I just read a terrific post from David Riklan of Self-Growth on the effectiveness of email advertising.  He addresses the question:  “Does email newsletter advertising really work?” His answer  is a firm, “That depends!”  Some products — health products, financial services, and help for relationships and self-improvement — tend to fare better than others with online marketing.

Your success depends on making sure that the copy in the email is compelling and enticing and the landing page is appealing.  Most importantly, David writes, your offer has to give your potential buyer value, while issuing a call for action with a sense of urgency.

Marketing to an email list offers the advantage of low cost and fast delivery compared to traditional advertising methods.  It’s also much easier to track the response rate.  The key is to make sure your email is well-written, and doesn’t have the content or appearance of spam.

Here are a few other tips for successful email campaigns:

• Time your mass emails for Wednesday afternoons; you’ll get the best response rate.
• Tailor the content of your email to the interests of your readers.
• Make sure your subject line reflects the true content of the email, and doesn’t use spam-linked language (“free” or lots of exclamation points).
• Include an “opt-out” at the end of the email, so disinterested recipients can remove themselves from your list.

The ultimate success of your email advertising, however, lies in the heart of your intent; in other words, what is your motivation?  Are you providing terrific, valuable content to the readers on your list, or just spamming to sell your product?

What has worked for you in your email campaigns?  I’d love to hear your experiences in the comments below.

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