• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, March 6, 2018

Hey, email marketer: Have you forgotten what it was like starting out? Do you remember the mistakes you made? The basics still apply.

Dotmailer has devised a cheat sheet for helping beginners and veterans alike. Keep these best practices in mind.

'Friendly from' name —  They’ll think it’s spam if they don’t recognize it.

Subject line — You have to tell them what to expect in the email 

Pre-header text — This, too, can tip off the reader on what to expect. It’s the short summary that follows the subject line when the email is opened. 

Headlines — Headers have to be actionable. Tell readers what you’d like them to do while revealing the content.

Bulletted points — They’re easier to read than paragraphs, and work better on mobile devices.

Get personal — Demographic and behavioral data will help you tailor copy to grab their interest. Dynamic content also works well when based on transactional and social interest data. 

Segments — Some are simple: i.e., male or female, age, locale and subscribers who have never opened an email campaign. Others are more complex — for example, males or females ages 16 to 25, living in New York, who have not opened any of the emails sent in the last six months. 

Landing pages — A targeted landing page can drive sales and customer relationships. Offer mobile responsive, fully personalized pages.

Results — You need a reporting template that can summarize the following:

• Number of emails sent
• Deliverability rate
• How many emails were opened 
• The number of recipients who clicked through
• How many people unsubscribed
• Conversion tracking and return on investment — you can’t argue with the numbers.

Sounds simple, doesn’t it? It is when you have the right tools. Here are some additional tips: 

• Try a humorous, personal or emotional approach to stand out. Discounts and local references help too. 
• Keep the copy short and sweet.
• Use plain text— some email clients and apps can’t handle HTML — and some people turn it off.
• Make sure yo ur call-to-action button contains copy that makes them click. Use verbs like “register” or “download.”
• Test. You can do simple A/B tests on things like subject line variations, different copy lengths and the best time of day to send 
• Look at the full picture. You may be getting a good open rate but few click-throughs. And don’t forget to leverage your reporting.