Effective E-Mail Marketing

With the popularity of blogs, Twitter, Facebook and other social media, a lot of our clients have been wondering whether e-mail marketing is a thing of the past. Our answer? Not at all. E-mail marketing done right still works.

E-mail marketing can still be effective for a variety of reasons:

• It can be highly targeted.
• It can be customized and personalized.
• It's cost-effective; while not free, you can do it without breaking the bank.
• It's fact and data driven.
• It's easy to track.
• It 's top-ranked for ROI among direct marketing tactics by The Direct Marketing Association.

So what does e-mail marketing "done right" mean? It means adhering to the basics of direct marketing while acknowledging and incorporating the best practices of e-mail marketing.

Since e-mail marketing is a form of direct mail marketing, the basics include a clear strategy, a targeted, accurate list, an effective message that's consistent with your brand, a way to ensure that your message gets to the right people and a way to measure your results.

That said, here are ten best practices of e-mail marketing that will help you increase the effectiveness of your next e-mail marketing campaign.

1. Avoid using words such as "Free," "Save" or "Discount" in both the subject line and content of your e-mail; they will increase the likelihood of your e-mail getting caught in a spam filter.
2. Minimize imagery. If your images take too long to load, many e-mail users won't wait and will ignore or delete your e-mail.
3. If you want to include links in your e-mail - for example, for special offers - make them bold, underlined and blue. Research indicates that Internet users respond better to these types of links.
   
4. Personalize your message, especially if it begins with a greeting, and be sure to include your signature.
5. Don't use traditional direct mail copy in your brand messages. Internet users want information quickly and clearly so keep your copy brief, simple and concise.
6. Don't use attachments. Some people fear opening them because of the incidence of computer viruses.
7. Make it easy to unsubscribe - preferably with one click.
8. Send out e-mail Tuesdays or Wednesdays - these days have been shown as the times when people are most receptive to e-mail communications.
9. Make sure you've included a call to action and clear way to contact you.
10. Don't buy e-mail lists. You're more likely to get the responses you want from those who want to hear from you.

Think of e-mail marketing as another way to build long-term relationships with customers and deliver on your brand promise. It's a communications tool that has great potential to strengthen your brand and your organization.