Communicating with consumers is easy, but getting them to pay attention isn’t.

E-mail is a great marketing tool, but you can’t simply communicate any e-mail message multiple times and expect the messages to result in sales. Make your e-mail messages as concise as possible; people usually scan e-mails rather than take the time to read every word. Clear and concise messages are by far the best choice for e-mail content, but your messages should include the following content at a minimum:

• Why your products or services are worth paying for. Show consumers that your products or services solve a problem or fulfill a want or need better than anyone else can.
• Support your value proposition. Use additional information to convince buyers to take action. For example, testimonials, directions to your office, store or website, images and design elements.
•  Calls to action. Calling for action is important because people tend to delete e-mails after they read them if they aren’t told what to do next. For example, just because your phone number appears at the bottom of an e-mail doesn’t mean that people will automatically pick up the phone and dial the number. Here are some questions to ask yourself to help determine what your e-mail messages should say.
  • What are the features of your products or services?
  • How will the features of what you sell benefit your consumers?
  • How you are different from your competition?
  • Why are your differences worth paying for?