Email Marketing Mistakes
Email marketing resources.
Don't assume you have the client's permission to send to them
Never assume you have someone's permission to send to them unless they have contacted you specifically about a subscription. Even then, never assume they want to get your email if you have not contacted them for a few weeks. People forget what they sign up for, that wonderful client from 6 months ago probably forgot everything about you and your product. Now when you send out a promotion to them they click on the junk mail button. People have short attention spans and email marketing is all about "what have you done for me lately"? Keep your subscriber lists up to date and make sure that they truly want to subscribe to you.
Learn email marketing etiquette
Don't come off as someone that is desperately trying to sell something. Subject lines that are in your emails that say "BUY NOW" or "OFFER INSIDE" just come off as cheesy as well as spam affiliated. We all hate people that come up to us on the street to pawn something to sell and it is the same with regard to emails. Instead, first think about what potential customers would find useful about your product. Then tailor that email to generate interest about your product. Also, before of using all caps because not only is it an eye sore but it is also VERY ANNOYING WHEN PEOPLE DECIDE TO USE ALL CAPS IN THEIR EMAILS. See the difference?
Don't go crazy with the graphics
We have seen it before. A person designs a cool looking email in a program like Photoshop and exports it to HTML. Unfortunately, people who just have one large graphic in their emails almost always get spam filtered. Why? If a spam filter encounters an email they can't read they will automatically block the email because they will think it is spam. Keep your graphics simple and always include text in your emails, not just graphics.
Keep the HTML Coding SIMPLE
Assume that the person receiving your email has the worse technology installed on their computer. Do not expect your javascripts to work with their fancy actions. Email programs will not support flash animation in your email marketing materials. You can bet that other media that require the ActiveX plugin, such as video are a big NO to embed into your email marketing pieces. Providing links that lead them to your web site that host the videos will be fine!
Test Your Emails Before You Send Them Out!
Always test your emails before you send them out. Test them over and over and over again. When you think you are done, test them one last time. Have as many free emails as you can that you can use as guinea pigs (Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo!Mail, etc.). Leave those on the default settings (thus simulating the settings of your regular Joe somebody). Send test emails to make sure that your email isn't spam filtered, your images are not broken, and that every hyperlink works. The quality of your email is a reflection of yourself in the eyes of your subscribers. Don't make the mistake of sending out an inferior product just because you did not take the time to test it out!
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