Email marketing is essential for any business to thrive.
Being able to craft a promotional email can be an incredibly effective marketing strategy.
But how can you make a promotional email that effectively grabs your audience’s attention, promotes engagement, and boosts your sales?
Fear not – we’ve created some guidelines to help you craft the perfect promotional email.
We’ll walk you through the essential elements that make up a successful promotional email.
From crafting a compelling subject line to including social proof, we’ll show you what it takes to create a high-converting email campaign.
So, let’s dive in!
- Crate a Compelling Subject Line
- Utilise Captivating Preview Text
- Personalise the Greeting
- Create an Attention-Grabbing Opening Sentence
- Begin with Customer-Focused Messaging
- Incorporate Storytelling Techniques
- Highlight the Benefits of Your Offering
- Present Your Promotional Offer Effectively
- Include Social Proof to Build Trust
- Communicate the Availability Duration
- Include a Clear Call to Action (CTA)
- Provide an Opt-Out Option
- Keep the Content Concise and Clear
- Optimise the Email for Mobile Devices
- Proofread and Test Thoroughly
- Consider Sending a Follow-Up Email if Applicable
- Analyse and Track Performance
Craft a Compelling Subject Line
The subject line is the first thing your audience will see. It’s crucial to make it count.
A compelling subject line is not only attention-grabbing but also informative, so make sure it accurately reflects the content of your email. Use action-oriented language to create a sense of urgency, and keep it short and sweet (aim for around 50 characters).
If this isn’t enough, consider the preview text (the text that appears right after the subject line) to further entice your audience and let them know what to expect from your email.
Utilise Captivating Preview Text
The preview text (also known as a preheader) is the short summary text that appears next to or below the subject line in most email clients.
It’s crucial to use this space to your advantage by providing a teaser that entices recipients to open the email.
Aim for around 100 characters, and make it engaging and informative.
Personalise the Greeting
Personalisation is key when it comes to email marketing. Use the recipient’s name in the greeting to create a sense of familiarity and build a rapport.
If you have additional information about your recipients, such as their previous purchases, use it to customise the email content further.
Create an Attention-Grabbing Opening Sentence
Once the recipient has opened your email, the first sentence is critical in keeping their attention.
Use an attention-grabbing statement or question to hook them in and encourage them to read on.
Begin with Customer-Focused Messaging
Ensure that your promotional email addresses the reader’s needs and offers solutions to their issues using your product or service.
Keep the messaging customer-centric and emphasise the benefits of your offering.
Incorporate Storytelling Techniques
Humans are wired for storytelling, so incorporating a narrative into your promotional email can be a powerful technique.
Use relatable stories or real-life examples to illustrate how your product or service can benefit the reader.
Highlight the Benefits of Your Offering
When promoting your product or service, highlight how it benefits the customers rather than just enumerating its features.
Customers want to know how your offering can benefit them in a practical manner.
So, highlight how your product or service can enhance their lives.
Present Your Promotional Offer Effectively
Ensure that any discount or promotion you offer is straightforward and easily comprehensible.
Use a bold font or colour to draw attention to the offer, and include any applicable terms and conditions.
Include Social Proof to Build Trust
Using social proof, like customer testimonials or reviews, is a great tactic to establish trust with your audience.
Include social proof in your promotional email to demonstrate that your product or service is of high quality and has delighted previous customers.
Communicate the Availability Duration
Make sure to clearly mention the expiration date of your promotion or offer in your email.
Communicate the duration of the offer to create a sense of urgency and encourage recipients to take action.
Include a Clear Call to Action (CTA)
Ensure that the promotional email includes a straightforward and direct call-to-action (CTA).
Make sure the CTA stands out and is easy to find, whether it’s a button or a hyperlink.
Use actionable verbs like “learn more about …” or “buy now” and create a sense of urgency (e.g., “limited-time offer”).
Provide an Opt-Out Option
To follow GDPR regulations, make sure to give your recipients the choice to stop getting your emails. This gives them the ability to manage their email preferences easily.
An unsubscribe link at the bottom of your emails gives them a way to opt-out without any friction.
Including an opt-out option also allows you to maintain a healthy list of engaged subscribers.
Keep the Content Concise and Clear
It’s essential to keep your promotional email concise and easy to understand. Make sure the main message is clear, and the content is scannable.
Bullets and subheadings can be effective in breaking up the text and making it more digestible.
Optimise the Email for Mobile Devices
It’s important to make sure that your promotional emails are optimised for mobile users since most people open emails on their mobile devices.
Make sure it’s easy to read and navigate on a smaller screen size.
Proofread and Test Thoroughly
Before sending your promotional email, make sure you thoroughly proofread and test it for any errors or formatting issues.
Send test emails to yourself and colleague to ensure that everything is working correctly.
Consider Sending a Follow-Up Email if Applicable
A follow-up email can be effective in reminding recipients about a promotion or offer.
Keep the tone conversational and focus on highlighting benefits, like any exclusive offers.
If you have an automated email sequence set up, consider including a follow-up message to increase the effectiveness of your campaign.
Analyse and Track Performance
Once you have sent your promotional email, track and analyse its performance.
Analyse the open rate, click-through rate, and conversion rate to gain insights into what works and what needs to be improved for future emails.
A/B testing is also a great way to determine which emails are working best for your audience.
Conclusion: Maximise Your Impact with Promotional Emails
Crafting an excellent promotional email doesn’t have to be rocket science.
By considering your audience and using the tips outlined in this article, you can create an effective promotional email that gets results.
Remember to keep it simple, focus on benefits, and use engaging visuals to draw attention to your offer. And don’t forget to track and analyse performance for each campaign!
Recap
- Promotional emails are a great way to market products and services.
- It’s essential to create an email that is straightforward and easily understandable, with a clear call to action (CTA).
- Include social proof, such as customer testimonials or reviews, to build trust with your audience.
- Make sure to communicate the availability duration of the offer, as well as provide an opt-out option to follow GDPR regulations.
- To make the message easier to digest, keep the content concise and clear, whilst optimising it for mobile devices.
- Proofread and test thoroughly before sending, and consider sending a follow-up email if applicable.
- To better understand your audience, monitor performance metrics like open rate, click-through rate, and conversion rate.
FAQs
A promotional email subject line shouldn’t be too long. Aim for 30-50 characters long to capture attention.
Preview text is the first line of an email visible in the inbox preview, it’s crucial for hooking readers.
Personalising the greeting boosts engagement and shows readers they’re valued.
An opening sentence should be bold, concise and speak directly to the reader’s pain points.
Customer-focused messaging makes readers feel heard, understood and more likely to convert.
Use social proof (reviews, testimonials, etc.) to build trust and credibility with readers.
A clear CTA includes action-oriented language, a sense of urgency, and a clickable button.
Yes, an opt-out option should be provided in promotional emails. It’s essential for building trust, respect, and to comply with privacy regulations like GDPR.
Keep content concise by using bullet points, headers, and short paragraphs. Avoid jargon and fluff.
Track metrics like open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates to measure success.
Limitless Networks, A Kerry Web Design Company
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