If Obiwan were an email marketer

Luke, the Emperor and his followers dominate the email marketing world.

But long ago when I was still young, we taught young marketers the right way to use email to market.

Luke, I want you to read an article, Email Your Way To Success, which was written by Ritu Pant.

The first sight of an email from You

How do the recipients of your marketing e-mails first react when they see your name in their letter queue?

Would it help if you improved the internal effectiveness of your e-mail campaign?

Jay Lipe wrote: "3 Tips to Improve Your Email Marketing."

P.S. Schopenhauer died almost a century and a half ago, so I don't need Creative Commons to make a derivative from his words. (For the word "derivative" read "mangling".)

Substance is the Key to List Development

For decades, salespeople and marketing exhibits have given out Logo Promo Merchandise (aka: Advertising Specialties). The successful Promo merchandise were those things that were the most useful for the longest period of time. ( A wallet calendar tended to be less successful than a daily planner - because it was less useful.)

In the world of the internet, Substance (as in useful content) is much more successful than advertising and brochure copy. The uniqueness of the information which you provide combined with the degree of value which it provides to your potential audience is key to the success of your ezine address development.

Ivana Taylor provides four brief but valuable ideas for helping you get started in her article: "Help Customers Get Educated by Giving Presentations Away."

Is the Cheque in the Mail?

While email marketing seems to the beginning entrepreneur, a fantastic avenue for marketing the new venture or product, it is actually a minefield for the uninitiated.

First, you can run afoul of the Anti-Spam Laws.

Second, you can irritate your potential prospects by failing to "follow the rules."

However, if you know how to use email properly as a marketing tool, it can actually be just as great as you imagine it to be. Doing it right frequently requires a guide to show you what to avoid and how to improve your ROI. However, there are some "rules" that are easier to communicate than others.

Jason Drohn provides "10 Quick Tips for Creating Great Email Marketing Lists."

Sometimes, Substantial takes time

Fluff and Foam will not make you a major player in the world of Internet and Electronic Publishing. You need to provide content which is valuable to your audience if you want to grow your reader base ad develop tenure with your readers.

But, sometimes it may feel as if the point that you are trying to make is not "coming out" and onto your computer's editor. This is when you need to learn how to nurture and develop an article.

Sonia Simone wrote: "How to Grow a Blog Post in 7 Easy Steps."

Doc, You Gotta Help Me - I just Can't Seem To Stop Writing

In spite of the humorous title of this article, frequency of communication is an important business decision.

However, I would argue that consistency is actually more important than frequency. A few weeks ago, I had a booth at the North Georgia State Fair and this recommendation feature ground to a halt because I had too many things on my platter.

There are two main considerations in my opinion when considering frequency and both of them can be included under the single heading of Customer Expectation.

1. How will this frequency schedule affect my brand?
2. Can I commit to this frequency schedule?

I know that for this recommendation feature, I will probably eventually go back to once a day because I have found that twice a day places too much of a strain on my other responsibilities.

Seth Godin is both a writer and a start up visionary. (He is exemplary evidence that Marketing startups and Tech-Innovation startups don't have to play by the same rules.)

Seth wrote an article entitled "How Often Should You Publish?"

Your Email Should Not Read Like An Infomercial

Recently my wife and I were watching a Movie on a non-network local market TV station. The commercial breaks were filled primarily with the most obvious infomercials for low end products.

I said to my wife, "If that product was so good, he wouldn't need to YELL so much."

Sometimes an email writer feels that he has to convince the reader to click on the links in his email. Listen closely because I am going to let you in on a BIG secret. If the content of the page is fantastically great, then all you will need to do is tell what the page is about - your target audience will say "wow" and click on the link.

But if you say "WOW, you won't believe how GREAT the content on MY web page is." You're audience will not be convinced no matter how hard you try.

Ardath Albee wrote on keeping your emails brief, bold and germane