What’s the second most important rule you must NEVER, EVER forget – but so many businesses still do – when it comes to writing email?
We already covered the first rule …
Which is THE most important rule for all aspects of your life, but …
The second most important rule is – Write for your market.
Simple, right?
Wrong.
I mean, it should be obvious, because unless you’re some sort of narcissist who loves printing out your company’s emails so you can rub the glory all over your face and soak in the goodness …
Rule 2 is a good reminder.
Why?
Because when you’re in your reader’s world, you can write just about anything you want.
The late, great negotiator Jim Camp wrote about it extensively in his book, Start with NO…The Negotiating Tools that the Pros Don’t Want You to Know.
Part of his schtick (which was brilliant, by the way) was this idea that when you’re in a negotiation, it’s all about what the client is looking for first …
Then backing it up with “hey, here’s how I can help you get that.”
Start with NO is a fantastic book, and I highly recommend it, but …
Camp isn’t exactly the guy who came up with this idea.
Marketers going way, way back to the early days of advertising knew this …
Men like Robert Collier, for example, an ad-man from the early 20th Century, said you had to “enter the conversation already taking place in the customer’s mind.”
If it’s an issue that’s important to your readers, you can’t go wrong.
There is a caveat to this for Catholics …
Meaning you don’t want to be inappropriate or write anything that will have you hanging your head in shame when you go before the Lord in judgment.
But the point still holds …
When you’re writing for your reader, you can’t lose.
So here’s a question to chew on:
Are your emails all about your reader or you?
Do you like to wax on and on about how great your company is, or are you trying to help your reader solve a problem?
OK, so that was two questions, but too bad …
Besides, I just gave you extra value there, and for free!
If you want more value, shoot me an email at [email protected]. Fair warning …
While I do give away plenty of goodies in my emails, you’re not going to unlock the true value without paying a premium, but you do get what you pay for.
Stay holy my friends, and God bless.