VerticalResponse for AppExchange Blog

How to Make the Best Use of An Email Signature

So many times email signatures are an afterthought and not really looked at as an   opportunity to sell. What I mean by “email signature” is the signature you put at the bottom of your person-to-person emails, not on your email marketing campaigns (although you can use signatures for that as well!)   

And I don't only mean your own email signature, I mean the email signatures of all of your employees as well, especially if you're sending out a lot of customer service related emails.

First things first, you’ve got to make sure that there are standard pieces of information your employees include when they’re representing your business.  

• Name, company name, address and phone number.
• Twitter and Facebook links and encourage people to follow you.
• Website and blog address.

There are also some creative ways you can utilize the email signature portion of your emails that might not be "necessary" but could be fun to add as well as help increase your sales!

• Your logo
• A “deal of the week” with a special link so you can track how it’s doing.
• A link to “join your email newsletter” and receive special email-only offers.
• A customer testimonial so that your recipients can see how much your customers love you.
• A link to a webinar or an event you want to attend.

So don't let your email signatures be an afterthought. If you're going to have a weekly deal, make sure you follow through and change your deal weekly. People might actually look for it!

Side note: Our social media manager found WiseStamp that inserts your information PLUS latest Tweets, eBay items and any other social media outlet you want people to see.

It's Not too Late to Send Company Holiday Greetings!

If you haven't had the chance to send holiday cards for your organization, eCards make a fast, inexpensive, and eco-friendly way to send your season's greetings.  VerticalResponse for AppExchange provides some festive templates so you can get your message out to your contacts and leads in minutes. 

With companies spending hundreds, sometimes thousands of dollars on snail-mail cards and postage, you can stand out from the crowd and save money, time, and a few trees by going electronic this year.  Better yet, make a donation to your favorite charity for the amount you'd typically spend and share the message of caring with your contacts and customers.

 

 Preview More Templates Here

Who Wants to Write Better Email Copy?

VR Retention Marketing Specialist, Amber Cleave, recently attended a DMA copywriting seminar in NYC. She came back with a ton of great insight, ideas and tips on how to improve our email and online copy. They're too good to be kept secret, so we wanted to pass them along to you, too.

Here are Amber's top 13 picks from the seminar to help you instantly improve your email copy:

1. Ask the 4 Key Questions: Before you begin to write, ask yourself these four key questions.  
   • What am I selling (at emotional level)?
   • To whom am I selling?
   • Why am I selling this now
     (will it make sense to the  customer)?
   • What do I want my reader to do
     (Calls to Action)?  
2. Consider Your Font Style: Sans-serif fonts, such as Arial, Verdana and Helvetica, are   easier to read online than serif. If people find it difficult to read your copy, they won't! 
3. Read Your Copy Out Loud: This will help you hear what your readers hear.
4. Cut the Clutter: William Zinsser wrote that "clutter is the disease of American writing." The quickest way to improve your copy is by removing any unnecessary words such as "that"or "to."
5. Use the Rhythm of 3: List your examples in groups of three. The Rhythm gives a great cadence to your copy.
6. Use Bucket Brigade Words: Bucket brigade words help you move your copy forward. They include remember, and, but, consider, however, for example..and more!
7. Vary Sentence Length: It is important to vary your sentence length to hold your reader's attention. And don't be afraid to use sentence fragments - this isn't your college English class!
8. Differentiate Between Features vs. Benefits: Features are what the product has. Benefits are what it will provide the customers. The customer will always ask, "What's in it for me?" Be sure you tell them.
9. Write In the Second Person: Focus on one person (you/your) rather than a group (our customers). This makes your reader feel special and highlights how the product can benefit them.
10. Write Less Copy: People read 25% slower online than offline, so you need to write less copy so they will read it.
11. Don't Hide Your Key Points: Keep your most important points at the beginning of paragraphs, bullets and lists.
12. Keep Paragraphs Short: Make sure your paragraphs are no more than 3 lines long. Otherwise you might lose your reader's attention.
13. Remember Odd vs. Even: Odd numbers are easier to remember than even, so use an odd number whenever possible.

Do you have any copywriting tips that you find useful and want to share? Enter them here in the comments section. We'd love to hear them!