7 Email Marketing Best Practices

Email is the most used service on the Internet and,email has to stand out in usually overloaded inboxes. It
doubtless, most useful. Many people use the Internetis important that you don't shout so instead of
only for checking their emails. Email marketing can beEXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH...use
useful only if done right. Otherwise, it can get you moreExclusive Interview with...
harm that benefits. However, there are things you canIt is very good that you make your subject field
do in order to ensure that your email marketingstandardized and that the title be something related
campaign is going to be successful. In this article wefrom the content of that current issue.
provide you with 7 email marketing best practices.For example, if you have a newsletter called Email
DeliverabilityArticles your subject line can be something like this:
Deliverability is probably the most important issue in[Email Articles] How to Improve Your Open Rates,
today's email marketing business. There are manyIssue #10, August 29th, 2005
spam emails and many legitimate emails are flaggedIf your email newsletter has a longer title, for example,
as spam so they are not delivered. They are notEmail Marketing Articles you can use this:
getting thru ISP spam filters. Good deliverability ratio is[EMA] How to Improve Your Open Rates, Issue #10,
the first step in successful email campaign because ifAugust 29th, 2005
your emails aren't delivered then you don't even havePersonalization & Segmentation
an email campaign!Personalization is connected with Subject fields, too.
In order to ensure that your emails will have goodSome people like to include first names of their
deliverability you have to choose your email marketingsubscribers in subject lines in order to have better
vendors wisely. You have to check if they are onopen ratio.
"Blacklist" or "Whitelist". There are differentPersonalization is also very effective when it is used in
organizations like Spamhaus project and SpamAssasineditor's welcome message or in articles.
that have their own lists which are used by ISP. If yourFor example,
email service provider is blacklisted your emails won'tDear !*First_Name*!, welcome to the 10th issue of
be delivered! Also, you have to ensure that yourEmail Marketing Articles.
domain name isn't blacklisted. In order to maximize yourSegmentation is the most important part in marketing.
deliverability it is recommended that your email service"What am I selling and to whom?" It is not the same to
provider offers Habeas Sender Warranty Emailsell your software to novice users (newbies) or to
Header.seasoned users (knowbies). Also, it is not the same to
CAN-SPAM Compliancemarket your software to small business companies
Your email newsletter should be CAN-SPAMand corporation. It is good that you make a good
Compliant. It is recommended that you require doublesegmentation of your email newsletter. Best way to
opt-in subscription so that your subscribers have todo that is to include several additional fields at sign-up
confirm their request to be part of your emailprocess. Of course this doesn't mean that you have to
newsletter. Don't add your subscribers without theirask 15 questions from your new subscriber because
permission and you should avoid adding them manuallymany people leave when they see that there are
even if you have their permission. It is good that theymany fields to fill. After that, you will make several
do it using double opt-in method. Also, avoid usingemail newsletters for each membership type.
pre-checked subscription boxes.Timing is everything
It is essential that you provide your subscribers with anAnother very important thing in creating successful
easy way to unsubscribe from your email newsletteremail campaign is timing. In almost every email
at any time, when they want. It is good that you offermarketing statistics you will find information about
one-click unsubscription process with an uniquewhen to email your subscribers. So studies show that
address. This way there will be much less requeststhe best time for sending email campaigns are days
from your subscribers that you remove them.from Tuesday to Thursday. However, it doesn't mean
CAN-SPAM Law also requires from email publishersthat someone can't have successful email campaign
that they include their physical postal address so yousent on Sunday. If you send your emails in days that
should include it, too. Your have to show yourare not "prime time" you can have a chance to avoid
subscribers that you are legitimate company whichcompetition that will mail their campaign in prime time.
have a presence in "offline" world, too.Tuesday-Thursday are generally best days for mailing
HTML and plain-text versionsbecause, as you probably know yourself, too, not
It is essential to offer your visitors to choose if theymany people like Monday (remember that song?).
want to receive your email newsletter in HTML orAfter a good weekend, Monday is usually reserved
plain-text format. It means that you should regularlyfor some consultation with the management about
send both types. Sending HTML newsletters haveweekly plans and task. Friday is, on the contrary,
more benefits than plain-text email newsletters. Youfavourite day for many people, because they are
can use email tracking only in HTML newsletter withplanning their weekend. People often come home
image embedding, HTML newsletters have betterearlier on Friday so your email can be buried in their
click-thru ratio because they look like the real webinbox until Monday. And in Monday, to be deleted with
sites. You can hide long URLs so that they will lookmany others (we have already wrote about Monday).
professional.On the weekend people usually don't work but many
However, some people prefer plain-text versions andwill still check their emails.
reasons are different. They use email clients that don'tAlso, you have to decide how often you want to send
support HTML emails. Another thing is that HTMLyour email newsletters. It will depend on your content. If
newsletter types are larger than plain-text newsletters.your email newsletter about latest industry news you
Also, one of the reasons why some people don'tcan send your newsletter once a month, because then
receive HTML emails is security. In HTML newslettersit won't be latest news anymore. If you send a
some people can embed malicious scripts or use themcorporate email newsletter with news about company
for phishing (when they pretend that they areand useful articles from your area of expertise,
representatives of one company and when peoplemonthly frequency is usually the best one.
click on a certain link they are taken to their web siteYou have to make several email campaigns and see
that is designed almost identically like original). It iswhich ones get you best results.
mostly used in financial fraud attempts.And when we talk about best results the next logical
From and Subject fieldsstep is tracking.
Your From and Subject fields are very important forTracking
getting better open ratio and therefore to haveHow do you know if your email marketing campaign
successful email campaign. You have to rememberwas successful? You have to know how many
several simple rules.people opened your emails, what was your click-thru
It is important that your From field be consistent. Youratio, your subscribers' behaviour on your web site
have to choose one name, whether it will be aafter they had clicked and finally - how many
company name or personal name and use itsubscribers purchased your product.
constantly. Once you change your From field it is mostWith user-friendly Group Metrics you will be able to do
likely that your open rates will decline.that and also to make polls to get even better view of
Speaking about Subject field, it has to be short andyour email campaign.
catchy, to grab attention of your subscribers. Your