Using e-mail marketing to promote your business or a new product / service is one of the most cost effective marketing strategies.  E-mail today is a vital form of communication for most people – ordinary people to key decision makers. Hence, well written, targeted e-mails can be sent to thousands of recipients at just a click of a mouse.

However in view of the growing popularity of this marketing tactic, people often reject poorly made e-mails as spam and block all mails from that particular e-mail ID. Intelligent use of e-mail marketing best practices can help in brand building, promotional selling as well as relationship building.
Desired E-Mail Template

Design consistency helps readers to relate to all your brand activities easily. Hence the design template should borrow some visual elements from your website and you should have both the text and HTML versions ready. Ideally use a HTML version because it allows you to use refreshing graphics. Additionally give readers the ability to view the e-mail content on your website, in case their browser distorts the original content / image download. Always remember to include a convenient opt-out facility (unsubscribe) and a facility for forwarding the e-mail to friends (viral marketing).
E-mail Content Essentials

Never send e-mails from vague ‘info@ e-mail’ addresses (as they get flagged as spam), and also from mail address which do not have reply functionality as you would not like to lose a prospect / client response. Ideally have a ‘human name’ e-mail address and if you plan to repeatedly send e-mails to your list, then do not change this sender’s e-mail ID. Try and avoid attachments and heavy images. Always address the e-mail to a particular name instead of using a generic ‘Dear Friend’. Remember to create a crisp, suggestive subject line (ideally) not exceeding 4 words (so that its entire content can be quickly viewed and understood). Write a short content body (do not make the reader scroll down), where you simply focus on the reader and his challenges/needs linked to your service or product features (and not company description). This should be followed by a crisp call to action and minimal links (ideally one – to keep it simple for readers). And if your mailing software can handle variable messages, then you could have different sets of e-mails depending on localised needs of certain parts of your mailing list. This localisation could start with subject line changes e.g. if you are inviting people to events in different states, then it makes sense to send different e-mail invitations to the targeted state recipients only. If you have an offer, always have a time deadline (when the offer would expire) as it adds to the perceived value of the offer. As many e-mail browsers provide a preview message as it hits the recipient’s inbox, try and include the most important (lead-on) contents at the top of the message ( as the preview content gets picked up from this section). Never use capital letters (as it is equivalent to ‘shouting’ in the e-mail message) and never use emoticons which are unprofessional and too personal. Refrain from using humour and sarcasm and ensure that content is error free (spelling and grammar).
Track, Analyse, and Respond

Always track the mail bounces and their reasons, analyse the open rates and click throughs on the link(s) in your e-mail. Compare the open rates across various subject lines, design templates and days (which days had more success and which do not). Keep testing and analysing until you settle at a winning formula. An important aspect that businesses tend to overlook is to respond within 24 hours. So you could setup a friendly auto responder (on the sender’s e-mail ID) saying that you will get back to them within x hours (depending on your own time estimate). Sending a responsive and accurate reply is critical to the success of an e-mail campaign.

Please feel free to contact our friendly team on 1300 650 274