1. Ask for permission.
Sending to people who want to hear from
you is the best way to remain legally
compliant, maintain a solid reputation, and
generate great results. And with
consumers becoming more finicky about
what they read - and servers becoming
more finicky about what they deliver building
a true permission-based list is
more important than ever.
2. Get into the address book.
Want to know the secret to reaching the
inbox? It's the Address Book. Get in there,
and you're more likely to bypass any filters
and show up just the way you want to. So
remind your audience members to add you
to their address book (or white list or safe
senders list) every chance you get.
3. Give your emails style and substance.
The visual possibilities of HTML mean it's
easier than ever to create emails that are
attractive and enticing. Just make sure
that in addition to creating emails that look
great, you're also giving your emails
enough substance to warrant sending them
in the first place. Marry style and
substance with the campaigns you send,
and your readers will thank you (and
probably buy something while they're at
it).
4. Send with delivery in mind.
Before your emails can be read and
responded to, they have to be seen. That's
why we make sure your emails are sent in
a way that's designed to ensure high
delivery rates - through personalized
delivery, sophisticated delivery policies,
and ISP relationships. And it's why we offer
you the tools to proof your campaign's
content prior to send-off and see the
complete results (good and bad) after it's
out.
5. Use (really use) the subject line.
Arguably the most important single line of
any email, the subject line is your two-
second opportunity to catch someone's eye
and convince them to stop and look. |
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More than one great email has been ruined
because of a generic, vague or uninspiring
subject. So craft your subject line with
care, test variations whenever you can,
and remember that those are the most
important 5 to 10 words in your campaign.
6. Know your audience.
The key to creating appealing content is to
really know the group to whom you're
trying to appeal. Use your signup screens
and database to collect information about
out who they are, where they live, and
what they like, and enlist your recipients'
help to keep that information fresh and upto-
date.
7. Tailor your message.
Forget the old days of batch-and-blast.
Today, it's about creating smaller, more
targeted mailings based on your recipients'
demographics, interest and more. The
more timely, relevant and personal you
can make it, the better.
8. Handle opt-outs immediately.
This is one thing you can't mess around
with. The Can-Spam legislation grants you
10 days to handle opt-out requests, but in
the world of email 10 days is an eternity.
That's why our opt-out feature handles
requests instantly and remembers those
requests to prevent against accidental
abuse.
9. Understand (and use) your results.
Tracking metrics like receipts, bounces,
opens, clicks, forwards and signups is the
first step to understanding what's
happening to your emails. But those
numbers are more than just metrics they're
your audience talking to you. Not
with real voices, because that'd be weird,
but through their actions (or inaction).
Listen to what they're saying and then
apply it to your future emails.
10. Experiment and adapt.
Like most things, email marketing isn't a
one-size-fits-all proposition. So start with a
basic plan, apply your philosophy and
style, and adapt as you go. |
