How to write an impressive e-mail

How do you grab the recipient's attention to read your e-mail? These tips will save your e-mail from landing in trash.

Have you ever painstakingly composed an important e-mail only to have it answered very late, or worse, not at all?

If you have, here are some tips and tricks which are sure to increase your e-mail's chances of being read and responded to.

E-mail marketing is undeniably the most popular marketing tool among various companies.

Valued at USD 1.5 billion in 2010, its market size is growing at a healthy rate of 20 percent and is expected to reach a value of USD 6.5 billion by 2018.

Make sure you make the most of your e-mail marketing campaigning by incorporating the following ideas:

Be creative

A professional e-mail must not necessarily be an uninteresting one.

Make your e-mail engaging and pepper it with anecdotes and trivia which can catch and hold the reader's attention.

An e-mail is a way to establish and build a relationship with your correspondents, and communicating in a manner which encourages trust is the first step towards achieving this goal.

The human element

An e-mail which reaches out to the reader and which one can relate to makes for an interesting read.

Including real life situations and examples and speaking as if you are interacting with a friend will introduce a personal element in your e-mail.

In an inbox cluttered with ordinary e-mails and messages, one which communicates with the reader instead of speaking at them is sure to stand out.

Answer a question

Whether you are selling a product or a service, customers are sure to have a few questions that need to be answered.

Identify the most pertinent questions about the product or service you are offering, and design your campaign around providing tangible answers to them.

E-mails which are informative and help solve a problem or clarify a doubt are sure to encourage people to read and respond.

The means to an end

Every e-mail account is flooded with e-mails all day and users tend to delete those which seem irrelevant without even opening them.

Make sure your e-mail campaign leads to the achievement of a target, both for you as well as for your customer.

Answering the WIIFM (what's in it for me), which your reader is sure to consider, is going to ensure your e-mails are engaging and leave a positive influence.

A lucrative offer

Few things catch the customer's attention as quickly as a reward.

Whether it is a discount coupon, an interesting tip, useful information or a free gift, offering a reward for reading is a sure-fire way of ensuring that your e-mail is read.

As a person driving an e-mail marketing campaign, the one thing you must learn to respect is your customer's time.

To stay relevant and retain your readers' interest and esteem, make sure you do not inundate their mailboxes and send out a mail only when you have something to say.

Keeping your message interactive and making sure your reader gains from it will help you connect with your clientele and further your personal and professional goals.

• 10 phrases to avoid in professional e-mails 

Lead image used for representational purposes only. Image: eef ink/Creative Commons