Learn how to craft the perfect deal email for your subscribers

A great offer from a well-known merchant is the magic formula for deals success on any given day. But, as any successful ecommerce marketer will tell you, you only have a split second to capture the attention of a user to entice them to click, and more importantly, to buy. The way you present your deal is vital to getting users to buy your deals. First, we will cover three tips for presenting your deal emails. Next, we’ll take a look at best practices for presenting your deals site.

The deal email is where most of your users will start their shopping experience with your site. Email is the number one driver of revenue for social commerce sites and represents more than 70% of the revenue pie. So, it is critical to make a strong first impression.

1. Subject Line: The “short and sweet” rule applies here when it comes to subject lines. Focus on keeping your subject line under 60 characters to ensure all of the key selling points are visible within your audience’s email client. Be sure to lead with your key selling points. If you have a well-known business running that day, include their name early as possible in the subject line. The same recommendation applies if your deal is in a popular or prominent area of town or if it has multiple locations. If you’re giving your users a significant discount (over 60% off), then state that early in your subject line. The bottom line is to highlight the “wow factor” of your offer in as concise and straightforward way possible.

2. Format: Now that you’ve enticed the user to open your email, the next goal is to get them to click through and buy. Lead with your featured deal and be sure to reserve the bulk of the space for it. However, you don’t want to overwhelm the reader with a ton of copy. Just enough to entice them to click. Location is a key purchase driver for most users, so be sure to include the location within your email. Having more than one offer within an email is a great way to leverage the power of that medium, but don’t over do it. Users prefer less to more and having a straightforward deal, with an inviting image and a clear way to click-through is your best option.

3. Timing: Not only is it important to format your email in a way that’s welcoming, you want to make sure you’re getting the information into the hands of your users in a timely manner. If you’re a local media company and are wondering what is the optimal time to deliver your email, look no further than your own main site’s traffic patterns. This is the perfect indicator of when your users are in the habit of coming to your site, so plan to send your email just before the morning peak to enjoy the natural flow of traffic already coming your way. It is a good idea to review traffic patterns at least once a quarter to identify the trends. Once your pick a time, it is vital to be consistent. Avoid being erratic in your delivery; the goal is to train your users to anticipate the timely delivery of your email.