The key you utilize the most when going through your email is the delete key.

First, you start deleting all of the email from senders you don’t recognize.

Next, you delete the email you know you’ll never read.  Finally, you read the emails that grab your attention.

So, is it the sender’s name, URL or subject line that grabs your attention?

Often, it’s that and more.  Read on to discover nine ways to get your own emails opened and read so that your recipients will be enticed to take action.

1. Be consistent with your “From Field” so your recipients see exactly from whom the email is coming.  Setup your name, company or brand name in your email management program by referring to your help guide for setup instructions.
2. Ask your recipients to white list your email address to avoid your emails being blocked or routed to their spam folders.
3. Always stuff your emails with value.  Your recipients will gladly open them because they will expect something interesting.
4. Be creative with your Subject Lines.  Create curiosity.  For example:  “They don’t want YOU to know!” creates more curiosity than “The marketing experts don’t want you to know.”
5. Test your subject lines on small segments of your lists.  One subject line will always get a higher open rate than another.  Use the best one to email to others on your list.
6. Be careful to avoid list rot.  People change email addresses, get new spam filters and lose interest because of your lack of contact or old content.
7. Email once a month at minimum.  Most marketers simply do not email often enough.
8. Surprise your email readers every so often with something completely new.  Make your emails fun so your recipients will want to open them.
9. Always ask for some action on the reader’s part.  Get your recipients to do something like clicking on a link to your website or blog.

If you’re not totally convinced that these tips can pay off, let these email marketing stats marinate a bit:

• 35% of email users open messages because of the subject line content (Juniper Research, 2007)
• 17% of Americans create a new email address every six months  (Juniper Research, 2007)
• Those who buy products marketed through email spend 138% more than non-readers of email (Forrester Research, 2008)

Email marketing can really pay off by focusing on the right elements.  By

always

delivering valuable information to your readers, you’ll rarely have to worry if you’ll get a favorable response.

E-mail marketing efforts are not the same as a traditional marketing effort. DON’T try to use traditional direct mail copy in your email marketing efforts. Even if your direct mail effort was successful.

Keep in mind that the Internet is a different kind of “place.” The marketing copy that pulled a high response and was profitable when mailed might not even get read when it is put in an email.

Your print headline must become a subject line in an email, and you only have three to twelve words to hook your prospect into opening your message. Write a short, emotion driven subject “headline.”

The persuasiveness of the “subject line” determines whether or not your email will get read. Tricky or deceiving headlines that use items that are not related to your message rarely work. Internet users are smart, and their index finger is always aimed at the DELETE key. They resent being tricked. It’s a tough way to start a relationship.

Make your e-mail message personal and compelling. People on the Internet want to be talked to one-on-one, just like the readers of your off-line marketing messages. Use a common conversational tone, and avoid “English Professor” language.

“It is the responsibility of the sender to make sure the receiver understands the message.”
-Joseph Batten

Get to your point quickly, keeping your message short and simple. Put your offer in the top of your email message. Don’t drone on and on for several paragraphs or pages. Most people on the Internet want to read information quickly, so keep it clear and concise. Paragraphs should be no more than 4 – 6 sentences long. Keep the total length under 300 words.

Each email you send should give your prospects a strong offer, and an incentive to act NOW. I’ll say it again: provide a reason to buy or act NOW.

People on the Internet are always in a hurry, and once they close your message they may not ever come back to it again.

You absolutely have to give them a compelling reason to visit your site or buy NOW (limited-time offer, free trial, free shipping, contest, discount, etc.). At a bare minimum, you want them to ask to be sent more educational information, because then you can contact them again and lead them to a sales decision.

What all of this means is that you must always include a call to action. You must tell people what you want them to do and how you want them to do it.

Don’t leave them wondering what to do next. Direct them to what you want them to do. Otherwise they may just surf around and forget about what you’re trying to get them to accomplish. If you don’t give them a strong compelling reason to come back, they may leave your Web site and never come back to buy your products/services.

“Tact is the knack of making a point without making an enemy.”
-Isaac Newton

Use the information on your Web site to close the sale. Your e-mail marketing efforts should be designed only to drive people to your Web site. Don’t try to close the sale in the email. You want people to have more questions. Those questions require answers, and the answers will come with interaction at your Web site. Interaction on your site will promote stronger relationships, and will hopefully lead to future sales.

Your e-mail marketing effort should help build business relationships. Customers are probably not worth having if they are interested in only one visit to your Web site.

Having the objective of a long-term relationship in mind, you can design your “initial contact” emails, and your Web site content in a way that will lead to ongoing sales and profits in the future. Listen to your customers. Treat them like you’d like to be treated, and they will return and buy your products/services.

What can you do to get your e-mail messages opened?

Nine Secrets To Email Marketing Success

Admit it.  The key you utilize the most when going through your email is the delete key.  First, you start deleting all of the email from senders you don’t recognize.  Next, you delete the email you know you’ll never read.  Finally, you read the emails that grab your attention.

So, is it the sender’s name, URL or subject line that grabs your attention?  
Often, it’s that and more. 

Read on to discover nine ways to get your own emails opened and read so that your recipients will be enticed to take action.

1. Be consistent with your “From Field” so your recipients see exactly from whom the email is coming.  Setup your name, company or brand name in your email management program by referring to your help guide for setup instructions.
2. Ask your recipients to white list your email address to avoid your emails being blocked or routed to their spam folders.
3. Always stuff your emails with value. Your recipients will gladly open them because they will expect something interesting.
4. Be creative with your Subject Lines.  Create curiosity.  For example:  “They don’t want YOU to know!” creates more curiosity than “The marketing experts don’t want you to know.”
5. Test your subject lines on small segments of your lists.  One subject line will always get a higher open rate than another.  Use the best one to email to others on your list.
6. Be careful to avoid list rot.  People change email addresses, get new spam filters and lose interest because of your lack of contact or old content.
7. Email once a month at minimum.  Most marketers simply do not email often enough.  
8. Surprise your email readers every so often with something completely new.  Make your emails fun so your recipients will want to open them.
9. Always ask for some action on the reader’s part.  Get your recipients to do something like clicking on a link to your website or blog.

If you’re not totally convinced that these tips can pay off, let these email marketing stats marinate a bit:

• 35% of email users open messages because of the subject line content (Juniper Research, 2007)
• 17% of Americans create a new email address every six months  (Juniper Research, 2007)
• Those who buy products marketed through email spend 138% more than non-readers of email (Forrester Research, 2008)

Email marketing can really pay off by focusing on the right elements.  By always delivering valuable information to your readers, you’ll rarely have to worry if you’ll get a favorable response.