By Stacy Zemon, Publisher & Chief Scribe
If you want prospective clients to open your emails, you need to pique their interest. Here are seven techniques that will make emails from your DJ service stand out, rather than get deleted or ignored:
1. Send it through a referral.
If possible, get a person known to the prospect to forward your email to the prospect, copying you on the email. Prospects are much more likely to open emails from people they know rather than from people they don’t know. This is the single best way to ensure that your email gets opened.
2. Cite a referral in the subject line.
If the above option is not possible, the next best thing is to cite, in the subject line, somebody whom the prospect knows.
Example: “Jane Jones suggested we connect.”
Make certain you have the permission to use the person’s name; otherwise this can backfire. The prospect might send an “Is this real?” email to Jane, and if she sends back a “WTF?,” your credibility with the prospect (and with Jane) is gone forever.
3. Cite a current client’s experience.
If neither Option One nor Two is practical, the next best thing is to have a subject line that describes the experience of another client, with any luck in a way that is meaningful to the prospect.
Example: “How [client] got free lighting for their wedding.”
Once again, you must get permission to use a past client’s name.
4. Cite a potential benefit.
If none of the above is practical, simply have your subject line include something that matters to the prospect.
Example: “3 ways to to have a fun, unique & personalized wedding reception.”
5. Simulate a response email.
Busy people will sometimes open an email if it appears to be part of a dialogue in which they’ve already involved themselves.
Example: “RE: Your Upcoming Event.”
The subject line should be generic enough so that it seems to the prospect like something he or she would be discussing. The body of the email should contain an irresistible offer that will prompt the receiver to contact you.
Keep in mind, it’s pointless to send emails to prospective customers if they don’t get opened.
