Email Marketing-What You Need To Know

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Email Marketing- What You Need To Know

Email Marketing Basics

Email marketing has been around for a long time. In the early days, it was a quick way to reach people. Today, it is still an easy way to reach people, but... new rules have been applied to protect the recipients and to allow some regulations to the email marketing business. You'll learn a little bit why email marketing is used, how to construct an email and most important the rules that should be followed to protect you from fines.

Why is email marketing used?

Email marketing offers the following to the advertiser:

1. Cost is free or minimal (Minimal, if you pay the monthly cost of an autoresponder)
2. easy to use
3. You can personalize the email
4. It can help with upsells
5. It's fast way to contact people
5. And if you offer a double opt-in newsletter subscription you know that your email will be read

So, you have why they use it, and how it benefits them - But how do you get that moment of attention and interest from the reader with your email?

Email Marketing Article?

Your email marketing article is yes an article whose purpose is to persuade. Your email marketing article must catch the attention and interest of the reader, without misleading the reader. But how do you get the reader's attention and keep the reader's attention? Below are some suggestions.

How to get their attention?

1. A headline that demands attention
2. Subject line should be short, concise and gives the reader what the email is about.
2. Provide links to make it easy for the reader to visit your site or contact information so the reader can send you an email

Keeping the Reader's attention

If you caught the reader's interest/attention within the subject line, and then within the opening title, they are reading your email. So, how do you keep their attention?

1. Your email should be focused, easy to read, and easy to understand.
2. Give the reader the benefits - What's in it for me.
3. Personalize the email with "You, I or Us.
4. If the reader has to guess what you want-you've lost them.

Email Construction Considerations

It is important that you send an email that is professional in appearance and style. If this is not done, you will quickly show the receiver your inexperience. So what are some things to consider?

Do not use flashy color or font styles this does only one thing. Indicates your inexperience. Instead, use 10 Courier New, it is easier to read and the characters have a fixed-character width.

Use hard returns instead of allowing the word processing program wrap the text.

Sparingly use color, bold and italics

Don't use graphics, animation or flash presentation- Though it looks nice it slows load time, and sometimes can clog their email system. Once loaded, the sender may delete it out of anger.

Keep the message professional. Don't use IM chat language (IMHO, LOL, etc). It's a great strike against you for professionalism.

Remind people who you are sending the email too, that this was information that the receiver requested (opt-in option)

Make sure you have an unsubscribe so the receiver can opt out of any further messages.

Avoiding the Email Spam Filter

There are also other issues to consider when sending an email, and what you put into your newsletter sent via email.

1. If you allow ads, be sure to research the webmaster/url. If they sent spam using the url within their ad, you will instantly hit the spam filter.
2. Some hot button words that will see the spam filter are: Mortgages, make money, medication, or pornography
3. Images, use sparing-or that could hit the spam filter
4. Link to files directly by a website url-forget the attachment. Attachments are usually deleted by a webmaster because of virus potentials.
5. No CAPS or exclamations like this (!!!!) at the end of each paragraph - It will hit the spam filter

Above all else, you should know the objective of your email: Is it to generate leads, inform, get orders, and not be considered a spammer.

Note: If enough people report your address as spam you can be banned by ISPs and from search engines.

Online Email Marketing Opt-in and Opt-Out Options

If you are sending an email, you should have both, the opt-in option to gather the email and the opt-out option to allow the recipient to exit.

Opt-In
The opt-in options that states that "yes the individual wants online correspondence from you". Many have been going with the double opt-in option because it guarantees that the individual who is requesting the information truly does want the information you will be sending.

Having an Opt-In option (should be verified or a confirmed email address) gives you a better chance of your email reaching your recipient. Without it, you may find that 20-30% of your emails will go unread because your email became a resident of the spam filter.

Note: Many people are tempted, or do buy Opt-in lists. But be aware, that although they (the website that is selling the opt-in list) may claim you are paying for an opt-in list-you may get a surprise when your IP is charged for spamming. The best opt-in lists are the lists that you build through your own blog or website.

Opt-out
The opt-out option should state to the recipient "please do not send me any future mailings". In addition, the FEC rule states that you, the emailer, have 10 business days to comply with the recipient's request.

When you receive an email address-it belongs to your list alone. Per the FEC it is "illegal for you to sell or transfer the email addresses of people who choose not to receive your email,
even in the form of a mailing list, unless you transfer the addresses so another entity can comply with the law."

Removing Undeliverable Email

When should you remove undeliverable email? If the email address bounces with an error 2-3 times within a 30 day period, than it's time to remove the email address. It does two things, 1) keeps your list lean and current, and; 2) If you have a email service that goes by the volume of emails you send each time, it will save you money.

The CAN-SPAM Act

What is the CAN-SPAM Act? The CAN-SPAM act should be read by all who are commercial emailers or individuals who are selling products or services online. It gives you the rules that must be followed, as well as, what happens if the rules are not followed. Just to get a feel of what you need to know, I have given a quick summary of some of the rules that should get your attention.

Some of the requirements that your email must follow are:
1. No misleading header information. The "from" and "To" must be accurate and identify the person who is sending and receiving the information.
2. The subject must be specific to the email
3. Must have an opt-out option

Penalties

It is good to know the rules set out by the FEC because the fines can be rather steep. How much? EACH violation of the rules stated above can make you subject to a fine of up to $11,000.

Additional fines could be placed on commercial emailers if they:

harvest" (mass gathering of email addresses) email addresses from Web sites have published a notice prohibiting the transfer of email addresses for the purpose of sending email. If you have a website, it's time to be utilizing your .htaccess file to keep the harvesters out when found.

Use automated scripts to register for multiple email or user accounts to send commercial email

Relay emails through a computer or network without permission