Winning People Over by Email
There’s a certain knack to writing. Some people are great with words but when it comes to communicating their message, they kind of fall over. One of the things I’m often asked is, ‘How to write emails that win an audience, woo a customer and turn a browser into a buyer’.
For example – emails that win
One of my favourite clients contacted me. Amy had just started a brand new job as the manger of a South Brisbane funeral home.
Now, Farewell Funerals is a relatively new business in Meadowbrook, so Amy wanted to introduce their services to the local community. Not fond of writing, Amy asked me for some help wording an email and writing some web content.
The content needed to outline the services of Farewell Funerals in a gentle and empathetic manner.
After chatting with Amy I learned more about the services Farewell Funerals provide. The staff deal with death and grieving families so the tone of the email was very important. The email needed to be professional yet warm and friendly and still reflect the level of care, empathy and service the Farewell Funerals management pride themselves on delivering to their families.
Adjusting the tone to suit your audience
Now when it comes to writing, there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach. The tone of voice needs to be adjusted depending on who you’re writing too.
In the case of Farewell Funerals’ audience, the email would need to be gentle, friendly and compassionate.
In particular, Farewell Funerals offer specialised services to families who’ve suffered the loss of a baby or child. They also offer services for babies born under 20 weeks gestation. Stillbirth is a delicate subject so attention to appropriate wording was my priority. It was also important that the content of the email reflected the staffs’ compassion for these babies and their families.
A few days after sending through some content for emails and the new website, Amy contacted me. Their email was a great success! A local hospital had already reached out to them to assist with a bereaved family and a few weeks later, more hospitals got in touch.
The Response
The point of writing emails effectively is to get a response right? To do this, you first need to consider your audience. Who are they and what is the desired response from your communications? What do you want them to do? You also need to establish an appropriate tone. Do you want to come across warm and friendly? Or would you prefer to sound conservative and serious? For example, if you’re a party planner you’d want your audience to think of you as fun and friendly, wouldn’t you? Of course, all communications MUST be professional, free of spelling errors, typos and grammatical mistakes. If you want to know why professional writing matters, check out my blog post here.
About Alison
Alison is a communications specialist! Alison has a Degree in Communications and a passion for public relations and journalism. If you want to learn how to write emails that win, get in touch here
