Articles

Many businesses need a consistent image to become successful among their customers.  A canned email keeps your organized and consistent, regardless of who contacts you and why.  It is essentially a script.  It serves to represent your business’ purpose and it provides needed information for your client, but more importantly, it teases your potential customer with the possible value that doing business with you could have for them. 

Step 1

Write 3 qualities that represent your business.  These qualities can be phrases.  What makes your business special and unique? 

Step 2

If you have a business name, analyze its accessibility.  Does it make sense?  Does it need a tagline? If your business name needs clarification, think of a brief sentence or phrase that helps tell a customer who you are and what you can do for them.

Step 3

List the important players in your business.  Besides yourself, acknowledge your staff.  Do you have a frontline staff of any kind who will have more contact with your customers than you?

Step 4

Answer the following questions: Who would be your ideal customer?  Describe them well.  How do you appeal to this demographic more than your top two competitors?

Step 5

Pick a theme.  Think of a sign, symbol, or metaphor that you enjoy which also represents your business.  Think of its meaning and significance.  Is this a positive image?  Aim for a logo-type of concept.  What visual can represent your theme?

Step 6

Putting it all together is not easy.  Steps 1 through 5 require detailed answers in order to be effective, and they are an exercise that only gets better with repeated attempts.  Repeat Steps 1 – 5 two more times so that you have a total of 3 possible answers.

Step 7

Review the results of Step 6.  What consistent patterns do you see in your answers?  Pull the clearer and more unique concepts.  Get rid of cliché items.

Step 8

Write your email and save the draft for personalization.  Include your business name and tagline at the top, almost as an introduction, using Step 2.  Thank your customer for requesting information or for engaging in business with you first and use language that appeals to the type of person described in Step 4!  Then, go into who you are, what you do, and why you’re wonderful.  Keep it to 3 well-written and comprehensive sentences. Press the “enter” key to create a different paragraph.  Explain your theme or logo in terms of how the people in Step 3 will make the items in Step 1 real for them in 2 sentences. 

Step 9

Review.  Edit.  Repeat.  Show your canned email to closer family and friends who will be more comfortable and critiquing your approach.  Check for errors.  Check for possible misunderstandings.  Review.  Edit.  Repeat.