E-mail marketing: what you should and shouldn’t do

Many people are still getting e-mail marketing wrong. There are a few foolproof things that you should do (and some things that you should avoid at all costs) when sending out e-mail messages. An Internet marketing expert from WSI gives a quick run-down on the do’s and don’ts:

DO: E-mail regularly

You want to make sure that your customers expect regular (but not excessive) communication from you. If you’ve gotten into the habit of sending out a newsletter once a month, don’t skip any months. Keep your e-mail communication consistent.

DON’T: E-mail on weekends

More often than not, people will give their work e-mail addresses instead of their personal e-mail addresses. If you send out an e-mail over the weekend, your message might get bulk-deleted when people get back to work on a Monday morning.

DO: Offer newsworthy information

You don’t have to promote yourself, your products and your people 24/7. Send people information that helps them do business or helps them overcome a problem they’ve been struggling with. E-mail marketing isn’t just about pushing products, it’s about building a relationship with your target market – so it’s a good idea to keep your e-mails balanced and occasionally light and breezy.

DON’T: Send graphic and video-intensive mails

If you’ve got a graphic designer, it’s easy to get carried away when it comes to colors, images, fonts and multimedia. Many e-mail servers, however, will block large newsletters. Make sure your e-mails aren’t too big for the average user. A good idea is to have a small line of text at the top of your e-mail that reads “Struggling to read this e-mail? Read it online here” and then link it directly to an online version of your message (which is hosted on your website).

DO: Have a ‘forward to a friend’ option

Having your message forwarded to a friend is your best-case scenario. Make it easy for people to share your content by including social media share buttons as well as a ‘forward to a friend’ option.

Need help with your e-mail marketing? Contact WSI today!