E-MARKETING DO’S AND DON’T’S

Sushama 

III B.Com(MM) 

            Email marketing is a form of direct marketing which uses electronic mail as a means of communicating commercial or fund-raising messages to an audience. In its broadest sense, every email sent to a potential or current customer could be considered email marketing. However, the term is usually used to refer to: 

· sending email messages with the purpose of enhancing the relationship of a merchant with its current or previous customers, to encourage customer loyalty and repeat business,

· sending email messages with the purpose of acquiring new customers or convincing current customers to purchase something immediately,

· adding advertisements to email messages sent by other companies to their customers, and

· Sending email messages over the Internet, as email did and does exist outside the Internet (e.g., network email and FIDO).

TOP 10 DO’S AND DON’TS IN E MARKETING

DO’S	DON’TS
Create a snappy subject line that doesn't sound like an ad. People are more likely to open e-mail that has a simple, newsy, and direct header.	Don’t get blacklisted. Use a spam checker to see whether your e-mail will pass through common filters or put you on a spam blacklist. Many mailing services have checkers of this type, and Lyris.com and Sitesell.com make similar tools available for free.
Use HTML rather than plain text. A well-designed newsletter or pitch containing product photos will help you get your message across.	Don’t use JavaScript or background images. These will not show up for recipients who are using Outlook 2007.
Design with e-mail reader preview panes in mind. Make sure key elements fit into an area no larger than about 600 pixels wide by 400 pixels deep.	Don’t fail to include an unsubscribe link and a physical mailing address with your message, as required by federal antispam law. Consider including a link to your company's privacy policy, too.
Rely on list-management software or services to deal with subscription changes, bounces, and new opt-in subscribers who have clicked links on your site or in your e-mail messages.	Don’t assume that message recipients will see included images--some e-mail programs won't display them. Provide text descriptions for all graphics, and make sure your message is clear without the images. Never send attachments.
Track your messages' effectiveness. Most list-management tools track open rates, numbers of subscribers who unsubscribe, and click-through response. Test different messages and subject lines to see which ones produce the best results.	Don’t send at the wrong time. The best days for business-to-business mailings are Tuesday through Thursday before 3 p.m. For residential customers, evenings and weekends work best.