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Ah, the ringing in of the New Year. This is a time to contemplate the old and start new beginnings. It's also a great time to take an honest look at any bad habits, to avoid repeating them and begin doing things differently--like switching your latte orders from whole milk to non-fat.

Like life and lattes, when it comes to email campaigns, sometimes small changes can produce big results. If you're comfortable with the success of your existing program, give our list of standard email components a quick review for affirmation that you're on the right track. But if you're like most, you may find some room for improvement.

Have you picked up any bad email habits you can avoid repeating? Find a recent email, open it up, and let's take a look. We'll start at the top and work our way down....

Subject Line: Assuming you've avoided words like "free" and typographical symbols that may trigger spam filters, the subject line is the first thing seen when your email arrives in the inbox. It will also be the biggest factor in determining whether your email will be opened. Subject lines should be clear and compelling. Conduct A/B splits to see what types of subject lines generate the best response from your subscribers.

"From" Field: This is equally important in determining whether your email will be opened. The "From" field should be consistent and credible. It is always best to use your company's name.

Add to Address Book: Once your email gets opened, come right out and ask subscribers to add your "from" address to their address book or safe senders list. As ISPs filter emails more stringently than ever and challenge-response mechanisms become more popular, being in a subscriber's address book is one of the closest things to a delivery silver bullet you can have in your arsenal.

View Online Link: It used to be that the "view online" link was most valuable for your text email recipients. But with the rise in use of handheld devices, it's more important than ever to make it easy for all subscribers--even those who receive HTML versions--to view your email online.

Dear %%FIRST%%: If it makes sense to include first name personalization in your emails, do it!

Other Personalization: Using custom fields to pull database information or dynamic content that is unique to a specific subscriber (offers based on past purchases, birthdates, expiration dates, etc.) builds stronger relationships and drives higher open rates. Marketing Sherpa's Email Marketing Benchmarks Guide 2007 shows the following open rate statistics:
* 28.03% if both Subject Line and Message are personalized
* 24.31% if only Subject Line is personalized
* 22.20% if only the message is personalized

Call to Action: Does your email have a clear call to action? You may assume it does, but check right now. What do you want the end user to do? Did you ask them to do it? Did you give them a good reason to? Is there a limited time promotion? If so, make it very clear in the beginning of the email.

Check Your Image: Is your entire email made up of one large image? If so, you're much less likely to reach recipients who have image blocking turned on. Instead, separate text from images so your offer, call to action, etc. are visible even if images are not displayed.

Don't Forget to KISS: When it comes to message content, Keep It Simple, Sweetie! Provide too much detail and you'll risk overwhelming subscribers. Instead of forcing info on them, give recipients the option to learn more on your website.

Forward to a Friend: This little prompt can greatly improve exposure for your message. When tied to a subscription link, it can also help build your database!

Forward to a Friend: This little prompt can greatly improve exposure for your message. When tied to a subscription link, it can also help build your database!

Footer Components: CAN-SPAM legislation requires that your email contain an accurate physical address for your organization. We recommend putting that in the footer of your email. Other footer components we recommend include:
* "How was I added?" link (to remind subscribers when and where they opted in to your database)
* "Date added" verbiage
* "Update your profile" (a link to your survey page)
* Identify the email address the message was sent to
* Privacy policy link
* Customer service phone number/email address, when relevant
* Feedback link (but ONLY if you have resources to manage feedback)
* Copyright information

How'd You Do?
I hope this review of standard email components has been helpful. If you found that you're missing a few items and need some help making sure they're included in future emails, please contact your account manager right away or send an email to Support@BlueHornet.com.

And if you're already following all of the above? -Just sit back and enjoy the latte! I won't tell anyone about the whole milk....

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