Should I have sent that last email?
5 Key Strategies for writing emails to your customers.
I am sure we have all been there, on the receiving end of an email that has left you thinking….huh?
Just as I am sure that as business owners, we have all sent our fair share of emails that didn’t convey the exact message we intended it to. That is because writing emails for your business to customers is quite delicate.
The balance between company interests and customer interest is sometimes very thin. You need to be aware of your customer needs but still protecting your own business needs at the same time. Both sides can be achieved successfully through setting the right complete tone in your emails.
How do you make sure that the balance is achieved?
Here are 5 simple strategies to think about when you sit down to write your next email:
Categorize your customers! Do all your customers need to have the same information? Segregate your customers into groups. It is just as dangerous to offer too little information to existing customers as it is offering information overload to new customers.
Think like your customer before you write your email. The words may be yours, but they are perceived by your customers. Setting a tone with a degree of warmth in your communications will always be received positively over cold feeling emails. Predict what kind of questions they may have. By including those answers in your original email your customers will gain confidence that you understand your customer's needs. If you are not sure what type of questions your customers may have, look back in your history to what responses you did receive to previous emails, is there a pattern? Is there the same kind of information being requested after an email is sent? That is a big indicator that your customers are looking for that kind of information and it should be included in your original email.
Punctuation is very tricky…..what may seem like an innocent gesture, may be taken the wrong way. When communicating from a business perspective, it is best to stay away from emoticons. Overuse of exclamation marks is another tricky one. A single exclamation mark can be used as showing excitement…”Thank you everyone!”, or it could be perceived as a negative “It is important that you get to work on time!!!” Bold letters can draw attention to a specific point as long as it is not used in a negative way. Here are 2 examples. The first is drawing attention to a crucial point in a positive manner and the second is using bold letters for an entire sentence is perceived in negative manner because it loses the attention point.
“We ask that everyone please come to the office on June 23, 2020 at 4:15pm for a brief meeting.”
“Please make sure your child attends class to try on their costume for the play.”
Capitalizing letters can also be perceived the wrong way. All caps usually represents yelling or trying to make a strong point.
a. We MUST be done ON TIME tomorrow due to another scheduled meeting. - The intention was to draw attention to the importance of staying on time, however, by capitalizing MUST and ON TIME you have created a condescending message.
b. We must be done on time tomorrow due to another scheduled meeting. - the same message is sent, only in a less condescending way and the point is still clear.
4. Brainstorm the goal message you want to get across to your customers. As entrepreneurs we are usually multitasking and just need to get the last of the emails out. By creating short points before composing a complete email, you can identify any gaps or missing information your customers may need.
5. Do not press send. Compose it, walk away from it, come back and reread it out loud.
When you read your email out loud you hear the words written as your customer would read them, and not the words you intended to say from your subconscious. It is tricky, and may feel a little foolish at first, but it does help to identify the tone of your message. Try not to write an email to your customers if you are not in the best frame of mind, your own emotions will come through.
The intention of sending emails to your customers is to inform them about something in your business that may benefit or be of interest to them.
Poorly crafted emails that lack the appropriate content for your customers results in inefficiency. It takes many more emails to correct the unclear initial message. It also contributes to long term damage to relationships with your customers and a weakened company image and reputation overall.
By following these 5 strategies, your emails should develop a complete tone for your business.
Let me help you find more time in your day by evaluating your business and offering other strategies that are personalized just for you.
Karen Anne Fasulo