To help us address email etiquette, we have gone to the experts at Innis Maggiore to provide you with some helpful tips.

Email Marketing Best Practices:
Three Rules to Send By

From the Email Marketing Experts at Innis Maggiore

Those who enter the world of email marketing without a complete understanding of the rules of the road can encounter a variety of potholes that can send them tumbling into the email abyss. Some of those potholes are so problematic you may never find your way out of trouble.

As you develop an email marketing effort, foremost in your mind should be the fact that it is essential to have the permission of the recipients of your email messages. Keep the "permission marketing" mindset at the forefront of your planning, and provide recipients with an “opt-out” option (explained in Rule #3 below).

When communicating via email with your customers and prospects, be sure to follow the email marketing best practices described below. These guidelines will help you to avoid complaints and be on your way to the inbox, not the spam filter.

Email Rule #1 – Be Respectful
When it comes to emailing your customers and prospects, treat them with the same respect and consideration you would at any other time during your sales relationship. In other words, don’t inundate them with too many emails from you too often. Millions of email messages are sent each day, so consider this before you hit “send.” Sending too many too often can increase the likelihood that your recipients will report your mail as SPAM.

Email Rule #2 – Be Relevant
Let your customers and prospects tell you that they want to hear from you! And if possible, let your customers tell you what they are interested in and deliver on that interest with a clear, concise message and specific call to action. The more relevant your email is to the recipient, the likelier it is that they will respond positively to it—completing your call to action by reading, visiting, calling, responding or buying!  

It is important to know that customers are opening your emails and how they are interacting with them. Using email marketing software can help you monitor your customers’ preferences and activity, as well as assist you with deliverability. Knowing your customers is the first step to ensuring relevant communication.

While email marketing software is recommended, the practice of sending emails through standard email accounts can be successful—as long as you do it in compliance with the best practices.

Email Rule #3 – Be Responsible
Email Marketing is a science as much as it is an art. The following will give you an overview of the requirements posed by CAN-SPAM legislation:

• Do offer your audience a way to “opt-out" easily. This is extremely important. If one of your customers or prospects doesn’t wish to receive your emails, make sure you stop emailing them immediately and remove them no more than 10 business days after they opt-out.
• Don’t use deceptive language in your emails or subject lines. Be as straightforward as possible that your email is, in fact, an advertisement.
• Do include your business’ mailing address in the email.

For more information and specifics regarding CAN-SPAM, visit http://www.ftc.gov/spam.

Practicing respect, relevance and responsibility in your email marketing will lead to better deliverability, greater compliance and, ultimately, better relationships with your customers.

The Chamber extends a special thank you to Innis Maggiore’s Email Marketing Team for sharing their expertise.