It is no secret why email marketing is here to stay (DoubleClick reports that 78% of end users have made a purchase as a result of an email). What does remain mysterious, however, is how to execute effective email campaigns that break through all of the "clutter" being sent today.

Unfortunately for many email marketers, the task of emailing seems all too easy, and relatively inexpensive. For this reason, very little thought is put into planning the details of their campaign. And, one thing we all know for sure is that the devil is in the details.

Email is one of the best ways to remain "top-of-mind," even when your target is not yet in the buying cycle. So, we offer the following email marketing tips and resources to help you be more successful:

It's Always About The Target Market: We know. This is a no-brainer. But is it? How many of you have received emails that have nothing to do with your life or needs? You wonder, why did they send this to me? Your email campaign will be exponentially more successful if you are sure that your list is the correct target market for what you're promoting. Furthermore, you will prevent list fatigue if you segment your list and run more targeted campaigns to each segment, rather than the same offer to your complete list. For example, consider offers relevant to your customers only, hot leads in the pipeline, prospects who have engaged you in some way, suspects who are on your list, but have shown no activity, etc.


Value-Added Content Is King: The best way to ensure your email will be read and your reader will respond is to include value-added content in virtually every email promotion. In fact, every company should have an email newsletter (even if it's quick tips or a single article) they send out each month. Then re-use this content in all other promotional email campaigns. Giving your email recipients information they can use will build credibility around your company and its email efforts, ultimately improving your email campaign results.

Deliverability Is the First Success Milestone: ReturnPath reports that 20% of permission-based email gets blocked before even reaching its intended target. To improve deliverability, we recommend you:

• Understand the triggers for spam filters: Deliverability of your email is of paramount importance to the overall success of the campaign. Many companies and individuals alike are engaging spam filter software. Some tips to avoid the most common filter criteria include:
  
  • Keep the subject line under 50 characters
  • Avoid spam filter "words" such as, Click Below/Click Here, free, order, etc.
  • Never include attachments
  • Keep image links to a minimum—the more graphics in your email, the higher the chance your message will be filtered
    
    
• Monitor your hardbounces:Keep your list clean. The more hardbounces you send to, the more ISPs mark you as a "spammer."
  
  
• Send your emails with authentication: This is how the ISPs know you are who you say you are. There are three main ways of doing this: SPF, SenderID, and DomainKeys.
  
  
• Avoid spam traps and blacklists: Spam traps are when you have an email in your list that has been specifically set up to find spammers. This email might get on your list in many ways (i.e. someone registers the email to intentionally mess with you) and there is little you can do about it. The best way to keep yourself clean is to monitor the blacklists to ensure you aren't on them (SBL or XBL (CBL + Blitzed OPM), SpamCop, NJABL to name a few). Legitimate emailers can find themselves on these list. The key is being as responsive as you can to any activity there.
  

Timing IS Everything: And though there are some great studies on email response time and statistics, it really comes back to YOUR audience. You will want to run a few tests to find the best time for your email campaigns. For each test, look at open rates, click-thru rates, and conversion rates to determine your best "email window" and then execute your email campaigns during those times. This metric can shift with the wind though, so keep on top of it and adjust your timing as necessary.


Opt-out is NOT an Option: Make sure every email message includes opt-out language and links. This is not an option. If people want to unsubscribe from future email communication, you must honor that. However, your unsubscribe numbers will be reduced if your emails almost always include the value-add content we talked about earlier. And if your distribution tool allows for it, personalize your emails (i.e. Dear {name}) for a higher retention rate.

There are many more techniques we've learned over the years, but follow these tips as a checklist for your next email marketing campaign and you're sure to notice the difference! And, don't forget to TEST, TEST, and TEST again—before you send. An email with broken links or typos is a marketer's WORST nightmare!

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