The words you speak and the messages you convey can make the difference between losing a lead or closing a deal. You can either grab someone’s attention within seconds or lose them because you said the wrong thing. A big part of online marketing is writing content – creating email campaigns, blog posts, and essentially collaborating with the Sales team to increase interest and convert these leads to commit to your product / solution.

When your audience reads your message, it’s critical for them to realize that you make their success is priority as well. Here are a few ways to optimize your messages – keep these in mind as you market to your targeted customers:

Keep it simple and casual

That means talk as if you’re talking to a friend and keep it short. Long paragraphs and complex sentences can be overwhelming to read. This is a sure way to keep the reader from even reading the rest of your email.

Add value first

Make sure to keep it all about the customer – help them understand why what you have to offer is beneficial for them. When they can see that you’re on the same page with them, they’ll be more willing to trust you.

Create eye-catching subject lines

This is the initial text that will help get your foot through the door. Again, it’s important to keep these short, but don’t be afraid to get creative. I’ve seen many subject lines that really got me to open an email because it was relatable, funny, or had a play on words. Examples below!

-The Muse: We Like Being Used

-Movember: Growing a Moustache Can Change the World

-Groupon: There are no deals in this email

-Warby Parker: Pairs nicely with spreadsheets

-Uber:  Since we can’t all win the lottery…

Personalize 

Address them on a first-name basis, tell them a funny story or joke, mention something that puts you in their shoes. Relating to them on another level builds trust, and they’ll feel comforted that someone is on their side.

There you go! It takes some time to tweak but it’s worth it in the end to see that more people are catching on and engaging with your emails. Plenty of resources out there to check out, here’s a few other tips to consider.