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Email Length - Keep it short and packed with value

As you learned in our last newsletter, e-mail is an inexpensive, fast, and effective way to target and address your various audiences, especially when compared to direct mail, outbound call centers, and other marketing channels.

Small businesses are looking to use the Internet more effectively to reach their prospects, customers, and clients. In fact, according to Jupiter Research, 93% of U.S. internet users consider email to be their top online activity. This statistic confirms what most businesses have already learned; people now live in their inbox.

This series of email marketing secrets is a compilation of the best practices of email marketing drawing on some of the most successful industry practitioners. Together, you will get a clear picture of trends and patterns to aid your business in mapping a successful email marketing strategy.

If you missed previous secrets or have any questions about a strategy that you are considering, please contact one of our online marketing specialists.

• Present your information in small packages. Use bullet points, check boxes, and put lots of "air" around each unit of information. The "look-and-feel" should say "Come on; I'm easy to read."
• Watch members of your target audience, one at a time, peruse your email on-screen. Say nothing at first and simply watch their reactions as they absorb your message. You will probably find what's obvious to you is not so obvious to them. When they're finished, then ask your questions.
• Prepare offers and content so exciting that even you get enthusiastic.
• Don't forget to print out the email you're preparing to send. Many recipients do exactly this. For emails longer than a few pages, consider embedding a link in your email to your website where the recipient can read the entire communication.
• Don't use lung URL's. In the text-only version of a communication, a URL will break apart when it auto-wraps to a second line. Only the first line will be a live link and probably lead the visitor to a nonexistent page.