How to write sales and marketing emails physicians will read
In the hectic world of medicine, physicians are inundated with information everyday. To stand out in their inboxes, your sales email needs to do more than just hit their screen at the right time—it has to make an immediate impact. In this guide, we’ll explore practical tips for writing sales emails that quickly capture interest and help you achieve better response rates from healthcare professionals (HCPs). Whether you’re promoting a new product, driving brand awareness, or offering ongoing education about medications, medical devices, and other healthcare-related products and services, this guide will help you master the art of writing sales and marketing emails that physicians will read.
1. Crafting compelling subject lines that speak to physicians
In the sea of emails flooding doctors’ inboxes, your subject line serves as the gateway to capturing your reader’s attention. It’s the make-or-break moment that determines whether your email gets opened or swiftly sent to the dreaded “delete” folder. So, how do you create subject lines that stand out from the crowd and entice physicians to click open? Let’s explore some techniques that will help you write attention-grabbing subject lines that demand to be read.
- Spark curiosity. Pique your recipient’s interest by teasing them with a compelling question, intriguing statement, or a fascinating statistic. Leave them curious and eager to uncover more by opening your email.
- Use power words. Incorporate strong and impactful words that evoke emotion or urgency. Words like “exclusive,” “unveiled,” or “transform” can create a sense of excitement and drive action.
- Offer value upfront. Highlight the main benefit or value your email provides right in the subject line. Make it clear how opening your email will solve a problem, save time, or improve their practice or lives in some meaningful way, such as improving clinical documentation, patient nonadherence, or practice management.
- Steer clear of spammy language. Avoid using all caps, excessive exclamation marks, or spam-triggering keywords that may land your email in the spam folder. Maintain a professional tone while still being engaging and persuasive. HubSpot maintains a list of spam words to avoid.
- Personalize when possible. Use their name or reference their specialty to make your email more relevant. For instance, “Dr. Smith, see how our scheduling tool can reduce no-shows for your dermatology practice.”
Crafting subject lines that grab attention requires a delicate balance of creativity, relevance, and a deep understanding of your audience. Experiment with different techniques, test and analyze your results, and continually refine your approach. By mastering the art of subject lines, you’re one step closer to getting your message heard.
2. Structuring an engaging email body for physicians
The body of your email is where you can build a connection and drive your desired action. By structuring your email effectively, you can address physicians’ needs and encourage them to take the next step. Let’s explore the key elements to consider when crafting an email body that converts.
- Open with a compelling hook or captivating introduction. Start your email with a captivating hook that grabs your reader’s attention. Consider using an interesting anecdote, a thought-provoking question, or a compelling statement that resonates with your audience. By creating an immediate connection, you set the stage for meaningful interaction and encourage them to continue reading.
- Deliver a clear and concise value proposition. Clearly articulate the value you’re offering in your email. Let your prospects know how your product, service, or solution can solve their problem, fulfill their needs, or enhance their medical practice. Use concise language that highlights the unique benefits or advantages you bring to the table. Focus on the value you provide rather than getting lost in unnecessary details.
- Address pain points and highlight key benefits. Address the pain points or challenges your target physicians may be experiencing. Show them that you understand their struggles and emphasize how your offering can alleviate those pain points. Paint a vivid picture of how their practice can improve with your solution.
- Craft a persuasive call-to-action (CTA). End your email with a clear and persuasive CTA. Use actionable language and provide a specific next step for your readers. Whether it’s encouraging them to visit your website, access a research paper, or schedule a meeting, make the CTA prominent.
Doctors are pressed for time, so remember to keep your email body concise, easy to skim, and visually appealing. Use short paragraphs, bullet points, or subheadings to break up the text and improve readability. A well-structured email body that addresses physicians’ needs and includes a strong CTA will engage your readers and increase the likelihood of conversion.
3. Optimizing email design and formatting
When it comes to email communication, design and formatting play a crucial role in delivering your message. One survey found more than 80% of HCPs use their mobile devices for professional purposes, including responding to emails. By optimizing the design and formatting of your emails, you can improve readability, engage your audience, and ensure a seamless experience across different devices. Let’s explore some key considerations for optimizing email design.
- Format for readability. Use a clean and organized layout. Structure your email with clear sections and headings to make it visually appealing and easy to scan. Physicians appreciate straightforward communication that respects their time.
- Utilize white space. Allow for sufficient white space between paragraphs, images, and other elements to enhance readability and give your email a clean, uncluttered look. White space can help direct attention to key messages and important sections.
- Emphasize important information. Use formatting techniques like bolding, italics, or bullet points to highlight key points, benefits, or CTAs. This helps busy professionals quickly scan and grasp the essential information.
- Don’t embed forms. All marketers would love to have forms embedded directly into emails for a plethora of reasons. The reality is that most email clients don’t support form functionality, and spam filters identify these as security risks. Instead, try including an image of the form and hyperlinking the image to your form’s landing page.
- Avoid image-heavy content. You can include relevant, properly sized, and compressed images that support your message but avoid image-heavy content. This may trigger spam filters to block your delivery. Many clients have images blocked by default making image-heavy content a poor user experience, so include alt text to allow all recipients to understand the image.
- Test across email clients and devices. Email clients and devices may render emails differently, so it’s important to test your emails across popular clients and devices to ensure compatibility. Pay attention to how your email appears in different browsers, email apps, and operating systems. Prioritize mobile responsiveness.
By optimizing your email design and formatting, you create a visually appealing and user-friendly experience for your readers. A well-designed email that is easy to read and view can significantly increase physician engagement and conversions.
4. Testing and iterating
To truly optimize your email performance, it’s important to embrace a culture of testing and iteration. By continuously experimenting, tracking metrics, and refining your strategies based on data-driven insights, you can improve the effectiveness of your email campaigns. Here’s how.
- Perform A/B testing to optimize performance. A/B testing allows you to compare different versions of your emails and determine which elements resonate best with your audience. By testing variables like subject lines, call-to-action buttons, or content placement, you can gain insights into what drives higher open rates, click-through rates, and conversions. This iterative process can lead to continuous improvement and higher email performance over time.
- Monitor key metrics. Track essential email metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, conversion rates, bounce rates, and unsubscribe rates. These metrics shed light on how your emails are performing and can help you identify areas for improvement. Are your open rates low? Are recipients not clicking through to your website? Pinpointing these areas will guide your optimization efforts and help you focus on the most impactful changes.
- Implement gradual changes. Rather than overhauling your entire email strategy, make iterative changes based on the insights and data you gather. Gradual improvements allow for a better assessment of the impact of each change and help you understand what truly drives results.
Testing and iterating are essential components of successful email marketing. By systematically experimenting, tracking metrics, and refining your strategies based on data-driven insights, you can drive better outcomes for your physician marketing campaigns.
5. Following-up and relationship building
Building strong relationships with physicians and other HCPs is essential for successful email marketing. In this section, we’ll explore some strategies for sending effective follow-up emails, building rapport with doctors, and leveraging automation tools to streamline your processes.
- Check in to build relationships. Regularly connect with physicians through personalized emails, relevant content, or occasional check-ins. Keep your interactions consistent but not overly pushy or intrusive, ensuring that you stay top of mind and foster a positive relationship.
- Use automation tools. You can use automation tools to set up email sequences or drip campaigns that deliver a series of pre-defined emails based on specific triggers or time intervals. This helps ensure consistent follow-up and keeps prospects engaged throughout their decision-making.
- Ensure reasonable email volumes. In a best-case scenario, flooding physicians’ inboxes with emails will score you an unsubscribe. At worst, you’ll get flagged as spam. Sending out large volumes of emails each day also increases the total number of hard bounces, lowering your sender reputation. Adjust your frequency cap so contacts will get a maximum of one non-transactional or operational email per day and a maximum of five per week.
Building relationships through effective follow-up is a long-term process that requires consistency. By sending regular but non-intrusive follow-up emails, you’ll establish a strong foundation for long-lasting HCP connections.
What it all means
By implementing the strategies and techniques outlined in this guide, you’re well on your way to writing emails that drive physician engagement, build relationships, and ultimately generate more revenue. For more information about how to boost your physician email marketing and sales performance, check out these resources: