1102034_mailHow many seconds do you think you have to make a good impression in an email? One, maybe two? Sometimes you don’t even get that – sometimes it’s a split second because people are busy and, unfortunately, sometimes a little too busy to pay you any attention. Because your time is short, it’s important to make that time count, which means you need to make the best possible impact as fast as you can. But how?

“Dress” the Part

When emails finally started developing the ability to have a signature line in addition to different fonts, colors, and sizes, some people went a little overboard. Yes, it’s pretty neat you can have rainbow comic sans as your default font, but does that represent your brand correctly? You wouldn’t wear a pair of dirty jeans and your favorite shirt to an interview just because it was your favorite outfit, unless you’re trying to stand out in a completely different way on purpose.

What Effect Do You Want to Have?

What are you trying to say – and how are you going to say it?

This is a big question, obviously, but it’s more important than ever that you know the answer. Successful brands get to know their audiences through strategic marketing, but only after they figure out who their audience is. You can’t do that until you know what your message is. Study your target group, and figure out what you want to impress upon them.

And Finally, Communicate Effectively

You know a lot about your business – that’s a good thing, but what’s not a good thing is alienating yourself from your core audience because you are using the wrong vocabulary. The trick is using words they use, and how they use them. How does your audience express their concerns? How do they express their praise? How do they express themselves, period? Mirror that language so you can understand each other on the same level. This can be incredibly difficult over text, but with time and practice, you should be able to reach an understanding.

When you allow your confidence to shine, your online presence will shine, too – and that’s the kind of thing that will build your business up from the very first click a potential client makes.