When we email our family, friends or colleagues, we don’t use fancy designs, embedded pictures or elaborate signatures. We type up a few lines, include a link and hit “Send.”

These emails get read. So why don’t businesses use the same approach with clients? Those that do are ahead of the game.

Keep it simple

We’ve sent millions of emails on behalf of thousands of insurance agents, and we know what works and what doesn’t when it comes to insurance communications.

Simple, plain text emails perform better than their elaborate HTML counterparts. And if you write and format your email just right, it’s more likely to feel personal and elicit a response.

Next time you email your customers or prospects, try these tips:

1. Skip the graphics

A pre-designed HTML email template screams “marketing” or “sales.” It works for some industries, primarily direct-to-consumer retail products like apparel. But for insurance, a simple note that looks like you wrote and sent it will really make you stand out.

2. Keep your subject line short

Don’t overthink here. Say what you have to say, use plain language and be genuine. Forego puns and big words. For example, if your goal is to cross-sell to clients you know will have a teenage driver soon, something as simple as, “Is your new driver insured?” may just do the trick.

3. Start out with a greeting and make it personal

Always personalize your emails. Clients can tell when they receive an email meant for 5,764 other people. Spend time on making sure your email lists are up-to-date and accurate, always use your clients’ first names, and target your content so it’s relevant to them.

4. Don’t get creative with fonts

You wouldn’t use a custom, green font when emailing your attorney or accountant with a quick question. Keep it simple with your client emails too. Email apps use basic default fonts to make sure all recipients can see and read what you wrote regardless of the app they use.

5. Don’t use bold text, italics or all caps

Keep the look of your email simple and skip unnecessary capitalization, bolding or italics. Your message should feel as if you just wrote it and sent it, effortlessly so. Everything else is distracting.

6. Proofread your message

Always proofread your email and check your punctuation. If your email has grammatical errors, clients may think it’s spam or phishing.

7. Keep it short

Ideal email length is between 50 and 200 words. People are busy, and you only have a few seconds to grab their attention—keep it brief to increase response rates.

8. Don’t embed images

There’s no guarantee embedded images will show in your recipient’s mailbox the way you intend them to. Your email is also much more likely to end up in spam. If you need to include additional information, link to it.

9. Sign off with a call to action

Always end your email with a call to action—your recipients need to know what to do next. Do they need to reply to you? Do they need to log into their account to make a change? If you don’t need a response, sign off with a well wish.

10. Keep your signature plain

Skip your headshot and logo. It may not display properly and it just looks busy. Make it less about you and more about your clients. Sign your name and list your website and/or your phone number in plain text—that’s all you need. Remember, the more graphics you have—the less personal the message feels.

What does a perfect email look like? Something like this:

Need help with your emails?

Between welcome emails, renewal emails, cross-selling emails and everything else you need to do to run your agency—you have a lot on your plate. Writing, sending and managing all these messages can be a lot to take on unless you have the right tools.

With ClientCircle, you can automate all your client communications using our pre-written templates. Not only are our emails personalized—we also know when to send them and to which clients, so you don’t have to worry about a thing.