The content you choose to include in your email blast, especially in your first one, is important because people are going to judge the value of future mailings based upon the quality of the first. Instead of trying to sell and focusing only on your business itself, try a broader approach. Include news, tips, articles of interest, upcoming events and anything else related to your industry. There's always room to talk about your business, but that alone isn't going to keep the interest of your readers month after month. Consider this to be a mini-publication about not only your business, but your industry - provided by you. If you can include valuable information or tricks of the trade, then do so because people will remember it and it may even have them looking forward to your next newsletter.

Design your email blast so it has a header that matches your website, including the navigation buttons so it's possible to go direct from the email to a certain page of your site. If displaying a discount or special pricing, do it directly below the header. This will entice the reader to continue down into the body of the email to see what it's all about. Near the top somewhere should also be a button to subscribe to your newsletter (this is a great place to include special offers only to those who sign up).  If they don't sign up, you can continue to send them the monthly newsletter, but they wont be included in special coupons or other items offered to subscribers.

*Keep in mind that if someone chooses to opt out of your mailings you must refrain from including them on your email blasts. Check your local and federal laws for more info. 

If you are going to offer a discount, sweepstakes, giveaway or free product, you should always offer a short description and then a link to your website for more info or to register. Be sure that the link takes you direct to the page where they can register; not just to the homepage.  If you're offering something of real value, lets say over $500, make it clear that ANYONE CAN ENTER and provide a link to forward the email to their friends. This method is priceless for gaining completely new contacts sinnce they must provideyou with their email for a chance to win. You can even chose to say that the winner will be announced in next months newsletter - another tactic to keep people interested in your mailings while increasing your contact list.

Always include a few articles or stories in your newsletter, and focus on providing entertaining and interesting material for your readers.  Anything related to your industry will work fine and don't be afraid to throw in some humor. Try to keep your articles relatively short. For each article, include a picture, headline, and a short paragraph with a link to "read more" at the end. This link should ideally go to your website or blog, where the article is available in full.  Anything that actually engages your readers to take action is a huge plus, and it makes a big difference if they find your content to be exciting, interesting or humorous. Think of your email campaign as a way to entertain and inform readers while promoting yourself through special offers or incentives. If you bore people with dull and dated content on your first mailing, they aren't going to open the next one.

Another great way to engage readers and provoke them to take action is by asking them to give feedback on your business or something industry related. This will not only assist you in making improvements to better serve your customers, but it will allow you a chance to collect testimonials from satisfied customers which can be included on your website or in future mailings.

As long as you provide quality content and keep thinking of new ways to increase your contact list, your potential is practically unlimited. Whether you decide to do everything yourself or hire an agency to professionally design and distribute your email marketing, you now will have a better grasp on how to harness the power of email marketing for the long-term benefit of your business.

In the next article, we will discuss the final steps that need to be taken before sending out your email.

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