We have previously touted the benefits of growing a contact list and staying in touch with your customer base with a regular email newsletter. However, out of the hundreds or even thousands of emails you send with each newsletter, how many actually get opened and read before being sent from the inbox to the trash?
With so much technology at our hands, it is easy to get carried away with a newsletter format, especially one that is unable to be translated by some email services. Here are a four tips to help assure that your email gets noticed, gets read, and the recipient gets the full benefit of your news.
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Limit Graphics
Unfortunately, thanks to spammer technology and strategies, many email services do not present images in email messages. While email customers can allow images for all your emails, many do not take the steps necessary to turn the image hiding feature off.
Therefore, keep your images to a minimum, and do not use large images with text messages. If you do use images, use the html description tag to let the reader know what the image is.
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Offer Email Newsletter as a Web Page
Each of your email newsletters should be uploaded onto your own website as a separate page. Offer a link within your newsletter to allow readers to view as a web page. Many people just prefer web browser reading.
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Always Offer Text Versions
While html email newsletters may look spiffier, many people prefer a simple text version. Whether it is due to email service issues, or to keep large email files out of their inbox, always give the option for subscribers to choose a text-version only. You will need to set up your auto-mailer to categorize and send both html and text versions to the corresponding recipient.
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Put Your Company Name in the “From” Line
Be sure your company name is within the text of the “from” line. Whether it is part of the email address or a descriptor, having the recipient know it is from a trusted source will help assure that it will not get automatically sent to the spam or trash folder.
