Sending a commercial e-mail is a trivial task. However, when we look at the spam we receive, we notice that some people still haven’t figured out how to avoid annoying their prospects. Here’s a short list of the mistakes you shouldn’t make in your next commercial e-mail, before you press the “send” button.
1- Send a one-line message
Yes, you’re in a hurry, and so are your prospects. But not to the point of just sending a headline (or worse, a message without a headline), a line and then that’s it. You’re sending a commercial e-mail, not a text message to your friend. If you don’t, we won’t be able to take you seriously, now or in the future.
2 – Sending a paragraph that’s too long
You don’t want to be too short, but you don’t want to send a novel either. Your commercial e-mail needs to be readable, and therefore well-spaced out. You need a structure, but certainly not a pamphlet. Make several paragraphs shorter, and you’ll see, it’ll go down better.
3 – Use an ugly signature
The devil is in the detail, they say. But the signature is more than just a detail, it’s an element that jumps out at you as soon as you take a little interest in the person you’re talking to. So keep it simple, don’t use fake quotes like the ones you see over and over on Facebook, and keep the logo to a reasonable size. Keep it minimalist, simple and effective.
4 – Use a title that doesn’t fit your message
It should be a matter of common sense, but we sometimes see a commercial e-mail with a catchy title that has nothing to do with the content of the message. This is the best way to get your customers to put you in their spam folder, or unsubscribe from your newsletter.
5 – Use too much bold and italics
Yes, bold and italics can attract attention. But if you overdo it, no one will want to read you. I could give you a demonstration here, but you’d soon get tired of it. It’s annoying, isn’t it? So let’s return to the principle mentioned above, that of sobriety. You can use bold or italics, but only in a targeted and relevant way.
6 – Not adapting to your interlocutor
Let’s say you’re sending a targeted sales e-mail to a specific customer. If he uses a formal tone, don’t punctuate your sentences with smileys! On the other hand, if the tone is more informal, don’t sound like you’re talking to the CEO of a company employing 50,000 people. It’s up to you to find the right balance, to remain professional without appearing cold or distant. There’s nothing complicated about sending a commercial e-mail, as long as you use a modicum of common sense. Apart from these few tips, there’s one last one that everyone should absolutely observe: pay attention to your grammar and spelling.
