It’s widely known that e-mail is one of the most powerful marketing tools available for today’s small organizations. With e-mail, businesses of any size can cost-effectively solidify existing relationships, initiate new ones and convert one-time visitors (buyers, members, etc.) into repeat business and long-term customers. For any business that uses e-mail to communicate with customers and prospects, following e-mail best practices, following the law, and keeping your e-mail practices up-to-date with changing standards are all of the utmost importance, because only by doing this can you realize the true power of e-mail marketing.

This checklist begins by outlining the five things you need to think about when creating your campaign. Following those decisions, I have listed 25 questions you should answer before you press that send button; eight of these questions address the 2003 CAN-SPAM Law, in particular. So get ready to put your e-mail campaign to the test! * Define your goals: Are you trying to motivate purchases, reinforce your brand, bring visitors back to visit your site, store or office, cue the reading of an article, prompt requests for more information, increase attendance for an event, obtain donations, appointments or sign ups for a service?

* Define your audience: Are you targeting a segment of your customer base or your entire house list? What are the needs, wants, and interests of those on your list? What is important to them? What will motivate them to take action?

* Define your message: Engage your recipients and deliver on their needs. Use what you know about recipients to determine how, and in what order, to describe and illustrate the benefits of your offer.

* Define your vehicle: Now that you understand your goal and your audience, how can you best communicate? Think about what kinds of campaigns you may use. You have many options including newsletters, holiday or seasonal promotions, preferred customer sales, new product or service announcements, press releases, event invitations, holiday greetings and more.

* Define your delivery timing: When is your audience most likely to open and read your message? While audiences vary, we have found that mid-day delivery is better than mornings or evenings. Choosing the right day of the week is also important. Often Tuesday and Wednesday achieve better results than the beginning or the end of the week. Your audience may be different, so do some testing to determine the timing that is right for you.

Now, ask the following questions about compliance and ethics:

* Permission: Are you using a good permission policy? Make sure you have a preexisting business relationship and/or affirmative consent. A pre-existing business relationship is one in which the recipient of your e-mail has made a purchase, requested information, responded to a questionnaire or a survey, or had offline contact with you. “Affirmative consent” means that the recipient of your e-mail has been clearly and fully notified of the collection and use of his e-mail address and has consented prior to such collection and use.

* Your “From” and subject lines:

Does your “From” line include your company name or brand? Is your subject line the right length? (5 to 8 words, 40 characters including spaces) Does your subject line incorporate a specific benefit? Does your subject line include your brand (if for some reason your “From” line does not)? Does your subject line create a sense of urgency?

* Your E-mail Copy:

Is your e-mail targeted, relevant and timely? Is your e-mail personalized with the recipient’s first name, last name or both, if appropriate? Is your e-mail copy clear and concise? Does it contain a strong call-to-action? Does it focus on benefits? Does it create a sense of urgency?

* Important Details:

Are you prepared to handle inbound e-mail responses and questions resulting from your outbound e-mail campaigns? Follow through is as important as the first contact. Do not miss the opportunity to open a two-way dialogue with these interested recipients.

Have you used appropriate graphics while also making good use of white space?

Have you proofread the “From” line, subject line and e-mail copy thoroughly?

Have you checked all links to be sure they work properly?

Have you previewed and sent yourself a test in both HTML and text?

* CAN-SPAM Compliance:

Does your e-mail include a way for recipients to unsubscribe, e.g. an unsubscribe/opt-out link and/or instructions?

Are you prepared to handle all unsubscribe requests within 10 days of the request?

If you use multiple e-mail products, or have multiple databases from which you send e-mails, are you prepared to process all unsubscribe requests across all lists?

Are you using good mailing practices? Have you been honest and truthful?

Have you used a legitimate header?

Have you used a valid from address?

Is your subject line straightforward and not misleading?

Is your physical address included in your e-mail campaign?

When you can answer “yes” to these questions, you are ready to hit the send button and maximize your success. If keeping track of these basic yet detailed requirements and protocols seems like a lot to handle on your own, the good news is that there are Web-based e-mail marketing services that are inexpensive and designed to make e-mail marketing easy for the non-technical user. The trick is to find a service that’s the right fit for your business. Here are a few pointers to keep in mind when looking for an e-mail marketing service:

* A good e-mail marketing service is CAN-SPAM compliant and offers a complete solution including list management and real-time reporting.

* A good e-mail marketing service delivers your e-mails with proper protocols, develops relationships with ISPs and has a full-time staff devoted to ensuring the highest deliverability rates for your e-mail.

* A good e-mail marketing service provides free support and ongoing education on e-mail marketing best practices (e.g., best days to send, how to write a good subject line, and more).

Michelle Keegan is the E-mail Marketing Director at Constant Contact and a recognized expert on e-mail marketing for small and midsized businesses. She is also the writer and editor of E-Mail Marketing Hints & Tips (http://www.roving.com/marketing/newsletters/hints-tips/), a tri-weekly newsletter.

It’s widely known that e-mail is one of the most powerful marketing tools available for today’s small organizations. With e-mail, businesses of any size can cost-effectively solidify existing relationships, initiate new ones and convert one-time visitors (buyers, members, etc.) into repeat business and long-term customers. For any business that uses e-mail to communicate with customers and prospects, following e-mail best practices, following the law, and keeping your e-mail practices up-to-date with changing standards are all of the utmost importance, because only by doing this can you realize the true power of e-mail marketing.

This checklist begins by outlining the five things you need to think about when creating your campaign. Following those decisions, I have listed 25 questions you should answer before you press that send button; eight of these questions address the 2003 CAN-SPAM Law, in particular. So get ready to put your e-mail campaign to the test! * Define your goals: Are you trying to motivate purchases, reinforce your brand, bring visitors back to visit your site, store or office, cue the reading of an article, prompt requests for more information, increase attendance for an event, obtain donations, appointments or sign ups for a service?

* Define your audience: Are you targeting a segment of your customer base or your entire house list? What are the needs, wants, and interests of those on your list? What is important to them? What will motivate them to take action?

* Define your message: Engage your recipients and deliver on their needs. Use what you know about recipients to determine how, and in what order, to describe and illustrate the benefits of your offer.

* Define your vehicle: Now that you understand your goal and your audience, how can you best communicate? Think about what kinds of campaigns you may use. You have many options including newsletters, holiday or seasonal promotions, preferred customer sales, new product or service announcements, press releases, event invitations, holiday greetings and more.

* Define your delivery timing: When is your audience most likely to open and read your message? While audiences vary, we have found that mid-day delivery is better than mornings or evenings. Choosing the right day of the week is also important. Often Tuesday and Wednesday achieve better results than the beginning or the end of the week. Your audience may be different, so do some testing to determine the timing that is right for you.

Now, ask the following questions about compliance and ethics:

* Permission: Are you using a good permission policy? Make sure you have a preexisting business relationship and/or affirmative consent. A pre-existing business relationship is one in which the recipient of your e-mail has made a purchase, requested information, responded to a questionnaire or a survey, or had offline contact with you. “Affirmative consent” means that the recipient of your e-mail has been clearly and fully notified of the collection and use of his e-mail address and has consented prior to such collection and use.

* Your “From” and subject lines:

Does your “From” line include your company name or brand? Is your subject line the right length? (5 to 8 words, 40 characters including spaces) Does your subject line incorporate a specific benefit? Does your subject line include your brand (if for some reason your “From” line does not)? Does your subject line create a sense of urgency?

* Your E-mail Copy:

Is your e-mail targeted, relevant and timely? Is your e-mail personalized with the recipient’s first name, last name or both, if appropriate? Is your e-mail copy clear and concise? Does it contain a strong call-to-action? Does it focus on benefits? Does it create a sense of urgency?

* Important Details:

Are you prepared to handle inbound e-mail responses and questions resulting from your outbound e-mail campaigns? Follow through is as important as the first contact. Do not miss the opportunity to open a two-way dialogue with these interested recipients.

Have you used appropriate graphics while also making good use of white space?

Have you proofread the “From” line, subject line and e-mail copy thoroughly?

Have you checked all links to be sure they work properly?

Have you previewed and sent yourself a test in both HTML and text?

* CAN-SPAM Compliance:

Does your e-mail include a way for recipients to unsubscribe, e.g. an unsubscribe/opt-out link and/or instructions?

Are you prepared to handle all unsubscribe requests within 10 days of the request?

If you use multiple e-mail products, or have multiple databases from which you send e-mails, are you prepared to process all unsubscribe requests across all lists?

Are you using good mailing practices? Have you been honest and truthful?

Have you used a legitimate header?

Have you used a valid from address?

Is your subject line straightforward and not misleading?

Is your physical address included in your e-mail campaign?

When you can answer “yes” to these questions, you are ready to hit the send button and maximize your success. If keeping track of these basic yet detailed requirements and protocols seems like a lot to handle on your own, the good news is that there are Web-based e-mail marketing services that are inexpensive and designed to make e-mail marketing easy for the non-technical user. The trick is to find a service that’s the right fit for your business. Here are a few pointers to keep in mind when looking for an e-mail marketing service:

* A good e-mail marketing service is CAN-SPAM compliant and offers a complete solution including list management and real-time reporting.

* A good e-mail marketing service delivers your e-mails with proper protocols, develops relationships with ISPs and has a full-time staff devoted to ensuring the highest deliverability rates for your e-mail.

* A good e-mail marketing service provides free support and ongoing education on e-mail marketing best practices (e.g., best days to send, how to write a good subject line, and more).

Michelle Keegan is the E-mail Marketing Director at Constant Contact and a recognized expert on e-mail marketing for small and midsized businesses. She is also the writer and editor of E-Mail Marketing Hints & Tips (http://www.roving.com/marketing/newsletters/hints-tips/), a tri-weekly newsletter.