Part 4 Effective E-Mail

1. Part 4Effective E-Mail • Marketing • Chapter 9 • Mechanics • Chapter 10 • Composition • Chapter 11

2. Composition • Composition • Purpose, why you are writing, what you hope to accomplish • Target, who you are writing to, do your homework (i.e., marketing research) • Brevity, not just the “soul of wit” • Clarity, clear meaning, define if needed

3. Composition • Composition, continued • Screening, for offensive phrasing, unintended meaning • Formatting, keep it friendly, “white space” • Inviting, to action, response, hit your site, answer a survey (remember your purpose?) • Attaching, necessary detail (web page, attachment, URL, etc.) (remember brevity?)

4. Composition • Composition, further continued • Focus on your target, (e.g., your reader, customer, prospect, etc.), use you and your, notme and my! (remember target?) • Proofread! From e-mail addresses and websites that are unreachable to misspelled customer names, catch it before you send it! (e.g., V.P. Cheney, in V.P. debate, said go to factcheck.com, when he meant factcheck.org)

5. Proofreading Exercise Try your hand at fixing the following . . .

6. How many mistakes in the following? We all make misteaks. There is a reason for many of these: were all pressed for time. A mispelled word to a friend is one thing, not a problem really. But, losing a sell because a potential client thinks we’re sloppy is another. Always pay attention to you’re writing and develop good proofreding skills. That way, you will never suffer a bad result just because of your writing. How many times is the letter “f” used below? If you use good proofreading skills, you should feel good about your use of e-mail, or any other type of communication often used.

7. How many mistakes in the following? Six mistakes We all make mistakes. There is a reason for many of these: we’re all pressed for time. A misspelled word to a friend is one thing, not a problem really. But losing a sale because a potential client thinks we’re sloppy is another. Always pay attention to your writing and develop good proofreading skills. That way, you will never suffer a bad result just because of your writing. How many times is the letter “f” used below? Six times If you use good proofreading skills, you should feel good about your use of e-mail, or any other type of communication often used.

8. Composition • “Do’s” of Effective E-Mail (pgs 271-272) • Secure an account for your business • If you are a large operation, use custom e-mail addresses • Avoid free accounts • Check mail regularly • Respond quickly

9. Composition • “Do’s” of Effective E-Mail (pgs 271-272) • Write clearly • Meet customer’s wants and needs • From customer-provided addresses, assume that customer wants information and that you will include value in your content

10. Composition • “Do’s” of Effective E-Mail (pgs 271-272) • Use signature function of your system to best effect • Save sent and received mail • Promote your e-mail address like you’d promote all your contact information