Email marketing letters and email lead generation is an enormous subject. There are companies that do multi day training seminars for thousands of dollars to cover the email marketing basics.
I am going to cover some of the bare bone basics and provide examples to make it even easier to understand Sometimes that’s all you need to boost your sales in the short run.
You may find that I breeze over some areas that you don’t understand or wish you had more information to understand it more thoroughly, so you can post a comment below and I’ll do my best to respond.
The first thing you need to do is build your email list. You want to get customers, clients, and prospective customers and clients to gladly provide you with their name and email address (or all of their contact information) so you can send them offers and quality information.
How Do You Get Their Email Address? You ask for it!
You’ll get the most email addresses from two places:
1. Your website.
2. Point of sale.
This subject alone requires a separate article (perhaps a webinar) so I am going to keep it short and to the point.
On your website you should have, at the very least, an optin box, button, or pop up (or all three) that asks your client or prospective client for their name and email address.

Offering a coupon or special discount to first time customers is an excellent way to build your email list and your business.
Almost any business can do it (and don’t worry, if you don’t offer coupons or you don’t want to because you want to capture the highest end of the market I’ll give you a killer solution).
For example, here’s a plumbers website:

The thing this plumber is doing right is offering a coupon and making it very obvious on the home page. But he or she could make it better by putting a dotted line around it, changing the color, and redirecting to an optin form. He or she is redirecting straight to the coupon image assuming everyone will print it (never assume).
Now you might be asking yourself, ‘Yes, but we don’t offer coupons. We aren’t a retailer.’
Doesn’t matter my friend! Here’s what you do:
If you don’t have coupons to offer or you want to attract higher end clients (good idea, but high end clients like deals too), you must offer something of value to your clients in exchange for their email address.
Simply asking for it without giving them incentive will not produce good results. For example, you can offer a free report, mini course, audio, or video (otherwise known as information products). More in this below.
When author a report, guide, book, video, or mini course on a subject that interests your prospective customers, you give yourself instant expert status, assuming your information is very good. When you position yourself as an expert you also build trust with your clients. As a result they will look to you for solutions to their problems and not your competitor who is just providing a sales pitch.
What sort of information products can you offer?
Here are subject and title examples of reports, videos, and quality articles you can create that will build ‘expert status’ in your area:
Salons:
• ‘Sassy’ or ‘Sexy’ Hairstyles For 2012!
• How To Turn A Bad Hair Day Into a Good Hair Day In Minutes!
• Five Foods That Dry Your Hair Out!
Insurance Agents:
• 10 Easy Ways To Slash Your Taxes In 2012!
• How To Save 20% or More On Your Home and Auto Insurance!
• Financial Planning Tips and Tricks Your Advisor May Not Know About!
Carpet Cleaners:
• How To Clean Red Wine, Cat Urine, and Other Hard To Clean Stains in 10 inutes or Less!
• 5 Hidden Toxins In Your Carpet That Your Vacuum Cleaner Can’t Get To!
• 10 Reasons You Don’t Want Your Children Playing On Your ‘Clean’ Old Carpets!
The ideas for information reports, videos, and articles are limitless. You could write a report and create a video in a matter of a few days or hours on any subject that your clients might be interested in. It’s easy, fun, and it will help you build your business for years.
Imagine how powerful this can be for your business! A potential customer finds your site and then sees a powerful offer to get something of value for free. For example, let’s say you are a carpet cleaner and you want to offer this free report and video to your prospective customers and clients for free:
How To Clean Red Wine, Cat Urine, and Other Hard To Clean Stains in 10 Minutes or Less!
Here’s what happens after they get the report: They read it and are impressed with your knowledge which helps establish you as an expert. But you are just starting your relationship with this prospective customer. Now you have to start building a relationship; trust, rapport.
So a week later you follow up with a video version of this report or you have another helpful guide, or article for them. Now they are almost feeling like they know you. They are certainly learning to trust you. OK, now I am getting ahead of myself. Let’s take a step back. I digress.
In our business we are offering discount coupons as an incentive to get on our list. It didn’t start this way. I used to offer a mini course on tanning and skin care and it worked quite well (and it still does but it’s kind of buried in the site). I did not offer coupons on the site (just Val Pak and Money Mailer).
I figured that if I offered coupons in exchange for their email address I would get hate mail. What a mistake that was! I tested it and the response rates were 5 times greater than the tanning and skin care mini course. So I am sticking with that.
After they sign up for my coupons they are instantly redirected to this page:
I want people to confirm their email address because it makes my lists much cleaner. You don’t have to do this with all email systems, but it’s highly recommended.
Now the client checks their email and they see this in their email box:
They click through to this email and this is what they see:

They click the confirmation link in the email and then they are sent to this page:

Note the ‘Click To Print This Page’ text link. This is really important because it makes it easy for people to print. It really matters.
Here is what one of the coupons looks like on the coupon page:
In addition they are put into our autoresponder sequence (I’ll explain that in a moment), and they are automatically sent a thank you email.
Here is the thank you email marketing letter example:
Dear Brian,
Thank you for requesting this web only coupon from Name Of Spa! In order to redeem your coupon you must print it and bring it in on or before the expiration date on the coupon 🙂
Here is your coupon link: URL
Also, if you are interested in our new body wrap that will take inches off your ‘trouble spots’, burn calories, and even reduce cellulite go here for more information (Yes! it really works):
URL
Thanks again, and be sure to bring your coupons in right away before you forget.
Sincerely,
Your name, Owner Name Of Business
PS: We have a really good tanning tips course that you should get as well. It’s f.r.e.e. has some great tanning and skin care advice: URL
All of the above steps which ultimately lead to the first email in your autoresponder sequence (the thank you email) takes just a matter of a few minutes or seconds depending on when the potential customer checks their email.
And we are just getting started!
Many people who subscribe don’t come into our business right away. So we have to stay in touch and remind them that we are still here, and that they have coupons to use. But we also send quality information and tips on skin care, and weight loss. As a matter of fact, we send mostly quality information because if we keep sending offers and coupons they will get mad.
For example we have articles and videos on weight loss, skin care, exercise, and much more.
Below are email letter examples that we send several days after the thank you email.
Email Letter Example #1:
Hi Brian!
My husband and I wrote a couple of reports that I think you might be interested in. Here’s the first one… How To Get A Killer Body And Keep It…
URL
By the way, let us know if you want or need a support group for either getting in better shape, or losing weight. I can put together a quality list of resources and/or a support group… even a personal trainer. We really want to help!
Take Care,
Your Name, Owners Name Of Business
Email Marketing Letter Example #2:
Hi there Brian!
How are you?
In my last email to you I pointed you to an article/report my husband and I wrote. Well, if you liked that one, you’ll probably like this one too… Lose 10 Pounds Fast:
URL
Let us know what you think.
Sincerely,
Your Name Owners Name Of Business
Email Letter Example #3:
Hi Brian!
How is everything?
I hope you are doing well.
Hey, I just wanted to poke you on the shoulder and point you back to our coupon page…just in case you forgot that we update them. Here it is:
URL
Thanks for your time, and have an awesome day!
Sincerely, Your Name Etc.
You too should send quality information to your list regardless of what you are selling. Especially if you are offering free information on the front end (your free report or video as described above), because these people are expecting quality, actionable information, and they don’t want to be sold anything at the beginning.
Conversely, if people give up their name and email address in exchange for coupons or a discount then you have a little more room to play with in terms of making offers.
A good rule of thumb to follow is this: For every email offer you make send 5 quality email articles, reports, or videos starting with your first report or video.
For example, if you are offering a report and/or video for a contractor business here’s a model you can follow for the first 7 emails (you can change the subjects to fit your business specialty):
Email #1: Day 1: Thank You [firstname]!
In email #1 you thank your prospective client for getting their free report and explain how to download it. In addition you can direct them to a gallery of images of your work. Do not sell anything. A thank you video with you in it would be ideal!
Email #2: Day 8: [Video] How Hidden Dry Rot Slowly Destroys Your Home!
In this email you can explain dry rot, how it is hard to find unless you know where to look, and how destructive it can be. Direct them to a video or a pdf.
Email #3: Day 16: Easy Bathroom Improvements You Can Do Yourself [firstname]!
In this email you can discuss some low cost or free ways to improve a bathroom, and show some before and after pictures of work you have done in the low budget range and the high end as well.
Email #4: Day 24: Top 10 Ways To Add Value To Your Home [firstname]!
In this email you lay down 10 (5 or 15, whatever you know) ways a homeowner can increase value to their home via home additions, remodeling, even landscaping.
Email #5: Day 32: [Video] – Check Out These Remodeling Blunders [firstname]!
In this email you can describe some of the shortcuts ‘other’ contractors take when building homes, remodeling, or doing simple home improvements. Direct them to a video or a pdf.
Email #6: Day 40: Re: Your Audit [firstname]!
Now it’s time to do a little selling. In this email you can offer a free remodel or home build audit and explain what your client will get. Or just offer to come to their home and go over some remodel ideas or home building options (an audit is better).
Email #7: Day 48: Tankless Water Heaters – Are They Worth It?
Side Bar: This is where you can send one more follow up email and offer them the audit or home remodeling consultation again. Or you can start your 5 email sequence of quality information again.
In this email you can weigh the pro’s and con’s of having a tankless water heater, and at this time you can explain that you can do a custom installation. Include a few before and after images, and a testimonial at the end. Use a video or a pdf if possible, or direct them to a page on your site.
Email #8 – #11: Send these emails 10 days and two weeks apart. In these emails provide more quality information, show more before and after pictures of your work, include testimonials and success stories, etc. etc. Simply provide quality, interesting information and soft sell on the way.
Rinse and Repeat forever. Don’t stop after the first 7 or 8 emails. Keep’em coming. I get new business from people who have not spent a dime with us for 3 years or more! And they never would have spent money with us unless I sent them the follow up information and offers.
Do you see how powerful this can be? All of these emails are sent automatically and they are doing all the selling for you. They are establishing you as the expert, and they are asking for your clients business without you doing any work!
Any business should follow this model because it works exceptionally well.
Email Letters and Autoresponders Go Hand In Hand. Let Me Explain!
The key to all of this is an autoresponder. An autorespnder is a program that sends a sequence of pre written emails on specific days you choose, and for as long as you wish. For example, we have a total of 36 pre-written emails that are scheduled anywhere from 3 to 15 days apart. On another list I have 86 (it’s an 9 year old list that I’ve been working on).
For example, if I sign up for a coupon or free guide today I’ll get email #1. And then Email #2 will hit me in 7 days, and email #3 will hit me in another 7 days and so on and so on.
This is very effective because if your emails have quality information your auto responder automatically builds relationships, and sells for you 24 hours a day 7 days a week.
But that is not all an autoresponder will do. A good autorespnder company also creates forms and pop ups for you to use on your site. All you have to do is select a design or create your own using their easy software, and then cut and paste the code into your site or blog. It’s really easy!
Now that you understand the basics of how to get your prospective customers name and email address from your website, and how to follow up using an autoresponder, lets discus a few more ways to build your email list in another article. Sign up for my feed or get on my list 🙂