Are you struggling to make your email marketing campaigns work? What is the best way to cut through the clutter and not only get someone to read your email but actually take meaningful action as a result?

I recently explored the answers to these questions at a seminar in San Diego, where I spoke to a group of business and marketing professionals last month. Here is what was covered:

• Define your resources and lead sources: First, it is important to honestly assess your marketing budget and resource allocations before starting an email marketing campaign. Then, define your most effective lead sources that can be leveraged. Is there a small budget set aside for Pay-Per-Click advertising? Or what other ways can you promote your message, such as through social media?
  
  
• Create a strong and compelling call-to-action: In order to get the best response to your email marketing message, you need to have a strong call-to-action. Make the content informative and valuable to your target audiences and create incentives that will encourage them to read and respond, such as by offering a white paper, free trial, or other incentive. When capturing lead information it is also important to keep your web form design simple and brief.
  
  
• Save time and money with marketing automation: Marketing automation tools allow you to automatically send repeat and compelling email messages and offers to different groups in your contact database according to their particular interests and needs. This saves you time and money as well, so you don’t have to manually create and setup repeat messages to your contacts.
  
  
• Criteria for an effective email marketing message: The best email marketing messages have a clear and concise subject line with relevant keywords, personalization, consistent branding and attractive layout, content that is educational, alt tags in all images, share buttons, and a link to a landing page or micro-blog post where someone can get more information. On the other hand, it is best to avoid using rented or purchased email lists or messages that are too wordy or promotional.
  
  
• Test and track: Before sending out your email, test it for design, to make sure the links work and web forms are functioning properly, and to ensure that it won’t end up in recipients’ SPAM filters. Then after you distribute the message, track open rates, click throughs and conversions. This will allow you to identify what is or is not working.
  
  
• Don’t overly inundate your recipients with repeat messages: While you don’t want to send out an email blast only twice a year, you don’t want to overly inundate your recipients either. Be tactful about the frequency of your email marketing messages in order to help avoid having people unsubscribe from your distribution list.

For more email marketing tips, strategies, and tools visit GreenRope online,  or find me on Twitter and Facebook.