The document provides best practice guidelines for email marketing. It recommends focusing email content on the customer's needs rather than just promoting products. Key factors for success include having a clear objective for each campaign, sending relevant content to engaged subscribers, and optimizing subject lines, headlines, and the preview pane to drive opens and clicks. Emails should entice readers with benefits rather than features, load quickly, and guide recipients to relevant landing pages for a positive experience. Above all, the guidelines stress the importance of brevity, quality over quantity, and thorough testing and review.

1. Email Marketing

2. Email Marketing Email marketing strategy should focus the best information for the customer to receive rather than the information that you would like customers to receive.

3. Some Best Practice Guidelines First Step: Work out what you are trying to achieve with your email!

4. Some Best Practice Guidelines Always have an email marketing campaign objective Use email to support strategic objectives Email success is a combination of… Data list 40% Content 40% Design 20% The secret to Email Marketing success is…. Relevancy!

5. Some Best Practice Guidelines Creating Content Write in a pyramid: “Your first 15 words count more than the 15,000 words that follow!” Answer your reader’s questions with headlines Three key qualities of successful headlines… Clarity Relevance Credibility Include: Case studies Whitepapers

6. Some Best Practice Guidelines Content that will trigger Spam Filters Overly formatted ALL CAPS!! Too much marketing copy: “Click here!” “Buy now!!” “Free!” Poorly formatted HTML Spammy topics: Viagra, mortgage, credit cards

7. Some Best Practice Guidelines The From Line is more important than Subject Line Test different From addresses – which has more click-throughs? Do “ Subject Line” Tests to optimise registration e.g. Win the pampering prize of a lifetime worth £10,00 Win spa breaks, a personal shopper and more worth £10,000 Win a trip to Champney’s and more worth £10,000 with Veet Win a pampered new you worth £10,000

8. Some Best Practice Guidelines Design your Content for the Preview Pane Up to 78% read emails in their preview pane Is there a link to an online alternative? Think about ‘the fold’ (the cut off line dictated by the preview pane) Important to have most important information at the top

9. Some Best Practice Guidelines Design your Content for the Preview Pane Up to 78% read emails in their preview pane Is there a link to an online alternative? Think about ‘the fold’ (the cut off line dictated by the preview pane) Important to have most important information at the top

10. Some Best Practice Guidelines Write Persuasive Content List every feature of product For each feature list the benefit Link the benefit to the feature from the customer’s perspective Use ‘which means that’ to make the link Keep going until you reach the essential benefit – but KEEP SHORT!

11. Some Best Practice Guidelines Top Three Factors Influencing Open Rates Know and trust the sender: 59.2% Subject Line: 41.1% Previously opened and thought valuable: 30.1% Send relevant, valuable & timely emails Quality over Quantity – don’t send emails just because you want to; consider the recipient.

12. Some Best Practice Guidelines The Creative First impressions vital! Do your emails support the brand? Image blocking can take place with some ISPs & E-mail Clients Are all images loading & quickly? Use Alt text for images Do all links work?

13. Some Best Practice Guidelines Email Test Print your emails; remove Subject line and give to colleagues What do they think the call to action is? What is the most important thing? Ensure the landing page of any hyperlinks is relevant

14. Some Best Practice Guidelines The Single Organisation View Our customers think we are one organisation Where possible cross-sell so that the email is more relavant Not another email!!?

15. In Summary If you remember nothing else… Length – Keep short, less is more Attention to detail Review and edit copy Ask colleagues to read it CHECK, CHECK, CHECK for mistakes – emails are less trusted when there are errors Is it clear what recipients should do? Are all images linked and loading quickly? Do all links work? Is the landing page relevant?