You and your prospects have more ways to connect than ever before, but one of the most effective ways to reach them is via email. Email marketing out-performs many newer channels, including Facebook and Twitter – but only if it’s used well. Follow these email marketing tips to make the most of a powerful tool for lead generation and customer communication.

1. Write Like a Person

While SEO has to take search engine algorithms into account, people read emails. Worry less about keyword density and sales jargon than about talking to your prospects as people. When you address your audience personally, write naturally and create a rapport, you win your readers’ attention. It’s your ability to forge that connection that separates your messages from spam emails, so make the most of it. Inject your writing with humor and personality; you’ll be rewarded with plenty of fans.

2. Create Focused Subject Lines

What makes a recipient decide whether to read your email now, put it off until later or delete it out of hand? For many people, it’s the subject line. Your subject should tell readers precisely what they’ll find in the email – no more, no less. Try to keep it under 50 characters, including spaces, for the highest open rates. The average business email account gets more than 100 emails a day; your subject has to be short and engaging to stand out in that crowd.

3. Think About Where Your Email’s Read

A few years ago, you could assume your reader was at a computer desk. Today, your email might appear on a notebook, tablet or smartphone. Mobile devices have revolutionized email marketing, and a successful email campaign takes all devices into account. Some mobile devices don’t have much space – yet another good reason to keep your subject lines short and sweet – while others display the first line or two of the email’s body. Putting cogent information in that prime real estate at the beginning of your email is vital to getting noticed on smartphones.

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