It’s hard to believe, but web-based, “free” consumer email has been around for about 20 years! Remember the screeching, dial-up modems and clunky desktop computers we once used to read it? Times have changed, and now we commonly read emails from our smartphones.
With that in mind, today’s email messages need to be short, clear and purposeful. To help you update your email writing skills, we’re sharing some great tips from Inc. magazine, along with suggestions of our own!
1. Use speech recognition to create short messages. If you’ve been avoiding your speech recognition app, invest a little time practicing with it. The minutes you spend with it now could save you many hours in the future.
2. Avoid jargon and acronyms that your recipients many not recognize.
3. Avoid complex phrasing and large words.
4. The point of your message should be visible at first glance, summed up in two or three sentences.
5. Emoticons are becoming acceptable for “business casual” messages, but use them sparingly. Use them to convey good news and congratulations. (Bad news will never be easier to take by the presence of a frown-face.)
6. Keep your font and formatting simple. Avoid using colored backgrounds or other embellishments. They can be distracting at best, and make messages hard to read.
7. Make sure your subject line accurately states what is inside your message. Be specific! Instead of saying, “Info for you” say “Market report for Elm Grove.”
9. If you are composing emails for a marketing campaign, avoid the temptation to overdo your message. Your message should have substance enough to make it worth the reader’s time, but it should stop short of becoming a blog post. Use a call-to-action to offer more information.
Help is available! If you don’t have the time to compose emails for marketing campaigns, let the pros handle it. Contact RealSupport for copywriting and marketing services that are scalable to your needs!
Bonita Breit
Copywriting & Marketing Specialist
RealSupport, Inc.
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