Below are some Do's & Don'ts written specifically for entrepreneurs on how to use email marketing to grow your business.

Email marketing can be a very effective and inexpensive way to build a fan base for your products or services and can equal significant revenue for your business. But you have to make sure to use this powerful tool correctly.


Email Newsletter "Do's"

	Know Your Purpose - is your email for reading or selling? Are you trying to get people to call you or to enter a credit card?
	Think about Layout - your email shouldn't be one large block of text. What images will you use? Where will the images & text go? How many items will you have in each newsletter? Keep it consistent.
	Choose an Active "From" address - this should be an email address that you will check frequently. Readers will always reply to your email even if you instruct them not to. Embrace the communication!
	Consider HTML - Most email mailings are sent using HTML. In studies, HTML emails have generated 3x the response of plain text emails. Using HTML emails is not without its drawbacks - they are more likely to get caught up in spam filters - but you can lessen the chance of missing your readers by providing both HTML and plain text versions. Using email distribution tools makes this easy!
	Include a Call to Action - what do you want your readers to do after (or while) reading your email?
	Send Emails! - email communication is an important and very inexpensive way to keep people informed about how wonderful your business is!

Email Newsletter "Don'ts"

X	Using Poor Spelling or Poor Grammar - nothing says "unprofessional" like bad spelling and bad grammar, but not all of us are wordsmiths. If you are not great at these things, get a copywriter to simply proofread your email before it goes out to your readers.
X	Forgetting Links & Landing pages - using links is generally a good idea so that you can get people to visit your Web site, but be careful where your links go. Usually you do not want to send readers to your site's Home page, but to a specific page that is relevant to the information you are discussing.
X	Forgetting a Compelling Subject line - use one that your readers will recognize and will make them excited to open your email.
X	Using Outlook for Your Bulk Emails - use an Email Distribution Tool. You will avoid a great deal of manual maintenance, and receive vital information about who is reading your emails. See the link below for a list of affordable Email Distribution Tools.
X	Sending Emails too often or without something compelling and relevant to say to your readers.

I trust this has been helpful!



Here are additional resources to help you market your business!

Email Marketing Tricks of the Trade
This Internet Marketing class, sponsored by the city of New York, teaches entrepreneurs how to use the Internet to grow their businesses:
http://www.messagemedium.com/classes/internet_marketing.htm


Alternatives to Outlook
Use these inexpensive tools so your emails will reach your readers and save you time http://www.messagemedium.com/getstarted/email_tools.htm


Want a Custom Web Site by message medium, at a 60% discount?
This Boot Camp will get you a custom, professionally designed Web site in only 6 weeks! http://www.messagemedium.com/classes/killer_website.htm


Here's to your success!

Maisha