Email Tips for Effective Communication

BtoB, “the magazine for marketing strategists,” just released their Interactive Marketing Guide, which arrived in my mailbox last week. Its cover was deceiving. I thought this was another “here’s where you find lots of suppliers” guide. I couldn’t be more wrong.

This special publication uncovers many ideas to connect with customers, whether your niche is business or consumer. One article, Marketers Still Keen on E-mail, includes a sidebar with five ways to make sure your Email marketing is effective. Here are the highlights.

Make your design simple. Don’t overcomplicate the Email. Keep the design clean and easy to read.

Partner with an online delivery firm. Sending Emails using your own Email account is out (does anyone still do this?). Choose a delivery system that’s reliable and increases interactivity between you and the customer.

Create a calendar. Determine, ahead of time, what will be Emailed and when to deliver it according to your marketing plans.

Let Email recipients participate. Provide methods to encourage their feedback (surveys, comment section on your site, etc.).

Make subscribing easy. Keep the sign-up form to a minimum, from requesting just the Email address to requiring a full name and company name.

Last week, I changed my online communication system to a company that allows me to create unlimited newsletters and autoresponders for my growing list of followers. Solo business owners need lots of automation to complete projects and connect with customers. This is part of the outsourcing that saves time and increases sales.

BtoB’s 2007 Interactive Marketing Guide isn’t yet available online, but the 2006 edition is.

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