E-mail marketing is a great way to build and cultivate relationships with your Club’s supporters. Whether reaching out to donors, parents or community members, e-mails containing news, events or resources will remind your subscribers of all the good things your Club is doing.
But in today's world of constant e-mail communications, remember to be respectful of the recipients. Keep content short, relevant and informative. Keep e-mails concise by highlighting them with a sentence and linking to longer information on a website.
Use the subject line (and the "from" e-mail address) to identify the Club so the reader knows immediately that they’re receiving your e-newsletter. Avoid certain words in subject lines, such as free, $$$, multiple exclamation points, etc., which can get tagged as spam.
Most people are deluged by e-mails, so keep your e-newsletter short. If it’s too long, it may be deleted immediately or left until later and then forgotten.
Provide information that is of interest to readers. Ask yourself, why would someone want to receive an e-mail, and why would they want to read this? Make sure you highlight the best things that have happened at the Club.
Make sure that the e-newsletter is visually appealing. Break up blocks of words with columns, bullets and creative structuring. This will make all of the stories easy to read. Add pictures and captions to generate interest.
Use simple words, short sentences and short paragraphs. Check for grammar, spelling and typos before sending it. Watch for Club lingo and acronyms that the public may not be familiar with so that you don’t alienate your audience.
If requested by recipients, delete their e-mail address from your database within 10 days. For additional information, visit the Federal Trade Commission's site at http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/business/ecommerce/bus61.shtm.