Writing Email Tips: Understand Two Types of Business Emails

When it comes to writing email tips, here's an important one: you can save a lot of time and aggravation when you understand the simple fact that all emails are not created equally.

Back in 1965, email was considered to be a novelty when the first email message was posted in a file from one user to another on the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s mainframe computer.

Times have changed! Today, email is a widely-accepted form of communication in business across niches.  

I’m talking about both the one-on-one email you dash off to your cubicle partner along with automated emails that are constructed and loaded into an email list manager and scheduled to send. 

First, a Few Writing Email Tips for Automated Emails

For the moment, let’s set aside the personal, one-on-one email you write to a specific person and talk about these automated emails sent to a large group of people. You may hear them called email blasts, bulk email, or mass email. These automated email marketing messages save time, reduce costs, increase productivity, provide a written record, and make marketing easier.

If you’re a blogger, freelance writer, ministry leader, or small business owner, you need to understand what makes these business emails unique and how to write them. (It’s also helpful to know how to load them into your email list manager. But I digress.)

Automated emails – as discussed here – have a few elements in common. 

• They are written, loaded, and scheduled ahead of time (versus in real time)
• They are sent to an email list or a segment of a list
• They are managed in email list software like Constant Contact or Mail Chimp

These emails fall into two large categories.

Two Types of Business Emails

1. Marketing Emails

What it is: you initiate and schedule marketing emails to a particular group of readers.

These readers have given you permission to communicate with them as a customer or in an opt-in. You may also send marketing emails to a purchased list of qualified readers.

A marketing email contains content that valuable to this group of qualified readers, such as special deals, information, and incentives.

You use the marketing email content to cultivate prospects, build loyalty, trust, and brand awareness, obtain sales or donations – or any combination of these.

Examples of Marketing Emails

Ezines	Online appeals	Campaign series	Special sales or promotions
Industry news	Product announcements	Invitations	Event registrations

2. Notification Emails

What it is: you set up notification emails to be sent automatically when a reader takes a particular action. 

Sometimes called an autoresponder or trigger email, a notification email is written, loaded, and preprogrammed to be sent automatically after a trigger. The purpose is to respond to the reader with a confirmation or follow up.

Examples of Notification Emails

New account confirmation	Registration confirmation	Order confirmation	Payment confirmation
Subscription confirmation	Account termination	Shipment tracking and order status	Invoice
Birthday Greetings	Holiday Greetings	Greetings after a purchase	Shopping Cart update
Stock availability notification	Discounts on additional products	Purchase follow up and upsell	Feedback request

---

More Email Writing Tips

Avoid These 6 Throwaway Opening Lines  ...

Should You Build an Email List? Advantages and Disadvantages ...

How to Build an Email List for No (or Very Little) Cost ...

What’s the Ideal Email Length?

How NOT to Be a Pest When You Write Email Reminders ...

Start and Grow Your Email List: A Simple Tutorial ...

Free downloadable checklist for writing better email subject lines ...

Email copywriting: the anatomy of a strong email campaign ...

How to write an email step-by-step ...

Email Campaign vs. Ezine: What's the Difference?

Business Email Writing Tips to Help You Save Time and Save Face ...

How to Write More Powerful Lead Magnets: 5 Easy Steps ...

Three tips to increase your email open rate ...

Email Writing Tips: a tip for savvy subject lines ...   

Email Writing Tip: how to write links to get more clicks ...

Why nonprofit emails are a powerful promotional tool ...

Email and ezine terms ...

Do's and don'ts for email subject lines ...

Netiquette: email etiquette for copywriters and leaders ...

More email writing tips on our Pinterest board ...

Return from Writing Email Tips: 2 Types of Business Emails to 
Nonprofit Copywriter home

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Powered by SBI! Learn more here.