sometimes simple can be the most effective email marketing strategy

It may sound strange for a company that spends the majority of its time creating eye catching emails to say that sometimes the very simplest email can be the most effective strategy. However, a major part of our advice is focused on how you can achieve your email marketing goals.

so... when is simple the right strategy?

There are two core examples of campaigns that will suite a simple email design.

The first is when you're looking to re-engage a customer or prospect in conversation. Communication is the route to financial goals and without a dialogue we cannot encourage our customers to progress to a sale. Email offers you the opportunity to encourage two way communication.

Here's an example of a very simple email you can use to re-engage a prospect or customer. It's four simple lines and is suitable for mass distribution if required. You must have a prior relationship with the recipient and they'll need to have at least a basic knowledge of your business.

here's the structure of a simple re-engage email:

Hello (customer name)

Just a quick email to see how things are progressing with your (insert what you sell)?

Do you have any plans or requirements at the moment?

Best regards

The aim of this email is to drive a response and therefore re-start communications or re-qualify the lead. The key to its success is the simplicity of the email. Don't be tempted to complicate it. This email has another added benefit. It can provide additional awareness of your business and remind the prospect of your details. Don't forget to carry an email signature. If you don't have an email signature take a look at our email signature design service.

A simple email may also suit your campaign when you're looking to introduce your business to new prospects. Although a graphic rich email will often portray a much stronger brand message, a simple Outlook style email can drive a higher response. The key to your decision is what your goals are. Do you seek brand awareness or are you looking to drive response?

Beermat Entrepreneur and columnist for the Telegraph Mike Southon gave us some words of wisdom on creating what he calls his "Magic Email". You can read the full article here. This strategy is highly effective but is normally only suitable for individual delivery.

here's the structure of Mike's magic email

The first line is something about their company, along the lines of “I noticed that....” Ideally, it’s a specific gem that you’ve gleaned from your Customer Mentor that leads nicely into your product or service. In the worst case, it’s something you’ve spotted on their web site, perhaps in their Press Release section.

These tend to be less than earth-shattering bits of information, such as they’ve opened up a new office or have a new USB port. This is never going to make the front page of The FT, but to you, utterly fascinating.

Lines two and three are your Elevator Pitch, what you would say to a prospect in an elevator, a maximum of two sentences. First, your Premise, a fancy way of saying what you do. And of course ‘big yourself up’ a bit: “We make excellent widgets”.

This is a bold claim and you’re clearly selling, so before the prospect has time to run away, you need a compelling second sentence. This should be Proof. How can you support that audacious assertion about your widgets?

Your Proof is the name of your Customer Mentor. “Bob at The Building Company loves us and our widgets. Why not ask him?”

If the prospect has heard of Bob or his company, then you’ve won another 15 minutes. This is a realistic objective of a good Elevator Pitch - you’re never going to close a serious sale in a lift with two sentences.

And the objective of the email? To get an appointment of course, so the fourth and final line of this email says “I’m going to be near your office on Tuesday at 10am – would that be a good time to drop in?”

in conclusion...

There are a number of ways you can use these simple email strategies. Some work with mass email distribution and others do not. The most important thing is to decide what you're aiming to achieve and then tailor your emails to your aims. Don't forget that all marketing communications need to be tracked, reviewed and followed up after they've been sent. How will you ensure that you're fully aware of how successful your campaign has been? Simple emails may be highly effective but their impact is only maximised if they're integrated into a full campaign where your business employs both simple and graphic rich email designs in addition to other marketing channels.