Author: Bethesda Emedia Marketing

A great Email campaign can bring you an improved reputation, increased profits and the attainment of your goals. All it takes to achieve this is just knowing the tips and tricks in this article and a little bit of hard work.  Getting started is easy.

Tip # 1 – Permission to Send

Make sure that you get permission from customers or potential customers before sending out your emails. The best type of permission is "opt-in" but many mailers use "permission pass" names. The quality of response is often less with permission pass, but sometimes you need to ensure you reach a much wider audience than just those who have opted-in to a specific publication or mail list.

Remember, if readers do not want to get emails from you, they will mark your emails as spam, or even ignore you altogether. Just because you send it, does not mean they will read it.

There is even a chance that your E-mail service could take you off their sending system. All too often, with an easy to use a set-up and send system you think you can get away with a old list or one gotten from a business partner. The result can get you banned from sending for awhile. And, this is true even if you are a well known company. Some organizations have even seen their main website removed from the Internet, until their technical departments jump through hoops.  All this was caused because someone used the main site address as the sender.

Tip # 2 – Use HTML, But Be Smart About It

Go for a professional look and feel over a slick look with your Emails. Don’t send Emails that look like flashy web pages. This sort of "razzle dazzle" comes across as impersonal to the recipient. Also, keep in mind that many Email programs will not display HTML images. So, do not focus on images in your Emails. Go for the concise, professional, and inviting look so that everyone can read it. If you need a roadmap to figure out the page, it's too complicated.

Consider using text emails instead of graphically intense HTML emails for your campaign. You may be thinking that the graphics will engage your reader more, but it’s usually not the case. Many people today have trained themselves to delete emails with lots of imagery, assuming they are spam. The images often trigger spam filters, meaning your message is never received by some people on your email list!

You should send your emails as a plain text every once in a while instead of always sending them in HTML format. This gives things a more personal touch and helps the subscriber feel that you are trying to connect. Do not use it too much though because then you may be seen as being too unprofessional.

This constant look gives your readers the impression that they are hearing from a trustworthy, authoritative source. They will pay more attention and give your content more credence this way.

A Bonus Hint:

Make sure to use descriptive tags on your images so the many readers will know what to expect if they are not accepting images.

Tip # 3 – Use Professionally Designed Templates

Develop a consistent format and schedule for your marketing emails. By doing this, your customers will learn when and what to expect. Find a professional template that suits your business and used it every time. Alert your customers to the most relevant information at the beginning of the email.

Consider using a template that allows for each recipient to receive a personalized message in the greeting. People respond more favorably to emails that address them personally, and are less likely to reject the message. This personalization is simple to accomplish, and will grow a greater relationship with your customers.

Make sure your Emails contain your company's logo and features your brand name prominently. You should take the time to design a template that allows you to incorporate your company logo, colors and any special fonts also featured on your site or other marketing materials. This will cause your readers to instantly recognize your company.

A Bonus Hint:

Using a template with a "baked in" CAN-Spam required data will ensure you are following the US Government's regulations.

Tip # 4 – How to Use Graphics for Best Impact

If you have images or graphics, put them on the left side of the email message. Make sure that your call to action element is always on this side. Research with heat maps and other studies has shown that this side produces almost double the number of clicks for your product, service or website.

Always post a version of your newsletter with graphics on your website. Make sure to include a link to "Read Online Version" in your Email. When you send and Email to your promotion list some folks use a plain text version of the newsletter with a link to the image rich web version. This keeps your Emails simple enough to stop them from being diverted to the spam folder as well as encouraging your customers to visit your website.

Tip # 5 – Test Your Design and Your Offer

An Email marketing campaign needs a design and testing phase, just like anything else. Plan on putting in time making sure that your messages get past all techniques used for fighting spam, from content filters to image blocking and java-script suppression. You can send out a million messages blindly and not ever know if they are even seen.

With the knowledge, you’ve gained here; you should be ready to tackle the wonderful world of email marketing. The sooner you get to work, the easier it will be to meet your goals, so start drafting your plan while you have these tips fresh in your mind.

About the Author:

Bethesda Emedia Marketing is an Email Transmission Service that is used by Associations, Publishers, and other Business Mailers. Many of the company's clients send daily Enewsletters, weekly promotions and other Emails announcing webinars, seminars, Ebooks and other products and services. The company is over 10 years old.

Bethesda Emedia Marketing is a sister company to the Bethesda List Center, Inc. Bethesda List is recognized as a leading business-to-business list manager and list broker. The company was founded in 1992.