Top Tips for Turning Readers into Buyers with Sales Emails

A study by Convince & Convert shows that 44% of email recipients made at least one purchase based on a promotional email

What is a sales newsletter?

Sales newsletters are like a weekly newsletter. The only difference is made by the specificity of this email. As previously mentioned, weekly newsletters do not have to be all about selling. Therefore, you need to run a newsletter that is sales focused.

Sales newsletters should be different from the usual email that you send - different visuals, different messages, and a different audience segment.

Best suitable for: Almost anyone can run a sales newsletter as long they have something to sell (the only exception is the fundraising industry as they have nothing to sell).

How do I build a sales newsletter strategy?

When thinking about a sales newsletter you should have one objective - to sell. Therefore, you need to have a strong strategy when planning a sales newsletter.

You can let your mind run free and think about adding coupons, special promotions, convincing call to actions.

Sending a sales newsletter is no different from a weekly newsletter. There are two things you must keep in mind when you are sending a newsletter that its purpose is to drive sales: do not use pushy sales tactics and avoid sending too many sales newsletter as you will end up spamming your subscribers, which will eventually unsubscribe from your list.  

1. The first step is planning your strategy. Think about your audience and your product/service - think about the benefits you want to highlight and think about what problems you are trying to solve.
2. Always add a call to action and make sure all links work properly.
3. Use a template that is intuitive, easy to follow and make sure the design is not overloaded.
4. Pay extra attention to your mailing lists, as you do not want to send unnecessary information to people. Try to segment your lists to target the right people, so your actions will be effective with minimum effort.
5. Before sending a newsletter, make sure you send a test copy to yourself to check everything (if the images are showing, if the links are working properly, etc.)
6. If everything looks fine and works properly send the newsletter to your subscribers. ‍
7. Always analyse the results of your campaigns. The key metrics are open rates, clickthrough rates and unsubscribe rates.

Here are some pro’s [and cons] that will help you decide if sales newsletter is a good tool to share info for your audience.

PROS:

✔️ It is cheap and fast

✔️ It is a great tool that has a high success rate

✔️ You increase your sales and your website traffic

CONS:

❌You might need to use an email marketing service

❌It might be best to work with a specialist that can help you with the segmentation, writing compelling copy and creating the right visuals

❌You must know what your audience needs are to be able to meet their expectations

Weekly newsletter structure explained

What we know about this weekly newsletter:

Tattly sends 5 emails per month, and they're 80% mobile optimised. Their ESP of choice is Mailchimp. The email is themed around fashion and beauty.

Alt tag is created to provide a description of the image in the text.

1. Brand Header - it is a global header that will show in all emails sent by the company, as a method to establish branding. This header will remain consistent across all company newsletters. Key learning: consistency is key.
2. Email Image - custom image for each e-mail, creating urgency with time-sensitive discounts.
3. Content - the content that will be found in each newsletter or automated funnel email. For longer content, this will be separated by sections 6 and 7 to give an easier feel to the email, improve readability and make the e-mail more visually appealing.
4. Core CTA - the core CTA will be found preferably before the mid-section, to improve click-through rate and email engagement. We will still have various links across the e-mail and a secondary, less straightforward CTA at the end of the email.
5. Break-in Image - this image has the role to make the e-mail more visually appealing, the image focusing on either the core message of the e-mail, or it will be closely tied to section. Showcasing the top-selling products provides a sneak peek into the wide range of collections the brand is offering.
6. The second CTA –helps the subscriber to act in response to the content they have read. This will boost conversion rates for the email newsletter. Both the CTA have used actionable language and phrases.
7. Social Media handles - with the role of sending users to our social media pages, thus keeping users engaged with the company.

PRO TIP:

Decrease the amount of friction between the subscriber and the action you want them to take (click). Providing value through the content is a sure way to convert passive reading to an action-oriented experience.