SmallBusinessNewz

It is interesting that even with alternative marketing tools such as Twitter, Instant Messaging, and Facebook, email marketing is still holding strong. In 2008, the Digital Marketing Association estimated that every $1.00 spent on email marketing brought $45.00 in return. You can't really argue with that statistic, huh?

Whether you are beginning your email marketing campaign or if you simply want to improve it, we have a few tips to help you out. First of all, make sure your email newsletters meet the terms of the CAN-SPAM Act. You have to get past this before you can go any further.

In the above video, Michael Stebbins of Market Motive, suggests adding a spam filter to weed out the spam more effectively. The only drawback with a spam filter however, is that it takes out some legitimate email along with the actual spam thus limiting email marketing to certain extents.

Next, you need to get your email into the inbox. Michael points out that getting your email through the receiving email server ultimately has to do with the reputation of the sending email server. The best way to answer this problem is to use an email service provider (ESP). In addition to helping with delivery, ESPs can personalize your content, host images, and create custom reports.

Now that your email is in the inbox, you need to get it opened. Michael says the 2 key areas with this are the "From" field and the "Subject Line" field. In the "From" field, use your company name instead "admin" or something vague.

Your "Subject Line" should be specific. If you have a compelling offer to make, make it in the "Subject Line." Let them know your email is worth opening. If possible, try to make the title 50 characters or less since shorter titles have better open rates.

Even after the recipient opens your email, it doesn't mean your job is over. You need to be clear and direct in your message and tell why your company has more to offer than the competition does. Above all, give your readers a clear call to action. You've come to far to mess up now!