How to Create Effective Email Marketing Newsletter

I've been working for a software developer company for 10 years. We regularly send newsletters to our customers and subscribers. For a company advertising their products on the Internet the most important thing is to get as many clients and subscribers as possible and build a strong relationship with already existing clients. Since the communication with the customers is done via email, the newsletter you send plays the essential role.

The fact is that the newsletter must contain only the information that is useful for your customers. The customers are not interested in the history of your company or your company regalia, or your personal life. They want to read about the products you are to offer them and the benefit they can get from your products. The newsletter content is important. But the newsletter structure does matter too. For 10 years we've got some experience in creating a healthy and effective email newsletter and delivering it to the customers and now I'd like to share some tips and tricks with you:

• Excite curiosity in the Subject line. The Subject is more important than you may think. It should contain a hint at what the reader will find in the message itself, provoke a curiosity and make the reader want to open and read the message. The curiosity pushes the recipient to go further and open your message.
• Write as if you were talking to the person. Your newsletter should not look like an advertisement. It must be like a conversation as if you were telling a story to the reader. But don't write in an excessively familiar manner. Keep the golden mean.
• If you write a long copy, don't make it boring. A longer newsletter telling more about the product benefits is better. But make sure that your long story is not boring. Emphasize the most important paragraphs with bullets so they grab the recipient's attention. Remember that people don't read emails, theyscan them.
• Place the links in the beginning, middle, and in the end of your email newsletter. Email marketers often forget to include the link in the middle of their email copy. But the middle link is also important. Your response rates will increase.
• Have a product picture? Send it. A nice graphic (even if you tell about an intangible product) will tend to increase the response rate. For example, if you sell downloadable software, you can design a box with a nice cover presenting your software.
• Offers and bonuses are very tempting. Give your readers something for free. It may be a free e-book, e-mail course, software download or whatever related to your email marketing niche. But be careful – avoid the word FREE in your email message. FREE is the most attractive word in email marketing, it's also one of those that spam filters will likely detect to block your message.
• Don't forget to provide your contact information. You can include your web site address, your email address, even the postal address of your company. A toll free number is also good. Some recipients may prefer to call and speak with a live person.

Written by Julia Gulevich