I work with hundreds of ACT! users, most of whom are willing and eager to start e-blasting away. Unfortunately many of those users never get their e-marketing plans off the ground. In this article I want to show you an easy way to get your thoughts down on paper – or in this case, into any one of the three most important ACT! Templates. By using this formula you will create a highly effective ACT E-Marketing message.
Note: In my last blog article I talked about the three “must have” ACT! E-Marketing templates. I even offer a special deal to get you those templates so that you can start e-marketing as quickly as possible (provide the link to that post) Sometimes people send out an e-blast and think they’ve got a message that a Madison Avenue advertising firm would create. Recently I received a message from one of my clients announcing his brand new website. He’d done a great job of creating an eye-catching HTML template. His description of his website was exciting enough to make me want to head over there and check it out. There was only one problem: he had forgotten to include a link to his site. Two days later I received a one line e-mail message with the URL of his site; excitement was lost.
When creating an effective message, begin by using the five basic elements of who, what, when where, and why in your message. This will allow you to get past any writer’s block, focus the message, prevent omissions, and serve as a catalyst for making your message creative. Let’s break it down:
- Who: Quite simply, this is the group of your contacts that the message is being sent to. The important thing to remember here is that your message should never go out to everyone in your database. My next blog article will show you ways send to a segment of your database.
- What: You need to clarify what it is you are trying to sell or say. Are you announcing a new product? Publicizing a sale? Then say so!
- When: Is this time-sensitive offering? Are you only available during certain hours of the day? Make sure you clearly state these details.
- Where: Once you’ve enticed your readers to action, where do they go to make their purchase? If your readers can purchase online did you include the appropriate link? If they need to contact you by phone did you include your telephone number? You want to make it extremely easy for your readers to act.
- Why: Most of your readers receive hundreds of messages a day. Why will they bother to read yours? What makes your announcement compelling?
Answering those five questions will insure that you have included all the necessary details, focus your message, and give you a great starting point for a creative, effective ACT E-Marketing message.
Interested in giving your ACT! E-Marketing a Quick Start? Drop me a line!
