E-mail marketing is one of the most effective ways to promote your business. However, there are multiple factors involved that can influence the results of your email campaign. If you are not practicing good email marketing habits, then you will not have successful results and 9 times out of 10 be blacklisted from potential customers.

Here are 7 Email Marketing Practices that will get you excellent results immediately:

1. Captivating Subject Line

Pay attention to your e-mail’s subject line and preview. About 64% of e-mail readers will decide whether to open your e-mail or delete it based on what is written in your subject line and the little email preview. The subject line should clearly state the e-mails content, making the reader want to know more and therefore open the email.

2. Recognisable Name

Always make sure to keep your sender name visible and easily recognisable. Avoid having your e-mail look like it was sent from a giant automated machine - the goal is to make your customers / potential customers recognise your name so that they know who the e-mail is from. The more the reader trusts your company name, the more likely they will open your e-mail.

3. Simple and Scannable

Keep your emails easy to read and scannable. Colorful images can be very useful for enhancing the look and feel of your marketing emails, but always make sure your emails are easy to read even without the images. Never put images that must be downloaded from the web, because most of your readers will be using their mobile device - plus no one wants to click to see an image! Lastly, make your point clear of what you are proposing to your recipient without beating around the bush - a lengthy and difficult email will result in your recipient getting bored.

4. Stop All Spam

Ensure a high delivery rate by never sending spam. To do so you must take precautions so that you do not end up black listed as a spammer. Always send emails within the expectations of your audience - it’s better to send five emails to a correct target audience than 100 to an irrelevant audience. Also avoid the common spam indicators in your headings and subject lines. (Such as the words “free”, “££££” and “free trial”)

5. Personalise

If possible, personalise your emails. Research shows that seeing their name in an e-mail creates a feeling of knowing and trust in the customer, which increases the chance that they will open the e-mail. If you don’t have the time to email everyone individually, use a mail merging software that allows you to place the customer’s name into a mass generated e-mail. if you do have the time, do a little background research and include your newly found information about the recipient or their company in the introduction.

6. Automate

Use an automated email marketing tool. Automated tools make getting through a large prospecting list a lot quicker and reduce the chance of making mistakes. Most have a free entry point, but any cost associated with these tools will be well worth what you get in return. The one I use is Yesware; it allows you to save email templates, making it easier and faster to compose emails. It also enables you to view when the recipient has opened your email,insuring you know when your prospect has read your email so you can follow up with a call whilst your email is fresh in your customer / potential customers mind.

7. Be Real & Authentic

Make your e-mail content more personal. Businesses receive masses of sales emails per day so make sure yours stand out from the crowd; otherwise, it will end up in the ‘Bin’ or ‘Spam’ folder before it’s even been read.

People like to connect with the people behind the businesses they use. If you can develop a personal relationship with your clients then odds are you will receive their trust, loyalty and repeat business.

No one wants to read a computer generated e-mail, so put a little personality into it. Talk about your business’s goals and employees, as well as their own goals and company. Develop a two-way connection with your customers through your e-mail marketing campaign - not only does this increase the likelihood of a yes response, it enables you to create new networking opportunities and long lasting mutually beneficial relationships.