Is email marketing worth doing?

Yes. Email marketing is still an important way of staying in touch with customers and followers. The art of good email marketing however is not to allow the mail you send to turn in to spam. Many businesses shy away from sending out emails from a fear of being relegated to the junk folder or removed by the spam filter. And the truth is, sometimes this will happen. But if your emails are timely, interesting and informative, and they are sent to genuine contacts on your mailing list, then there is no reason to presume they won’t be read and in many cases acted upon.

Here are some tips to help you make your emails interesting and readable, and to help keep them out of the junk folder.

Brand your emails – your emails should very clearly represent your business and this is done by effective branding. Don’t make them too complicated or difficult to load and read, however, by adding your company livery and logo you are immediately making your presence known and felt. It looks more professional and a lot less like unauthorized spam. Look at emails form Amazon, apple, Google, Mashable and any big retailer for good examples of how to achieve this branding.

Send emails with a purpose – Only send emails if you have something to say, or information to share with your contacts. General emails or messages that are too ‘salesy’ will find themselves in the junk folder very quickly. Instead, think about interesting news within your industry, or once a month email out an offer to encourage repeat business. Sales, offers, competitions and the latest news are all worthy of being shared via email.

Look at others – Sign up for emails from other leading brands to pick up tips on the type of content and layout that is most popular and that works best. There is no need to reinvent the wheel here. Your customers will appreciate emails that are informative and well laid out and that give them clear calls to action that they can understand and follow. Make sure all the links embedded in the emails work too.

Always get the timing right too – Don’t send too many but do send your emails on a regular basis. Think about your business and your customers and how often they may need your products or services. Once per week, or at least once per month might be the best option. It will depend on the nature of your business.