Create Your Own Email Marketing Best Practices

Email marketing has evolved from simple text messages to the creation of sophisticated html email marketing templates complete with appealing layouts for images and custom branding. The progression from the use of plain text emails to sophisticated web-based email marketing programs has also brought with it the adoption of a variety of best email marketing practices.

Although most are unwritten email marketing rules, so to speak, they have been determined mostly by trial and error and shared by email marketing companies to illustrate that their system features are superior to their competition. And a great deal of double-speak is used to lure potential customers into using their web-based email marketing software. Therefore, searching for just the right email marketing solutions that meet all your business needs takes research and comparison on your part.

You can simplify the process by taking a bit of time to outline your email marketing program in advance of searching for the right email marketing company for your needs. Most email marketing services charge you based on the number of subscribers you will be sending newsletters to in any given period. Some may charge for the number of emails sent instead but in any case, you need a number to determine an approximate cost based on subscribers or emails sent.

Therefore, your first task would be to determine how many customer email addresses you already have to create your initial subscriber list. Then set a goal for a realistic number of new subscribers you may be able to gather in the next six months to a year. Add these two figures together and this is the number of subscribers you should use when determining the cost for the first year for any of the email marketing services you are reviewing.

Don’t over-estimate – it’s more difficult for you to get money back if you don’t meet your anticipated goals then it is to pay the email marketing company more money for added subscribers or email marketing newsletters sent per month. The best email marketing services offer an unlimited send option that is based on the number of subscribers but allows you to send as many email newsletters per month as you want or need. They also don't charge you for posting your email newsletters to an online archive or for publishing your email marketing newsletter online for search marketing.

By realistically determining your email newsletter marketing delivery schedule and number of subscribers you can then concentrate reviewing the standard html email newsletter templates from the variety of web-based email software companies out there. Look closely at the layout and display features. Think about what kind of information you want to offer your current and prospective clients. Determine an estimate of the number of information articles, sale and special offers. Remember don’t overwhelm your subscribers with too much content, they will be less likely to read your email newsletter and worse yet unlikely to respond with a purchase.

Remember to keep track of your progress and your failures – be ready to rework your email marketing solutions and you will be well on your way to designing your own email marketing best practices.