There are many different strategies and techniques for email marketing. Here we offer you four basic practices to live by when executing your email marketing campaign. These can apply to anyone, whether you are promoting colon cancer prevention or advertising a trendy clothing boutique. Businesses large, small, global and local can benefit from practicing these key strategies consistently.

1. Send what you promised
If you order a steak at a restaurant you don’t want to be served a salad. Likewise, if subscribers signed up to receive a weekly coupon then don’t send them emails about your new business venture. Subscribers sign up and give you permission to send what you specify. Make sure you’re sending them that and only that. Don’t be tempted even if you have something you think they’ll really want. Make sure anything out of the scope they signed up for requires an additional level of permission.

2. Send when you promised
When subscribers signed up, they committed to your offerings and expect your offerings. If you offer them a monthly newsletter, send it monthly. Make it a point to send when you promised and keep a balance; don’t send too frequently or infrequently. Over sending, slip-ups and infrequency leads to people unsubscribing and disloyalty in your brand, mission, etc.

3. Strong subject line
This may be the make or break for whether a subscriber will open your email. Without a “wow” factor, a non-regular reader won’t open your email. There’s no secret code for what works and what doesn’t. Subscribers’ stress-levels, schedule, mood and amount of other emails all influence their decision to open yours. If you have the capabilities, A/B test subject lines to determine what works for your audience. In the meantime, learn more about writing subject lines, here.

4. Be conscious of image use
Images can make or break an email. Relying too heavily on images to convey your message can be a tricky slope. Many email clients protect users from spam and viruses and block images by default. Alternately, a plain text only email doesn’t captivate readers. Read more about how to have a “healthy” amount of images, here.