LESSON #1 - Essential Rules for Effective
Email Marketing
Hello Everyone,
This is it, and I hope you`re looking forward to uncovering the secrets that it holds. In today`s Insider Marketing Strategies lesson, you`re going to learn the BASICS OF EMAIL MARKETING.
Now I know what you`re thinking Basics don`t sound very exciting or empowering. But the basics are the foundation upon which everything else is built. Miss these and you may end up spinning your wheels for the next 12 months.
Wouldn`t you rather be spinning stories about how you made your first million?
Essential Rules For Effective Email Marketing
If you want an email campaign to succeed, you don`t want to offend anyone when sending your messages. Turn off a consumer with your email and you can be sure they`ll tune out your message. Don`t let this happen to you!
A message that earns respect makes sales. That`s why our first topic for discussion is email etiquette.
Train yourself to always and I mean ALWAYS stick to the rules below when crafting your email message.
RULE #1 - ALWAYS WRAP YOUR LINES AT 65
CHARACTERS OR LESS
Whenever you write an email, always format the lines so that they`re 65 characters, or less, across. To do this, you may need to do a "hard return" by hitting "Enter" at the end of the line.
Wondering why to limit your lines to just 65 characters?(Good question! It shows you`re thinking.) There are two reasons that "less is more":
-- The first thing to remember is that looking at a computer screen for a long time causes EYE FATIGUE for many readers.The shorter span of characters across the screen makes reading easier and more appealing to the recipient of your email message.
-- The other reason to go short instead of long is this: some email clients AUTOMATICALLY ENFORCE LINE-WRAPPING at 60-65 characters on received messages. If your email is wrapped at 70, the content will arrive all "chopped up."
This makes it unattractive...and worse -- unappealing.
-- Tip within a Rule #1: Email clients such as Outlook Express allow you to SET THE LINE-WRAP to any character-width you choose. That means you won`t have to hit Enter each time after typing 65 characters. Makes life easier!
-- Tip within a Rule #2 - You can type 65 asterisks or dashes in a Notepad file to create a template. Then paste your email below it to see if any lines extend too far to the right.
RULE # 2 - BE CAREFUL USING ALL CAPS
How many times have you changed the TV channel to avoid listening to a screaming car salesperson? No one likes a screaming salesperson...and no one likes a "screaming" email message, either. Odds are, when someone has over-amped the volume of their message by using too many capital letters
(not to mention too many exclamation points and other punctuation) - you`re going to be turned off.
On the Internet, email messages written in all caps are considered yelling. It`s okay to write some sentences and some words in all caps, but don`t go overboard. (As you can see in this message, I`ve tried to use capital letters to
help break up sections of the content from time to time)
-- Tip within a Rule: Consumers buy from a source they trust. Emails in all caps are perceived as "shady" or uneducated, and have an appearance that damages the credibility of an offer.
RULE #3 - WATCH YOUR Ps & Qs (Spelling and Grammar)
Would you be influenced by an email selling you something that had noticeable spelling and grammar mistakes? Sure you would...and the influence would be negative, not positive!
When a consumer reads a sales message that`s filled with errors, they think to themselves, "Good grief, this person doesn`t even take the time to get his emails right. His product is probably the same quality as his emails."
When you`re in business, YOUR IMAGE IS YOUR REPUTATION and your reputation is the reason people buy from you or the guy down the block. It`s essential that you create an image of INTEGRITY, CREDIBILITY, and HONESTY in the mind
of your prospects. Sending emails filled with errors doesn`t hurt your professional image...it destroys it. (Ouch!)
That`s it for now, but I`ll be back with Lesson #2 faster than you can say, "I want more!"
Sincerely,
Donna Gain
