Customers Like Clarity
Long emails suck. But so do confusing ones. And when you're growing a small business, the way you email — how you ask for sales — can make or break your success.
Everyone has long email horror stories. My mother-in-law sent daily emails that, printed, could run ten pages (no joke). The next day would be two lines. You never knew what was going to happen after clicking open.
We love the contact, but who has time to read that?!? No one.
My local food coop has a weekly email with the important stuff buried towards the end. I know where to go. But, I have to scroll through a life essay before getting to it. The weekly email is sometimes interesting, more often not. And again —
Who has time for that?!? I buy extra veg at the market instead.
Emails are among the most valuable connections you make with your customers and leads (potential customers). Each customer has a Customer Lifetime Value (CLV), or how much you can expect a customer to spend throughout doing business with you in plain English. Hubspot has a handy calculator here, but it does need free sign-up.
Sending better emails increases your CLV and makes your customer happier. They didn't have to let you into their email inbox! Don't abuse their trust by sending whacked-out, all-over-the-place emails.
Honesty
policy
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Send better emails checklist
There's no downside to learning how to send better emails. Bonus: Use these tips in your daily life, too, and get more of the answers you need and less of the rambling, I promise.
Let's get to it. Here are seven ways to send better emails as you grow your small business:
NEVER Send Just One Email
You guys, this is important. Are you asking for random sales whenever inspiration strikes you? Unless you're an artist and that's quite your brand, never do this. People are busy; you know that. Help them plan to take action, and you can make some money.
Are you getting ready to offer a new course or product? Pop into their inbox with a waitlist or heads up (reply to reserve!). Then, closer to the sale date, remind them of the last chance for early bird! And again, when the offering is open, come and get it!
One-off emails are bad for business and make you look scattered and disorganized.
ALWAYS Be On-Task
Don't send a random new offering no one requested.
One email = One action.
The action could be to check out my calendar of offerings. Still, better is the calendar's up; register before your spot's gone! Not register, then read all about it, follow me, and fill out this survey while you're at it. 43% of people who unsubscribe from emails do so because they feel the content is irrelevant.
Be Clear, Not Cute
A lot of people brush this one-off. "My personality has to come through!" is what I usually hear from free-spirited entrepreneurs.
Read 9 Signs You're A Free Spirited Entrepreneur
And it does! But it's a small step to too much of a good thing. Emails are short messages, not winding website pages. Pick a standard greeting and sign-off to express your personality. Then stick to more info/less chat in the body of the email.
Don't Overthink It
I need to include… Oh, I forgot to add!… They need to know...
Stop.
Set a 10-minute timer to write one email. That's three 10-minute timers for an email series. Send better emails by simplifying what you send. Remember, one email = one action. Before writing your next sales or newsletter email, ask yourself what action do you want your readers to take? Write the email for that and nothing else.
Subject Line Matters
Almost half of emails users decide whether to open an email or trash it based only on the subject line.
Plus, adding an emoji will increase open rates 56%! ←That stat will get lower as more people insert emojis in subject lines, but still! Emoji your subject line. Get emojis and meanings here.
Why miss out on traffic? Add some sparkly stars or smiley faces. A quick tip is to search for the emoji you need online. Then, copy it (CTRL+C on Windows and CMD+C on Mac) and paste it into your subject line (CTRL or CMD +V) to get more opens and sales.
Subject Line Matters
If you take one thing away from this article today, let it be to channel your strictest English teacher. Use Hemingwayapp or Grammarly for every email, webpage, and email marketing you do. Hell, use it anytime you share complete sentences, ever.
Promise me. Hemingway app is free and online-based. You paste your text in and follow the suggestions. Write at a 5th-grade level or lower (the app tells you what to do). Not because your customers can't read, but because it's easier to read.
For this article, HemingwayApp helped me adjust 22 sentences for better clarity and ease. Even the pros use it.
Shorter Is Better
The rule is when it doubt, cut it out. Setting a timer to craft emails will help, I promise. I know email experts who cut what the write in half, no exceptions.
The trick is not to add in more later unless necessary. And necessary means I forgot the date, not oh, they should understand. Get it?
(FYI: This one point had seven corrections in Grammarly and was almost twice as long at first. Edit your work.)
To Send Better Emails Write Less & Think More
Sending emails is tricky. There are a million different experts with combinations of tips and tricks. At Wysify™, we stick to solid long-term strategies that build ethical, sustainable businesses.
The best way to send better emails without getting overwhelmed by the experts?
Be you, from your customer's point of view, every time you send an email.
Stay on-task and be clear about what action they need to take. Keep it short and run it through an editing app like Grammarly or HemingwayApp to ensure clarity.
When you write one email, write three — and set a timer for 10-minutes per email, so you don't overthink it. Don't say you're too busy or it's too hard. Growing a business is hard, but you CAN do this. I know you can.
Finally, always think from your customer's point of view. They're not the experts — you are. Keep the language simple and the action you want them to take clear. Send better emails by making them something they walk away with going, "Interesting. And easy!"
Clarity sells.
And don't forget to add the subject line emoji 😎
