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Email Marketing Do’s & Don’ts

Some people consider email marketing the same as “printing money” because each time you send out a well-devised email marketing message, you get a spike in sales.  However, many authors think that writing and sending an email is the same thing as sending a marketing email.  The difference between a regular email and a marketing email is similar to the difference between writing a letter to a friend and writing a sales letter.  Both may get favorable responses, but only one will result in sales.

Follow these Do’s & Don’ts to ensure your email breaks through the Inbox clutter.

DO...

1) Use bullets to make your content easier to scan.  Assume nobody reads full paragraphs on the web or in email and you’ll get better results.

2) Make sure you have a strong & clear call-to-action (e.g., “click here to buy the book today”).

3) Make your text email easy-to-read.  Avoid long URLs (or links), which sometimes look intimidating to recipients.  Avoid multiple URLs pointing to the same web page – they can just make your email look overwhelming.

4) If you use emails formatted in HTML, make sure you know how it will look in situations where a person’s email software converts the HTML to text and the images are blocked.  Make sure your content & call-to-actions are still visible, even if your pictures are not.

5) Address your recipient by name whenever possible – the more personal your email, the better.

6) Be clear about who you are in your message & be upfront about why you are emailing the recipient.

7) Have your email proof-read by a second set of eyes.  Sloppy grammar or spelling will just turn people off, even if your message is good (especially when the email is promoting a book).

8) Build or buy a good recipient list of people likely to buy your book (i.e., a list for your target market).

9) Include a link so users can opt-out of receiving future emails from you.

10) Abide by CAN-SPAM legislation guidelines to ensure that you’re not breaking federal laws against SPAM.  Visit the FTC's Website for more details.

11) Consider using one of the low-cost email marketing services that allow you to enter your list of recipients and easily send marketing emails. Such email marketing services include features that automatically convert blocked HTML messages to text, comply with SPAM laws, and include a link for recipients to opt-out of receiving future emails. The also include reports so you can see exactly how many emails were delivered, opened, and clicked successfully.

DON’T...

1) Be afraid of text – advertisers always think emails formatted with HTML are better but with all the image blocking & SPAM filters put in place by ISPs today, your email has a better chance of getting through and being read if it’s text.  That being said, see #5 above.

2) Put prices, exclamation points, or all caps in your subject lines. SPAM filters will prohibit your email from getting through.

3) Have too much content in any one email.  Too many choices can overwhelm users.

4) Use a cryptic “From” address or “From” name.  It’s problematic for SPAM filters and may make a negative impression with recipients.

5) Email people you have absolutely no relationship with.  Nobody wants to hear from a stranger.

6) Send an email with nothing for a user to click on.  What if you’ve piqued their curiosity about your book?  Always offer them the ability to take further action.

7) Over-communicate. You may think you have something new to say each day, but unless a user has expressly requested daily emails, they most likely do not want to hear from you that often.  If you have relevant content you may be able to get away with emailing once a week. Otherwise, stick to monthly communications.

8)  Use ALL CAPS.  EVER.  People get offended by it and it just comes across as unprofessional.

9) Send an email without getting a second set of eyes to read it over.  A typo or grammatically error is a poor reflection on you.

 

By Heather Tortorelli

Heather Mackay is an online marketing expert with experience consulting for Fortune 500 companies and start-up firms in New York City’s renowned Silicon Alley. Heather currently serves as the Director of eCommerce Strategy at another Fortune 500 company and consults with Book Premieres on developing online marketing campaigns for authors.

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