Marketing emails too often try to say too much. Here is the problem: most people are not terribly excited about getting your emails. Even those people who actually open, read, and take action on your emails, are not sitting there waiting for it when it comes into their inbox.

With email, as with many forms of marketing, you have a tiny window of opportunity to capture and build on someone’s attention. So your emails should have one, singular call to action, that is easily found.

Potential Roadblocks:

1. Different people want to add different messages to the email
2. Fear that people will not take action #1, so you add action #2
3. Fear that your call to action is TOO strong so you soften it with some general text

I can understand all of the above. I’ve been in situations where more people than need be are involved in the creation of a marketing email. Too many cooks in the kitchen, as the saying goes. More on that problem later.

The problem with roadblocks 2 and 3 above is that consumers have limited attention spans and you’re fighting for their attention with all the other companies that are sending them emails that day or week. One call to action is all you get. So make sure it’s the one that is most important to you, and deliver it to them simply and quickly.

So how can you make certain that you’re getting to the point?

Make it your job to go back and read the final email before it goes back. Send a test to yourself and ask these two questions, honestly:

1. What is the call to action?
2. Can I immediately find the call to action?

If the answer to either of those is no, you’ve got a problem.