http://www.maniacsolutions.com/email-marketing-ebook/
15 Email Marketing Best Practices
As you know, most people now spend more time reading their emails than makes surfing the web. Email is one of the most powerful that can be used to talk with visitors, customers and prospects.
In this article I will discuss 15 best practices that can be used in their daily e-mail marketing. Used wisely and consistently, there is no doubt that we will see an increase in response to their subscribers – either for more feedback, more product / seminar registrations, or even ordered.
1. Tips to avoid Spam filters Most large Internet service providers now use rigorous security mechanisms to catch spam email Unsolicited before it reaches your customers' mailboxes. Spam filters generally "rank" each email by a number of different criteria, and if is that email rates above a certain level (for example, 10 points of spam), then it is flagged as spam and deleted.
To make sure email not marked as spam – and deleted before they reach your subscribers – avoid using words such as' Free','$$$', 'Save' 'Discount', etc as the subject line and the content of your email.
2. Maximizing Click-thru rates both websites and emails electronic equipment may contain a large amount of text and graphics, and this sometimes makes it harder to get your subscribers to perform a specific task, such as Clicking on a link to view their specials.
Numerous research tell us that most Internet users respond better to a plain link bold, blue text – like this – as opposed to a banner or button. So, if you're going to include links in your emails, make sure they are in bold, blue and underlined. This means that more subscribers click through, meaning more conversions / sales for you.
3. The power of personalization If you were standing in a crowded shopping center, which they can bring to your attention: "Hey, YOU!" O "HEY JOHN" (assuming your name is John). The power of personalization can and should be used in your emails. In fact, just from your email with "Hello [Subscriber_name] "instead of the boring" Hello, can increase both your reading and click-thru rates "up to 650%. Why? In short words, it's because your subscribers feel they already have a relationship with you as you addressed them by name.
4. Unsubscribe with one click if you want to grow your mailing list, then there are two things you absolutely must have: a double opt-in process, and a quick way to unsubscribe. In some countries, it is actually required by law that every email has an unsubscribe link in it. The unsubscribe link should take the recipient directly to a page in which removed – courteously – from your mailing lists.
5. Added confirmation not accusing you of spam – always, and I mean always use a double opt-in confirmation process. Double opt-in "means that after your visitor initially enters their email address to subscribe to the list, then shall send confirmation "email. This email must contain a special link back to your email program to marketing, which can then verify that the visitor actually join your mailing list.
6. Tuesday and Wednesday = Increased Response Studies conducted by analysts online research has shown that the best days for a way out of its list on Tuesday and Wednesday, as it is when people are more receptive to communication. This means you are more likely to read your content and click on the links, which means more sales.
On Mondays, everyone is recovering from a weekend agitated. On Thursday and Friday, people are too busy looking forward to the weekend. We have experimented with this, and received the best results by sending emails around 2-3pm (Pacific Time America) on a Wednesday.
7. Repeat Email Communication an autoresponder is an email that is scheduled to be sent in a certain interval of time after someone subscribes to the mailing list. Car responders are a great way to automatically follow up with your subscribers and provide them with more information about your products / services.
For example, if you provide a free newsletter, you can configure automatic responses for three new subscribers: the first is sent one hour after they subscribe. Contains thank you message and a link to get 10% of their newly released ebook.
The second is sent 24 hours after you sign up, saying they on their message boards, and the third is sent 72 hours after their subscription, which you can offer a special offer to become a paid member of your site.
Auto responders to help their subscribers and generate confidence in your company and your brand, and this can help make it easier when it comes to closing sales in the future.
8. Consistency is the key if it is running an email newsletter or frequent publication, be sure to keep a constant look and feel from issue to issue. By maintaining consistent look will help to maintain and strengthen their brand and image to its subscribers, which also make it easier to close sales when necessary.
Create a template for your newsletter and whenever you need to create a new issue, use that template as the basis for every problem.
9. The time, every time you send an e-mail to regular subscribers, always make sure it is shipped the same day, at the same time. For example, every Wednesday at 3pm. Your subscribers will come to "expect" your email to get to your inbox on the same day at the same time each week, and those who want to read your content and generally more receptive to special offers or promotions that may include.
10. Half a second line of Subject When it comes to your email inbox for your subscriber, usually has about half a second to catch their attention with the subject of your email. After of this, either delete your email or ignore it. In your subject line, try to specify a benefit that the subscriber can expect by reading your email. For example, instead of using 'OurSite Bulletin Number 1', use 'OurSite Newsletter: 10 Tips for Financial Freedom. "
11. The Free Bonus to hang on Free is overused these days, especially online. However, if you are looking to grow your subscriber list, then create or source a product of value to your visitors (as an electronic book or coupon) and offer them for free when you register for your newsletter.
To ensure that you are not limited to enter any email address in the subscription form, setup an auto response to send Free bonus one hour after subscribing to your newsletter.
12. The preview pane popular email clients like MS Outlook show a preview when an email is selected in your inbox. Always have some interesting content in the top of your email, as this is the part that is displayed in the preview window of your email program subscribers. If is interesting enough, then your subscriber to open your e-mail and continue reading.
13. Link-Click Testing When you create email marketing, try using different text for the contents and links. Also try re-positioning images such as logos and buttons. After sending about 3 different emails, compare the click-thru statistics and see which worked better. Now, when you need to send marketing messages in the future, know that you're sending the right mix of content and images will attract more clicks, and ultimately the most sales.
14. Email-based learning add value to your site, build confidence in your visitors, establish its credibility and collect more subscriptions to your mailing list by creating an email course based on learning. To do this, simply create a series of automatic responses (eg, 5) containing unique content. Then, schedule the first to be sent within 24 hours, the second after 48 hours etc.
15. Always Sign on the dotted line are always a signature at the bottom of your emails, since it is one of the easiest ways to attract more traffic to your website. This signature should include your personal data, your company, and an unsubscribe link. You can use your signature to link to your website, and even other products. Here's a sample signature:
Sincerely, Juan Perez. President – Company XYZ. Visit our website at http://www.companyxyz.com in Join cancel this newsletter http://www.companyxyz.com/unsubscribe …
Conclusion – By implementing the 15 best practices described in this article, you can take your email marketing to a whole new level – attract more subscribers, and building both brand value and credibility at the same time.
About the Author
This article is written by Mitchell Harper, co-founder of Interspire. Interspire is a leading provider of ecommerce shopping cart software, content management software, email marketing software, and other web software solutions.
Free Email Marketing Ebook