Pay attention to the layout and presentation.
Cheap paper looks cheap. Poorly selected “Clip Art” dotted around to fill white space does not look good and DON’T use brown envelopes, they look like bills. Invest a few extra pence in better quality paper, don’t go mad, you generally don’t need watermarked parchment, but a quality 100gsm white paper looks good.
If you printer cartridge is low change it!
Squeezing another 50 feint copies out of that tired old cartridge might save a few pence but to the recipient it will look like you can’t be bothered. Penny pinching here will not pay dividends.
If you have a small list why not hand address the envelopes?
A hand addressed envelope with a stamp will almost always get opened, it does not look like a bill or direct mail. Make sure you handwriting is neat and clear, if it is not get someone else to address the letters. If you want to be really clever take a day trip to France and post from there, who can resist a hand addressed letter with a foreign stamp?
Good Example Letters
B2B (Business)
B2C (Consumer)
Email Marketing
Where your list includes email addresses consider the following points…
Pay attention to choosing a good subject that will interest the reader and not prompt them to delete it straight away!
For your message depending on your product or service, consider short and to the point emails. This works better if you are looking to prompt an initial response with more information to follow. It is good practice to include a good call to action, a clear method of response to find out more such as your website address and telephone number.
Where possible include an offer with a reason to reply now and with a deadline. Information emails can help build brand awareness, however to maximise your return ask your reader to respond to you now.
Writing Effective Emails
With the volume of email each individual receives on a daily basis, marketing messages can easily get overlooked. Follow these simple rules to get your emails noticed and acted upon.
– Don’t overcommunicate by email
– Make good use of subject lines
– Keep messages clear and brief
– Be polite
– Check your tone
– Include an offer with a deadline
– Proofread
– ALWAYS provide an option to unsubscribe or opt-out. This is a legal requirement!
If you need further assistance we recommend using our free letter writing tutorial www.selectabase.co.uk/tools/letter-writing/ and then converting this content into an email. Depending on your target audience remember that sending a letter through the post in addition to an email can boost your response.
