Niche Info Online Business

A recent study finds people no longer perceive "spam" as just unsolicited email. They see spam as email they simply don't want.

This makes email marketing a tougher nut to crack. But having a consumer's trust on your side makes it a lot easier. Here are some tips for increasing the likelihood of getting your message read.

1. Make it easy to subscribe. If you have a brick-and-mortar shop, you might have users sign a guest book to keep them up-to-date on events and special deals. On a website, invite users to enter their emails for future discounts or promotions. Remind them you will not sell their information.
2. Use a transparent "From" name. A message from a trusted brand — The Apple Store, for example — is less suspicious than something from "admin[at]apple.com."
3. Don't waste the subject line. This increasingly separates opened messages from trashed ones. If you are a news site, use it for eye-catching headlines: "Google Avails Free Wi-Fi to US and Canada." Marketing a product? Use the subject line to share news about discounts: "Stay sunny for spring. Half off floral handbags this week."
4. Avoid abbreviations, slang and hyperbole. You don't want to sound like a Viagra vendor. Phrases like "Make money fast!" and "$$$" are also verboten. It may help to study your own spam to see what words or phrases convince you an email is spam in the first place.
5. Minimize imagery. An email whose graphics take too long to load is a time-waster. And some people opt not to display images in their email settings.
6. Label the imagery you have. This way, people reading your message in text format know what they're missing if it happens to be valuable.
7. Include a visible call-to-action above the fold. Make it clear what you want the reader to do. Sign a petition? Visit the website for more information? Buy now? If you are ambiguous, they will not take time to guess.
8. Personalize the message. This is crucial if the email begins with a greeting ("Dear [reader]" or "Hello [reader]"). Some marketers avoid using a greeting and signature completely. This isn't such a sin if it is appropriate to the message.
9. Give the reader a clear way to contact you. This is why email signatures are useful. If you omit one, give them open means of contact somewhere in the message.
10. Get in their address books. Remind them to add you to their whitelists or invite them to forward your messages to friends.
11. Nix attachments. Some people will not open an email with an attachment for fear of getting a computer virus.
12. Avoid purchased lists of emails. Chances are high that those people already get plenty of messages they don't want from marketers who bought their names. You are more likely to generate conversions from people who want to hear from you.
13. Make it easy to unsubscribe to your messages. No matter how hard you try, there will always be someone who wants out. Don't give them grief over it.