ParagonHost.com “World Class Internet Services”

#9 Avoid Excess Punctuation or Capitalization
Don’t use ALL CAPS or multiple exclamation marks within your subject line or body. Doing this will trigger spam filters.

#8 Include both Plain Text and HTML
Be sure to include both a plain text and an HTML version of your newsletter. iContact will automatically detect which subscribers can view the HTML message and which can only see the plain text message. If you don’t include a plain text message, around 5% of your recipients will see a message with nothing in it.

#7 Familiarity Encourages Opens
Make the From Name for your messages either your company name or the name of a person at your company. Once you choose a From Name, keep it consistent. During the split second decision subscribers make whether to open your email, the most important factor in their decision is whether the From Name is familiar to them.

#6 Add a Note about Deliverability
To improve message deliverability, add a message at the top of your emails that says something like: “To ensure receipt of our emails, please add something@yourcompany.com to your Address Book.”

#5 Be consistent with your sending frequency.
Pick a schedule, whether it is weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly and as often as you can stick to that schedule. This way, your customers will come to expect and anticipate your company’s communications.

#4 Timing is key with Business to Business Communication – In most cases it is best to send business to business emails Tuesday through Thursday. We’ve found that the best times of the day to send are just after the start of the day around 9:30am or just after lunch around 1:30pm. It is best to avoid sending business to business emails after 4:00pm or on weekends.

#3 Timing is key with Business to Consumer Communication — In most cases it is best to send business to consumer emails either between 5:00pm and 8:00pm Tuesday through Thursday or between Friday evening and Sunday afternoon.

#2 Only include content relevant to the type of content the person has requested. As long as one provides value–whether by providing content on a topic a recipient is interested in or a discount off a product related to one purchased previously—-people will allow you to continue to contact them.

#1 Only send emails to persons who have requested to receive them. Unsolicited email is, of course, called spam. Sending spam will ruin any legitimate organization’s reputation and brand value startlingly quickly. Rule number one of becoming an intelligent email marketer is to never send unsolicited email.

MyiContact

http://www.MyiContact.com