that get the clients reading.  Hence my article title above, “The Broadcast Game”.  Email marketing really is a game – you’re the offense trying to make the play, and the client is defense, blocking your moves!

Hopefully you already know what information you’d like to share with your list.  Maybe you’re writing a newsletter or thinking of a way to promote an upcoming event or new product.  If you can come up with some exciting content, these rules can help you tweak it – so hopefully not only will they open your message, but read every word of it!

Rule #1 – Mystify it. Think of a subject line that will grab their attention.  I’m not talking about, “Act Now!! Don’t Miss This Great Offer!”  Not only will that kind of line not entice your much coveted client (who already has everything he needs and a hundred other offers) to open your email, it’s likely going to get caught in their spam filter for excessive punctuation too.

A better title might be, “What Else Can You Get at This Price That’s Worth so Much?”  Hmm… intriguing, right?  You might just have to open it and see what I’m talking about!  Don’t give away too much – entice them with a bit of mystery.  Never use the subject line to tell them what you message is about in ten words or less. If you do, they’ll decide whether they’re interested or not without even opening it.

Rule #2 – Beautify it. Avoid sending plain text messages if you can help it.  Adopt a sophisticated image using a simple template that is probably offered in your email marketing system anyway.  The appearance of your email at first glance can make or break your chances of being taken seriously and the client moving on to that next step.

Rule #3 – Simplify It. Get to the point already!  Your message has a purpose.  Decide what you REALLY want to say and then add a link to find out more.  Keep it short and sweet and you’ll have them reading it to the end.

Rule #4 – Minify it. Dissect your message into bite-sized pieces.  Sounds painfully simple, but, this is a tried and true, effective way to get people to read.  People are busy, and when it looks like it’s going to take too long, you can be sure they’re going to skip it.  But, there’s a way to make the content look less intimidating.

For example, which would you prefer read?  This:

Maycomb was an old town, but it was a tired old town when I first knew it. In rainy weather the streets turned to red slop; grass grew on the sidewalks, the courthouse sagged in the square. Somehow, it was hotter then: a black dog suffered on a summer’s day; bony mules hitched to Hoover carts flicked flies in the sweltering shade of the live oaks on the square. Men’s stiff collars wilted by nine in the morning. Ladies bathed before noon, after their three-o’clock…

Or this:

Maycomb was an old town, but it was a tired old
town when I first knew it. In rainy weather the
streets turned to red slop; grass grew on the
sidewalks, the courthouse sagged in the square.

Somehow, it was hotter then: a black dog suffered
on a summer’s day; bony mules hitched to Hoover
carts flicked flies in the sweltering shade of the
live oaks on the square. Men’s stiff collars wilted
by nine in the morning. Ladies bathed before noon,
after their three-o’clock…

Silly example, but you get the picture.  I used a free site called Format-It! to quickly shorten the lines of this text to 50 characters per line.

Rule #5 – Amplify It. Try adding snappy, bold, lead-in titles to sections of your text.  Client’s eyes will jump around for what interests them, or they may just quickly skim through.  If all you offer is an endless sea of similar type, they’re not apt to dive in.  They’ll dip in a toe, give a shiver, and move on to the next email.

Bold or brightly color lines of text that you really want to stand out. Make sure the text you select punctuates your message, so that if someone were to only read the highlighted items, they would still come away with your ideal message.

Rule #6 – Dignify It. Make sure the recipient knows that they’re important to you.   Don’t come across like all you want to do is make the sale.  A client should feel like you’re interested in meeting his needs, not making a buck. This often translates into a trust that will keep the doors of communication open for future broadcasts!