But sometimes you only have email, and when that happens you better make sure you do your best to get it right. Every word really does count, and so does every idea you convey, especially in today’s economic and competitive landscape.

Words are particularly powerful, and that means every single word you use.

Today, I want you to think about the power of words. The smart marketing companies out there know this power very well…

Just consider some of the products you buy—like Nature’s Promise. Now those are two great words that are overflowing with goodness, aren’t they.

Or what about Pepperidge Farms. Sounds like a nice place, doesn’t it? Sounds like the kind of place I would like to visit with the family sometime soon!

The next email you send out to try to convince a potential client or customer to act, make sure you review your sales copy to ensure you followed some basic steps.

And when you have a big contract on the line, you better believe it’s worth paying a professional to make sure every word counts.

Here are a few things to keep in mind:

FIRST: Make sure you use the right tone. Be respectful, stay positive and upbeat, try sounding professional, and if possible throw in a nice personal touch. Your email should read as though you are speaking directly to the customer—not stuffy and formal but also not as casual as if you were speaking to a friend.

SECOND: Explain what makes your products or services more valuable than your competitors. That means you need to understand the difference between a benefit and a feature. Features are the specific bells and whistles particular to a product or idea, like an electric pencil sharpener that hums a tune. Benefits are the advantages the reader will gain by having a particular feature, like not being bored next time you are sharpening your pencils. Benefits bring recognizable value to a product’s features by illustrating why the features are so valuable.

THIRD: Anticipate and address your readers concerns beforehand. Have you walked a mile in your client’s or customer’s shoes? Do you really understand their biggest fears, their greatest wants and needs? Probably the most important thing you can do to break down the barrier between your client and a sale is to show that you understand where your prospect is coming from. Show you have listened to him or her. Show you care.

FOURTH: Use scarcity. That means encouraging your reader to act within your timeframe—and that usually means right away. It’s a good idea to add an incentive that makes buying now advantageous to your customer. If they’re thinking of buying, giving them every reason to follow through as soon as possible. Statistics show that once they put the decision off to later, they’ll rarely come back to you.

FIFTH: Remove words that aren’t necessary. It’s always a good idea to be concise. Now, keep in mind concise doesn’t mean “short” necessarily. It’s a fact that long sales letters are more effective than shorter sales letters. But don’t just write for the sake of adding things to say. Be concise. Make your points and move on. More importantly, go through your copy and make sure there are no redundancies or content that is not absolutely imperative. Wasted words equal wasted real estate, and could make your client or customer feel you might not be the one for them.

These are just a few pointers. If you need professional help with any writing—grants, proposals, emails, RFPs, anything—don’t hesitate to contact All Access Unlimited either by email or phone: 203-276-9812

We’re Stamford, Connecticut’s (CT) top copywriting company with experienced marketing writers, SEO writers, and copywriters. We know how to sell your company, and we’ve been helping Connecticut businesses like yours for the past ten years.