| Spam, it's a dirty word. Recipients hate it, and email | | | | especially urgent calls to attention, such as "Act |
| marketers know that if it isn't controlled, it has the | | | | Now". All of these above mentioned methods are |
| potential to discredit the email marketing way of life, | | | | designed to trick people, or Spam filters in order to |
| and put a stop to it all together. Honest email | | | | get read. Urgent calls to attention are also considered |
| marketers, which pretty much sums up all of us, do | | | | to be aggressive forms of advertising, and not |
| our utmost to make sure that our email campaigns | | | | recommended use by legitimate email marketers. |
| are law abiding, and all above board, BUT have you | | | | Personalized Words To Avoid |
| considered your email subject lines, and what they | | | | Spammers often use personalized words, such as: |
| say about you, and your email marketing reputation? | | | | we, you, your, and I, for example. This is a trick used |
| Sometimes you may find that you are getting your | | | | by spammers to lull their recipients into feeling as |
| emails rejected or flagged before reaching your | | | | though they know the sender, and are safe when |
| subscribers email inbox, or worse still, your | | | | opening the emails. It is also a ploy used to trick |
| subscribers are deleting your messages without | | | | Spam filters into thinking that the sender is well |
| opening them, since they had the same types of | | | | known by the recipient. Those email marketers who |
| subject lines as the Spam that appears in their email | | | | are genuine, and have permission to send emails don't |
| boxes. The good news is that you can correct bad | | | | need to use tricks like this to get their subscribers to |
| subject lines easily, simply by knowing what you | | | | open their emails. |
| should, and shouldn't be saying in them. | | | | If you are unable to avoid a personalized word in |
| Mystery Went Out With The Dinosaurs | | | | your email, such as "your new e-book has arrived" |
| It is said that one of the oldest tricks in the book is | | | | make sure that you don't go overboard with these |
| using a mysterious subject line to get people curious | | | | words, and keep your subject line looking natural and |
| enough to open your email. The only trouble with a | | | | describing what the email is about. |
| mysterious subject line is that it is so old, the | | | | Less Is More |
| majority of Internet savvy people receiving emails | | | | Long subject lines always scream Spam, if you have |
| already know about this trick. And guess what? It | | | | something that is really interesting, you can surely |
| hardly ever works anymore. | | | | sum it up in just a few words, and a few words is all |
| If you are like most people, you will agree that you | | | | that you really have. The average subject line |
| hate it when you feel you have been mislead, or | | | | setting, from most email services is around 50 |
| tricked into opening an email. So never do it to your | | | | characters, if you go over this quota the remaining |
| subscriber list. In a recent study conducted by AOL, | | | | words are chopped off, leaving your email looking |
| 96% of people described Spam as emails that were | | | | unprofessional, and maybe even not making any |
| intended to purposely trick the recipients into opening | | | | sense. Ideally less is more, so keep your subject lines |
| them! | | | | to 50 characters or less. |
| No Tricks, Just Truths | | | | Is It Too Good To Be True? |
| People don't like being tricked. If you receive an email | | | | Have you ever heard of the saying "if its too good |
| that is titled "how to fix your lawnmower, you | | | | to be true, then it probably is..." Spammers are |
| expect to open the email and find information about | | | | notorious for using the "too good to be true" |
| lawnmowers, not something else. Don't mislead | | | | approach with their subject lines. Recipients often use |
| people with your subject lines. Think of your email | | | | a "too good to be true" subject line as a sure |
| subject line much like the heading of an article you | | | | indicator that the content of an email is either Spam, |
| are writing for your website. Keep it relevant, and | | | | or dangerous to them. |
| simple, relating directly to what your email content | | | | It can be difficult at times to contain yourself over a |
| says. | | | | very exciting opportunity or breakthrough that you |
| Keeping It Personalized Doesn't Always Work | | | | want to share with your subscribers. But try to keep |
| Arguably the best way to get your emails read, and | | | | your emotions in check. Make your subject lines |
| not mistaken for Spam is to use personal information | | | | exiting, and interesting, but believable at the same |
| in the subject line. This proves that you have | | | | time. |
| permission to send emails to that address, right? Not | | | | These are just a few things that you can do to keep |
| always. Spammers often include names in subject | | | | your subject lines from looking like spam. Take your |
| lines to make their emails seem more legitimate. | | | | own email experiences, and use that knowledge to |
| Often, leads or subscribers may use bogus names | | | | make sure that you are sending the types of emails |
| that are used to flag unwanted mail, or Spam. | | | | to your subscribers that you would happily open. |
| Another problem with using names, or personal | | | | Remember: your subject lines need to be kept short, |
| information in the subject lines with your emails is | | | | realistic, natural, and most of all, highly targeted to |
| that, often, many people use nick names, or user | | | | your subscribers interests. By following this formula, |
| names, using a name such as "me2u- see our once | | | | and avoiding the above spamming "don'ts", you will |
| only offer " for example will more than likely get your | | | | be able to strengthen your email reputation, get |
| email deleted, rather than read. | | | | more emails opened and read, as well as keep your |
| Odd Stuff To Avoid | | | | loyal subscribers who will look forward to receiving |
| Avoid odd phrases, misspellings, punctuation and | | | | your emails, and remember you for your helpfulness. |