Is Email Marketing Etiquette Really Important?

To have a successful email marketing campaign, you want your messages received with a positive impression. This could mean the difference between having your email read or deleted without a second or even, a first thought. You certainly don't want to offend anyone and you want to make reading your emails as pleasant and enjoyable as possible. The main purpose of email marketing etiquette, like all etiquette, is to make situations more comfortable and enjoyable. So, I would have to say YES, email marketing etiquette is not just important, it is vital to your email marketing campaign success.

A successful email marketing campaign earns respect. And respect makes sales.. So with that in mind, the topic of email marketing etiquette is of the utmost importance.

Always Wrap Your Lines At 65 Characters Or Less
If you're composing your email marketing messages in a text editor or word processor, you can't really be sure what the reader will see. Different people use different programs to read email. One component of these email programs is the use of word wrap to automatically arrange lines according to a pre-set number of characters. If your reader has a shorter pre-set on his screen, his message might look like this:

This certainly doesn't look very professional.
It gives a very
bad first impression. It's difficult to
read, so the
recipient is apt to delete it without giving it more
than a glance.
Proper email marketing etiquette would never
have you sending
out an email looking like this!

Another thing to consider is that looking at a computer screen for a long time causes EYE STRAIN for many readers. The shorter span of characters across the screen makes reading easier and much more appealing to the recipient of your email message. For these two reasons, email etiquette dictates the importance of wrapping your lines at 60-65 words.

If you're using a word processor to type your email marketing mails, you can type 60-65 asterisks, dashes or your choice of character at the top of the page to make a template. Then paste or type your message below it using the enter key to do a hard return to ensure the correct line length.

If you use an email client like Outlook Express, you can set the line wrap to any length you want. This means you won't have to hit Enter each time you reach the 60-65 character limit. Might make things easier. See, email marketing etiquette isn't always so hard.

Fonts
Some fonts are pre-installed on computers and in word processors. They're also available in thousands of other places. But not everyone has all the same fonts installed. If the font you used for writing your email marketing message is not on the recipients computer, then they may see something completely different from what you sent.

Fonts come in proportional and fixed-pitch types. In fixed-pitch type fonts like courier, every character has a similar width, but in proportional fonts like times new roman, the width is different. So a sentence typed in one will vary compared to the same sentence typed in the other. Your lines will be longer in courier than in times new roman for example. This could make a significant difference if you have an arranged table or something similar. If you use an font that looks so very nice to you, but is not very common, parts or even your whole message may be jumbled on another computer which doesn't have the font you used present. And since good email marketing etiquette as well as good email marketing results depend on your reader being able to read your messages... I think you get my point.

Be Careful With The Use Of Caps
Have you ever tried to deal with a screaming salesperson? You usually try to get away as quickly as you can. Generally when the message is too loud people tend to be distrustful and turned off.

On the Internet, the use of capital letters is considered shouting. It's ok to use some capital letters and even some words in all capitals, but in moderation only. Use them for emphasis, or to break up content sections. Emails in all caps can be regarded as "shady" and lead to distrust of the message. Or appear uneducated and can seriously damage the credibility of your message. The same is also true when using too many exclamation points. It's just bad email marketing etiquette to shout at your readers.

Check Your Spelling And Grammar
What's your first thought when you read an email that has noticeable spelling and grammar errors? It certainly doesn't look very professional and doesn't inspire confidence. If you can't take the time to correct your spelling and grammar, what makes your potential customers think you're very particular about the quality of your products or services.

Your image is your reputation and your reputation is the reason people buy from you. You HAVE to create an image of Honesty, Integrity and Credibility in the minds of your customers. An email marketing campaign filled with errors and lacking this basic email marketing etiquette rule could very easily destroy your professional image.

Using HTML Tags
Some of your email marketing recipients won't be able to receive messages in HTML. Others will simply have that option turned off. You can provide the option to receive email marketing mailings in HTML format at the time your customers sign up for your list. But if you want to send your messages to your entire email marketing list at one time, and really want to use HTML format, it's recommended to also include normal text code as well. That will ensure the readers without HTML capabilities will not be looking at a blank page. And what did we discuss about email marketing etiquette and being able to see the message?

These are just a few email marketing etiquette trouble spots. There are others, such as the content and tone of your messages. Those subjects, I'll save for another email marketing etiquette article.

To sum up, email marketing etiquette is just a matter of being considerate of your email recipient. In some cases, it's just common sense. Think about your reactions to the emails you receive, and apply those thoughts to our own email marketing campaigns, then email marketing etiquette will become second nature.