Tips to Strengthen Your E-mail Campaigns

Message
Freshen up your message by focusing on something "new and improved," a "limited time offer," a "buy one get one" or urgency. Go back to Marketing 101, Van Diest said. This means considering the four Ps: product, placement, price and promotion.

Your product is what is given in exchange for support; placement is where you let people participate; price is the amount you’re seeking from supporters; and promotion is how you reach out to people. Are you articulating these things well?

These four Ps are what combine to position your message. Van Diest recommended organizations answer the following questions in what she called a "positioning exercise":

• What do your supporters get back when they support you?
• What is at stake — for the supporter, not just the organization — if they don't support you?
• How does supporting your organization differ from supporting another cause? Or from spending money or time another way?

Some e-mail content basics she stressed:

• Think about your audience.
• Keep content short and to the point.
• Use bulleted lists for improved scanability.
• Use stories to engage readers.
• Demonstrate a clear purpose and a clear call to action.
• Use statistics, testimonials, case studies and expert opinions to support your point.

The header you use in your e-mail communications is extremely important. Eighty percent of respondents to a 2007 Email Sender and Provider Coalition study said they decide whether to click on the "Report Spam" or "Junk" button without opening a message.

Van Diest shared the following subject line tips:

• Limit the subject line to 25 to 35 characters.
• Avoid using symbols like "$" and "!" and all caps.
• Personalize whenever possible.
• Use colons to place the most important keywords first.
• Tell what's inside, don't sell what's inside.

Also important in e-mail messaging is a compelling call to action. Your call to action should compel your readers to do something. Give readers a sense of excitement and urgency; use specific, action-oriented language; and state your call to action early and repeat it often.