Email Marketing Best PracticesMuch of the success of your email campaign will hinge the number of customers that actually open your email. This means your email must get through the SPAM filters and then be opened by the recipient. As you may have noticed, the widespread crackdown on SPAM has intensified over the past year making this task tougher.
The most valuable asset associated with your business is the relationship you have established with your customers. If you’ve been consistently communicating with them, they will likely be familiar with your goods or services. Structure your email such that it is easy for the customer to quickly determine who you are and what the email is about.
"From Labels” – Now More Important Than Ever!
Don’t underestimate the power of the “From Label.” If the recipient sees something other than the brand or relationship they’re familiar with you can bet that your email will most likely not be opened, let alone read. Furthermore, creating deceitful or misleading “From Labels” is now a Federal offense punishable by law.
Following are some helpful “From Label” Tips:
Brand Recognition – By clearly identifying your message with a label that triggers instant recognition you will greatly increase your open rates.
Keep it short - Since you have a limited number of characters that can be displayed within most email clients, it’s very important to keep the “From Label” brief. It’s fine to be creative but just make sure that you’ve selected a label that leaves as little room for confusion as possible.
Vague is Bad - Avoid using generic labels such as “Customer Service” or “Accounting Department" in your “From Label” as this is also a tactic used by spammers and again is against the law.
As you can imagine, something as small and seemingly insignificant as your “From Label” is actually one of the most important aspects of any email campaign. We recommend examining your next campaign before launching to ensure that the “From Label” you’ve chosen is clear and unmistakable. The success or failure of your email campaign can hinge on the effectiveness of your “From Label” so don’t miss out on a great opportunity because your email was lost in your recipient’s inbox.
Size Matters
How long should your email be? Try to keep the most important information “above the fold” meaning closer to the top of your email. Avoid putting very large logos at the top since they tend to take up too much real estate in the email for your important message.
Also, many consumers are not on very fast internet connections so going overboard with large “heavy” graphics is not recommended. Your recipient might get frustrated downloading your email and waiting to see your pictures, alienating them from your offer.
Furthermore, AOL’s newest version of their email reader doesn’t render graphics when your recipient opens your mail until you’ve been accepted into their address book. So, having more copy on the top of your mail my result in a better response rate.
Email Content – What’s Up With Filtering?
You have your great-looking email all set to go and you hit the send button. What happens after that? Hopefully your email gets through the whitelisted Internet Service Provider that your ESP has. After that you have another layer to combat. You need to get into the inbox. How do you do this? With the ever growing concern about SPAM, you have to ensure your content is “filter friendly”.
Here are a few tips to avoid ISP and email reader filters:
Don't use the word "FREE" or even FR^E with the use of punctuation in the middle. ISPs have learned to block this already.
Avoid using "!!!!" - Too much punctuation or "Click Here!" too many times.
Don't overuse capitalization - "ANNOUNCING A GREAT NEW PRODUCT"
Don’t send a large attachment with bulk email. There is a good chance the receiving ISP will block it.
A reputable ESP will help guide you through what might get caught by filters. So, be aware that your email may get through the first layer, but it doesn’t mean it will get through the second.
This is the second in a series of three articles related to email marketing provided by Vertical Response, Inc.
VerticalResponse is a leading provider of self-service and customized direct marketing solutions, empowering small and medium sized businesses to build, control and measure their own direct marketing campaigns.
