Email marketing is the use of email to send messages of commercial nature to users with the objective of getting them to perform a desired action.

When email first became available, it was a marketer's dream.Where else can you find a medium that is:

1. Very, very  low-cost

2. Can be delivered very fast, almost instantly

3. Can be designed very easily

4. Can be dispatched frequently

5. Can be personalized

However, email marketing was abused and and as a result, email marketing is now sometimes mistakenly, but not surprisingly referred to as spamming. In the United States and in some European countries, there are severe penalties for spamming. To view the CAN-SPAM act, click here.

As a marketer, however, our concern shouldn't just be following the law. A greater concern should be how our customers and prospective customers will perceive us based on our email practices.

Here are some guidelines that will be useful to you in your e-mail marketing campaign:

1.  Consent, consent, consent:  This is the most important guideline. You must only send emails to those people who have expressly opted in to receive communication for you. If you send to people other than this, it's already viewed as spamming. With this in mind, you must exert great effort in building your own opt-in list. One way to do this is to have an easy online opt-in where your visitors can register. However, getting people to hand you their email address isn't that easy anymore. This is where your creativity will come in. Ask yourself: what would it take to make you register your email address in a site?  A free newsletter? A free gift?  A free membership? You must also expressly state that those who opted will be receiving communication of a marketing nature from you.

2.  Easy Opt-out option:  Even after you have succeeded in getting their emails, you must provide for an easy way for people to get out of your mailing list. The CAN-SPAM act requires that all email campaigns must have an opt-out message at the bottom of the email. It looks something like this:

	You are subscribed to xyz.com as abc@123.com If you have received this mailing in error, or if you no longer wish to receive email from xyz.com please send an email to unsubscibe@123.com   You will be automatically excluded from any future mailings including our newsletter.     Or, if you would prefer to unsubscribe via postal mail, please contact us at:   The XYZ Company Attn: Newsletter Subscription Dept. 123 Summer Heights Hillcrest Avenue Singapore   Please remember to include the email address we have contacted you at, so that we can complete your request without delay.

Strong note:  Ensure that your system has a way of unsubscribing people who opted out. If you still have a small opt-in list, this is something that can be done manually. However, once your list grows, you must make a provision to automate.

3. Clear, subject lines:  Do not use deceptive subject lines. Your subject must clearly and accurately indicate the content of your email. Avoid spam-like titles like FREE...., Guaranteed ..... From "your name"

4.  Identifiable From line:  The From line should be your name, your company's name or your email address.  Avoid using gimmicky words such as "The Ultimate Marketer".

5.  Creative and effective presentation:  Thanks to software advances, you can now send html emails. These are the emails where you can have nice graphics, creative fonts and even animation.  Unfortunately, not everybody is capable of receiving html mails. Some browsers also block html mails, rendering your artwork useless.

Text mails may be boring but they are sure to be delivered. It also downloads fast which makes it suitable for users with slow connections. Some email software allow you to send two versions of the mail. Your users have the option to view the text or the html version. If you do not have any special email software that gives you all sort of capabilities, you can use Outlook Express. It allows you to insert an image in your email, thereby adding some punch to an otherwise purely text email.

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