Keep the message succinct. No one has time to read a tome online these days, yet many e-mail marketers insist on sending out pages and pages of materials via digital media. Remember, just because the space is there, it doesn’t mean you have to use it all, Ayan says. “You’re dealing with short attention spans online, so keep your message brief and to the point.†Ayan also cautions marketers against making their e-mail messages too “visual,†since a good portion of recipients may not even have the image function turned on in their e-mail programs.
Focus on targeted recipient lists. The temptation with e-mail is to generate huge lists and blast out to zillions of people, says Clinkinbeard. Avoid that temptation and make your e-mail blast more targeted with more specific audiences. “This improves the chance that your message is ‘laser targeted’ and will be opened versus being cast away as spam,†says Clinkinbeard. Stay away from mass e-mail lists purchased for pennies-per-name, he advises, and instead focus on a smaller group that truly has a need for your products or services.
Don’t use the word “free.†Avoiding the word “free†can be a challenge if you genuinely are offering something for free, says Clinkinbeard, but spam filters pick up on the word, which “scores very high on how they evaluate whether messages are spam or not. Find a software program (such as MailingCheck.com or SpamCheck that will analyze your e-mail before you send it to let you know about other spam-related items that you might have included in your e-mail, and that may get those well-meaning messages caught up in the filters. “Remember that just because you sent it,†says Clinkinbeard, “doesn’t mean it was delivered.â€
Further Reading
Writing Effective E-mails
E-mail Marketing Tips