Email Marketing Dos and Don 'ts

Email Marketing Dos and Don 'ts
Published Date: 2009-05-26 08:54:40 WorkOnInternet.com

The average consumer receives thousands of email marketing messages each year. It is a necessary and potentially lucrative marketing technique, but only if it is implemented effectively. It takes a great deal of planning and attention to detail in order to develop an email marketing campaign that stands out from the thousands of messages in the crowd. Use these do's and don'ts of email marketing to develop a well-rounded approach for your small business.

Do use a targeted email marketing plan. Every customer is different and you should develop a targeted email marketung plan to capitalize on uniqueness. For example, you can develop messages that are specifically for customers who have made purchases recently, or narrow it down to target those who made large purchases, small purchases, or sent gifts to someone else. A targeted email plan is more personalized and it is also more likely to generate serious results.

You should always include an unsubscribe option. It is important to provide customers and potential customers with the option to stop receiving emails. Include an unsubscribe option at the bottom of every message in your email marketing campaign. Make it easy to locate and be sure that the unsubscribe process is fast and efficient for the user. You may also provide a space for customers to explain why they want to opt-out of your email list. This information can help you tailor an even more targeted email marketing plan.

Do clean up your email list regularly. It does you absolutely no good to send emails if recipients are not reading and responding accordingly. Regularly monitor the activity of your email recipients. You can collect information on the rate at which your emails are opened, and you can see which users simply click through without giving much attention to your emails. Remove the addresses of inactive users who fail to open messages.

Don't abuse email marketing. There are many ways that recipients on your email list can be abused. This can include selling addresses to third-party vendors, sending an inordinate amount of emails, and sending emails just for the sake of sending emails. Don't abuse the recipients on your email list. Respect their privacy, limit the number of emails you send, and make sure every message has a clear purpose.

Don't overwhelm readers. Don't send out messages to your email list that are packed with wordy explanations, multiple promotions, products and offers. Readers become overwhelmed when you feed them too much information. Your email marketing campaign should consist of brief messages with things like pictures, bulleted lists, and concise writing.

Spelling, grammar and style are very important. Don't forget about them. Nothing turns readers way faster than email marketing campaigns that are poorly crafted. You may want to use a professional editor to help you develop a unique style for email marketing. You may also want to use a professional proofreader, but at the very least, be sure to use spell check. It's really easy to miss errors in emails, especially ones you have personally written. Be sure to double and triple check every message that goes out.

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Del Lewis is an entrepreneur and investor. He hosts a website called MQ3profits where he shows internet beginners where the hidden profits are. To see the power of these secrets, grab a free introductory video at http://www.mq3profits.com

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