Spam is for Sandwiches NOT Email Marketing
There’s still a large proportion of entrepreneurs online that have yet to tap into the power of email marketing and list building. One of the reasons why many are resistant to email marketing is the spammer tactics many email marketers implement.
I can’t blame people for having this perception especially if they are the victims of spam emails themselves. Aren’t we all? I’m sure we all get those Viagra emails, or the email from the Nigerian lottery that you won without even entering… is it just me?
There is plenty of potential in email marketing for the ethical marketer if we establish healthy email marketing practises. This will ensure you are not perceived as a spammer. Email marketing when done properly can bring you very powerful and measurable results. In fact, when it’s done well your subscribers will appeciate your emails. It’s also a quick, easy and low cost way to test marketing ideas and headlines to see what works best.
A few email marketing tips that will keep you looking good in the public eye and avoid your emails getting marked as spam are:
- Always take special care with structuring your email’s subject line. This is the first thing that grabs the attention of a recipient as well as the spam filters.
- Don’t get too dramatic with your subject lines. Try to avoid an excess of capital letters and exclamation marks. And remember the usual easily detectable culprits like the word ‘free’ or sex related words.
- Avoid spelling mistakes and always proofread your email before sending. Here’s a crucial point that many businesses often neglect. Okay so maybe the email has managed to squeeze through without ringing the spam filter alarms, fine. I must be honest, I’ve made plenty of mistakes here in my eagerness to get the content out there. I’ve got to remind myself what kind of impression I must be creating for our brand.
- Keep it simple. The best approach to the overall look and design of your email is to keep it is as simple as possible. Avoid using too many fancy fonts and graphics that do more to distract people from your actual message than anything else. Instead let your email have that air of sophistication and let the content you are delivering set the standards for the image you want to portray about your business.
These are just a few tips that will go a long way to ensuring your emails are not only read but are received with appreciation from your subscribers.
