First Impressions Sure Do Count

In an article at MarketingProfs, Louis Chatoff argues that the success of any email campaign largely comes down to creating a good first impression. To gain approval, he says, an email marketer must—above all—focus on the quality and relevance of each message sent. "It simply doesn't work to quickly throw together content and send to a large list of non-opted-in email addresses," he insists. To help you consistently grab reader interest, Chatoff offers advice like this:

Don't try to say too much. Rather than wordy content that explains every benefit and feature, get right to an offer and call-to-action that can be easily—and quickly—identified. "Much like [the ad on the side of] a passing bus," he notes, "your message may only have the recipient's attention for a second or two." And instead of cramming long articles into your email newsletter, include brief teasers that link to the full-length versions at your site.

Build an audience eager to receive your content. Here's your best-case scenario for eliciting reader approval: You have an engaged list of subscribers who have opted in to your campaigns and told you what they'd most like to receive. Period. "Adding addresses by the bushel from some poorly managed or purchased list will rarely lead to favorable results," Chatoff concludes.

The Po!nt: Careful: Recipients can be brutal in their instant assessment of a less-than-perfect email campaign. To consistently win their hearts, "[k]eep the message layout clean and the overall message easy to process," Chatoff advises.

Source: MarketingProfs. Click to read the article.

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