Email campaigns that hit home

Opt-in and double opt-in to email subscription lists have become standard practice. Once a recipient is on the list, it is still a long road to driving the message home.

Here are a few tips:

• Build your list carefully (opt-in and double opt-in)


• Segment your list so that you can target market


• Add new email address to the correct lists on a regular basis


• Make reading the email a good experience (layout, content)


• Give something (discount, coupon, information, special offer…)


• Be honest: give what you promise


• Keep it short (subject line and content)


• Entice with your subject line (e.g. the Weigh Watchers newsletter with "Stop Self-Sabotage)


• Provide a reason to click through to a landing page on your site


• Provide relevant content


• Use small, consistently sized photos


• Remember the branding (top left on the page is a good spot)


• Timing (consistent, not too often)


• Take HTML and non HTML browsers into account (it has to be readable in text format)


• Make sure you add the “Subscribe” function to your web site and blog.


• Use E-mail software such as http://www.constantcontact.com/

Why use Email software?

• It makes it easy to manage (build, segment and edit) your distribution lists


• It limits your email being seen as SPAM


• It allows you to track the results of your distribution such as open rates, unsubscribe rates, click-through rates and bounce rates.


• It is set up to prompt you for all the necessary elements, such as unsubscribe message and e-mail address, contact information.


• It manages your distribution lists for you and notifies you when someone subscribes or un-subscribes.


• It keeps an archive of your newsletters online.


• If offers features such as a visitor sign-up box to use on your web site; a "Send Page to Friend" link for your web site and a special feature that allows your subscribers to forward your email and add a personal note to their friends