Call to Action: I receive a lot of email with many telling me about what they do, how they can help me and then nothing. Am I supposed to email them, call them, fill out a form, go to website or in most cases move on. The email then gets lost in my other emails. Some of the emails people have taken time to design really nice one too!

If you are sending out emails, make sure you have a clear next step. When you create an email deice what you want from the person before you create the email. If you want them to visit a link or fill out a form, then make sure that is clearing stated. Also make sure the link or form is very easy to find.

The easier the call to action is to find and use the more you will receive. Sometimes the simplest design with a clear path works the best. “Click here for clearance sale” works every time for me at least!

Limit Punctuation: Punctuation is being over used in emails. When you want to show excitement or draw attention to something, you automatically want to use an explanation point! Readers may not put the excitement in when reading your text. Instead of focusing on the punctuation to do the work for you, focus on quality content that reinforces the importance of message without the need for “!!!”.

Many spammers like to overuse!!!!! and????? to get your attention. You do not want to be compared to them.

So read over your email to keep the punctuation simple and emphasize with words to express the excitement of your message. Do not forget to add your contact information and how you want to be contacted. Is that not the purpose of the email in the first place?

Heather Gough is a creative, strategic marketer and brand builder with a talent for developing and bringing ideas to life through innovative marketing programs delivering results.  

Author: Heather Gough
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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1. Properly Size Graphics and Images

When creating HTML email, try to keep the size of your graphics to a minimum. Because the display window for most mail clients is about 600 pixels wide, you may want to consider using this as your maximum cap. Anything bigger than this will force your readers to constantly scroll back and forth just to read the message. That is a hassle many people simply do not want to deal with. On a similar note, it is also a good idea to make sure your images are properly sized before sending the message. Some spam filters are trained to tag email based on size, and if your images are too big, your mail might not get through. Optimal sizing will help improve your delivery rate and spare your readers of dealing with images that are much larger than they should be.

2. Find a Balance Between Copy and Images

You can dramatically improve HTML email delivery by simply finding a perfect harmony between your copy and images. This can be done with a layout that ensures both elements flow accordingly and compliment one another. Your mail should have no blank spaces or red Xs that stick out like a sore thumb and distract the reader. This is so important because anti-spam programs typically filter out mail based on the ratio of graphic to text. There was a time when mail was filtered based merely on text, but crafty spammers quickly found a way around this by sending huge blocks of graphics. If want to make sure your HTML email gets delivered, finding a balance between text vs. images is vital.

3. Hire an Expert Designer

One of the biggest challenges you will face with an HTML email campaign is making sure your designs are compliant with W3C standards. If they are not, there is a great chance that your mail will not render properly and thus, not be delivered to the intended recipients. This has been a huge problem for marketers attempting to send mail to Hotmail, MSN and Yahoo mail clients. Part of the reason is security issues created by hackers who insert malicious code into email and use HTML hide it. You also need to consider the potential drawbacks of using complex graphics and dynamic technologies such as Flash, Java and DHTML, each of which can send your delivery rates plummeting once your mail is sent directly to a spam folder. Therefore, it pays to have your HTML email designed by a professional who is capable of getting it right.

Jamie Colbs is a best practices activist and advocate for a leading Web and permission-based html email newsletter service.

Author: Jamie Colbs
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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There are two sides to this coin, and both are pretty fuzzy now that I’m looking at them in a new light. The one side is where you want to get as personal as you can with the prospect so that they feel like they know you. Personally, I hate getting those emails that say “Dear Sir or Madam” or “Dear Subscriber.” They make me feel like I’m a number. I much more prefer to be addressed by my first name. I don’t even like “Mr. Wagenheim” as that is way too formal for me.

But then there are those folks who don’t look at it like that. They see their name in the address of the email, such as “Hi Steve” and the first thing they think is, “Oh please, I’m not stupid. I know this is an autoresponder and that’s just some code. You don’t know who I am, nor do you care. Don’t insult me by trying to make me think this is a personal email.” Yes, it’s true. Some people get offended by these emails. If you don’t believe me, go read that Warrior Forum post.

Okay, so the question is, what’s the answer? If you have people that feel both ways about it, you’re not going to please both camps. You’ll make one happy, but you’ll tick off the other. If you’re thinking that there is an easy answer to this dilemma, forget it. There isn’t. One thing you can try doing, something one marketer I now has always done, is use no greeting at all. Just get right into what you want to say. You won’t be offending those who hate the phony “Hi Steve” and you won’t totally tick off those who hate the “Dear Subscriber” nonsense. They’ll be so caught up in the message being given to them straight that they won’t notice.

Personally, I have always addressed people by their first name because I like to get as personal as I can. I haven’t had any direct complaints but who knows? Maybe I’m ticking off a lot of people and don’t even know it. Ultimately, I’m going to have to start split testing a personal address with none at all and see which works better. I may find out there is no difference at all.

But I won’t know until I give it a whirl.

I suggest you do the same.

Tired of not getting your emails delivered, read or opened? Sick of not making any sales from your email marketing efforts? Visit my site at http://www.stevewagenheim.com/emailmarketing/index.html and get your hands on 5 years of my personal experience with email marketing…experience that has earned me tens of thousands of dollars yearly.

Author: Steven Wagenheim
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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E-mail marketing is a great tool for multiple reasons. It is an efficient use of time, money, and company resources. To reach a large pool of contacts, with the least cost and in the least amount of time, HTML e-mail marketing is your best bet. Here are some of the top reasons why it works.

Reason 1: Low Cost, High Frequency

The wonderful thing about e-mail is that it is free! The days of wasting money on printed materials and postage are long gone. Send out as much information as you want, as frequently as you want. Plan a campaign that automatically sends out information at regular time intervals. This kind of repetitive sending will keep your clients up to date and constantly in touch with your company’s information.

Reason 2: Catchy and Appealing Look

Sending out regular text e-mails is not the best way to grab a person’s attention. Just seeing dense bodies of gray text is hard on the eye, and the first thing that will provoke the reader to delete the message. HTML e-mails can be designed in a way that make them stand apart – use classy templates, a variety of images and video clips, and attractive color schemes.

When a person gets an e-mail that is appealing to the eye, he or she is more likely to take the time to read it and pay attention to the details. The reader must be drawn in by the visual features of the e-mail. This is a special bonus of the HTML e-mail approach.

Reason 3: Time Efficient

With the existence of so many free HTML e-mail templates on the internet, it does not require somebody who is tech savvy to create and send a message. Simply download the template and use the many features it offers. Some have themes, which you can choose to suit your message.

They are also very user friendly. To insert new features, such as images or video, simply follow the instructions the template software gives you. Usually it is a simple drag and drop function. Choosing the colors and fonts that you would like to use are just as easy.

The design of the e-mail, the aspect that would require more expertise, is already done for you in a template. Spend less time, reach more people, and cut your costs by using e-mail marketing.

For a competitive business, it would be a loss if the internet was not a major way of marketing. Viral marketing spread so fast because many companies have realized the many advantages it has to offer in this day and age of the world wide web. Don’t be late to catch on to this method. It combines efficiency with class, and provides a long term sustainable method of keeping in touch with your client base.

Jamie Colbs is a best practices activist and advocate for Benchmark Email http://www.benchmarkemail.com/email-marketing/html-email-templates-listing/Newsletters, a leading Web and permission-based email newsletter service.

Author: Jamie Colbs
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Having an effective e mail marketing strategy, when planning effective affiliate campaigns, will determine whether you succeed or just waste your time.

But what makes an email campaign really effective?

Ask yourself the following questions before you press the send button.

1. Will my email actually get through the spam filters.

* Am I using words which the spam system will automatically detect and reroute the mail straight to spam.
* Am I using images which make it easy for the spam system to detect.

2. Will the recipient even see my email?

* Will my subject line stand out amongst the thousands of others, so that my prospect will actually click on my mail.
* Does my headline, just look like someone is trying to sell me something.

3. Will the recipient, actually open my email?

* Why will someone, who has never heard of me, decide to open my email.

4. If opened will the recipient read anything?

* How is my email formatted?

i. Are there any incorrectly used html tags
ii. Am I addressing this person correctly and respectfully
iii. Am I maybe just using a surname and no title
iv. Will my address be construed as being offensive
v. Is my language use correct.
vi. No offensive or fowl language used, to try and drive home a point.
vii. Have I written an unnecessary long email, that will take ages to read.

* What makes it interesting for the recipient, so they will want to continue reading
* Is my link easy to use

i. Does my link show up as a hyperlink
ii. Am I using an unsightly affiliate link
iii. Will the recipient have to copy and paste my link into a browser to get to my site.

5. If the recipient bothers to read, will they actually click on my link?

* Why will the email recipient want to click on my link?
* What does my link look like.
* Could I not perhaps make use of an anchor text with a html link?
* Am I using unsightly affiliate links
* Does my link actually work (test as I personally have read many email messages, where the link to the offer, does in fact not work)

Implement these simple rules when planning your next email campaign, and see how effective your affiliate marketing will become.

Making use of the correct tools when doing affiliate marketing will, determine whether you will be a success or not. Specialist lead generation software and desktop messaging software will make your life as an affiliate marketer, considerably easier

Author: Shane Van Niekerk
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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