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Email Newsletters -- Unwritten Rules to Successful
Email Marketing
1. Subscribe
Make it easy and obvious! Webmasters should make
every effort to make it easy to subscribe to the
website's newsletter. The subscription process
should be clearly displayed on the website, a
link to a privacy policy should be included, and
the number of "clicks" required to complete the
subscription process should be minimized as much
as possible. When users send email on other matter,
encourage them to subscribe to the newsletter.
When responding to emails, include a note in your
"signature" about the newsletter subscription
opportunities and the benefits of subscribing.
And finally, make it easy to unsubscribe -- regardless
of what the reason is, make the unsubscribe process
as simple and painless for the subscriber as possible.
2. Frequency
Sending too much information and/or sending too
often will overwhelm your readers, and the message
may become lost in the signal-to-noise ratio.
On the other hand, not sending a newsletter often
enough can result in subscribers forgetting that
they subscribed. Choose an appropriate frequency
schedule (generally 1-2 times per month) and stick
to it.
3. Target
If you are able to collect demographics on customers
during the subscription process, consider segmenting
the mailing list with specialized email based
on past behavior. The more targeted the message,
the better reaction readers will have to the material.
4. Recognizable
Subscribers should be able to instantly distinguish
your email from spam. Use the "From:" field to
clearly identify your company or product, in a
way that readers will quickly and easily recognize.
You should also use the same email address for
all newsletters, and encourage your subscribers
to add that address to the "whitelist" in their
anti-spam filters."
5. HTML vs Text
If you choose to use HTML-formatted email, keep
in mind that some email clients will preview the
message without the images. Use plain text "above
the fold" to convey your intentions.
6. Test
Prior to mailing to your list, conduct a test
mailing to see exactly what your recipients will
see. This will help catch any "mail-merge" errors
and formatting mistakes. Test all links contained
in the email. Always proof-read the mailing for
grammar and spelling errors.
Following these basic steps will lead to a more
successful email marketing campaign.
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Developer
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Email Newsletters Unwritten Rules