Sunday, March 16, 2008

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


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