The Constant Contact Guide to Email Marketing

Rule 1: Work Off a Plan

Have you ever been in a relationship with someone who could not stop talking about himself or herself? You may tolerate self-centered chatter in short doses out of politeness, but over time it’s exhausting, and it usually drives people apart. If your email content is all about you, your subscribers are going to have the same reaction.

Now contrast that to a friend who pays attention to your interests, gives you valuable feedback and advice, and looks forward to hearing from you as much as you look forward to hearing from him or her. Each interaction with such a friend leaves you feeling energized and looking forward to the next interaction.

When you create your email content, it’s important to work off a plan so you make sure your email content has the characteristics that your customers want before you say what you need to say to reach your goals.

The most important email content characteristics are explained in the following sections. When you are sure that your plan addresses these characteristics, the content you create or draw from is more likely to have these characteristics too.

PAY ATTENTION TO CUSTOMER INTERESTS

Don’t assume you know what your customers want to hear about. It’s a great idea to formally ask your customers what they want to hear about through online surveys, polls, and link tracking, but you can also make some educated guesses based on what you notice about your prospects and customers.

The following are questions we use ...