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E-commerce Link: Easy-to-read E-mail

Make your e-mails work harder and smarter for better results

July 2007 By Regina Brady
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Capitalize on Your Preview Pane

The vast majority of individuals at businesses enable the preview pane in their e-mail browser, and slightly more than 25 percent of consumers also use the preview pane. The preview pane usually is controlled by the user and will vary in size—but as a general rule, you should work with the top two inches of your e-mail, and, in particular, focus on the top-left portion of your display. Remember, information that appears in the preview pane can be an important factor in getting your e-mail opened and read.

The rules of the road are changing. In the past, conventional wisdom was that you should include administrative items such as “Click here to view HTML” and “Add us to your address book” in the preview pane. Now, you may want to include headlines to support your subject line, additional personalization or even a newsletter table of contents.

The Wine Enthusiast, for example, makes effective use of the preview pane in its e-mail. The company includes a marketing headline that complements the e-mail subject line and is followed by the standard administrative details. I also like that it includes its toll-free number as part of its e-mail header.

Home, Office or On the Go?

Think about your audience and where they may be when they’re reading your e-mails. I may be one of the few people on the planet who doesn’t use a PDA or other mobile device to stay current with my e-mails, but many people do.

You may want to take advantage of the auto-sensing or sniffer technology available from many e-mail service providers. Your message is sent in both text and HTML and a small piece of code is embedded in the e-mail. The code “sniffs” whether to display text or HTML for each recipient and the appropriate version of your message will render.

While this technology is not foolproof, you might consider implementing it if your audience is made up of heavy mobile device users. If they’re reading on a mobile device, they’ll have fewer problems reading your message. If viewing your message on a laptop, your full HTML version might be available.

You can improve the impact of your messages by employing a few of these ideas. The better you make the experience for your customers, the more rewards you will reap.

Regina Brady is president of Reggie Brady Marketing Solutions, a direct and e-mail marketing consultancy. She can be reached at (203) 838-8138 or via e-mail at reginabrady@att.net. You can visit her Web site at www.reggiebrady.com
 

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FROM THE BOOKSTORE

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“Blanchard is demanding. He won’t allow you to flip through this book, nod your head, and leave. If you’re in, you’re going to have to invest to get your rewards.”
--Chris Brogan, president of Human Business Works

“Social media isn’t inexpensive; it’s different expensive. The human effort required to do


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Available as a PDF.<BR> <BR>A guide to prospecting, lead generation, building an Opt-in database, tracking, social media integration, deliverability, mining content and balanced creative. While email marketing has reached maturity, there’s still plenty of life in this channel — if used wisely. <BR><BR>That’s the focus of this new guide to email marketing, with articles devoted to best practices for prospecting; continuing to build and refresh your opt-in file; how social and email work together; generating relevant content; keeping your messages safe from spam filters and junk-mail folders; and more. <BR><BR>Are you searching for ways to create stronger email marketing campaigns? <BR><BR>The DirectMarketingIQ and Target Marketing editorial teams have been researching, writing and collecting expert advice from industry leaders about how to create top-notch email marketing campaigns for years. <BR><BR>We’ve compiled this information and made it easy for you to find all in one place, with our easy-to-read report – <EM>Email Marketing That Works (2nd Edition)</EM>. Email Marketing that Works (2nd Edition)

Available as a PDF.

A guide to prospecting, lead generation, building an Opt-in database, tracking, social media integration, deliverability, mining content and balanced creative. While email marketing has reached maturity, there’s still plenty of life in this channel — if used wisely.

That’s the focus of this new guide to email



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ORDER NOW

 

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