Email Etiquette Rules - People it is Not a Grammar Test

Here are my three easy to follow email etiquette rules, I just love it, etiquette for email - well relax, it is not all that bad.

Rule #1 Be yourself and have a little fun as well as being direct

Friendly, funny or light hearted emails that offer valuable information or enjoyable entertainment without taking ages to get around to the business at hand can jump off the screen, sales pitch or not. Lets face it, from an internet marketing point of view, your subscribers are expecting to receive emails from you and your job is to deliver, so why not correspond in a natural, fun loving and in the end straight to the point style.

Rule #2 Limit your word count and avoid your subscribers leaving in droves

As a rule of thumb any email that takes longer than 60 seconds to read is getting into dangerous territory. Focus is fleeting but can be maximised with a great subject line, brief introduction, short aside or bridge builder and a pointed call to action. When positioning an email I always look towards introducing my subscriber to my key content or call to action above the fold, ensuring they need not scroll down the page. By securing this position I am in control to a degree of the subscriber and have a much better chance of a them focusing in on my offer or information.

Rule #3 Fonts and colors, ever hear of Keep It Simple Stupid

Always remember, you are sending emails to your subscribers with the expectation they will firstly open them, secondly read them with with some interest and thirdly take action based around whatever your promoting, be it watch a video, download a gift or make a purchase. With that in mind I recommend not playing around with mixed or difficult to read fonts. Using minimal color only to compliment other information and 12 point text is the way to go. A sound default position is black 12 point text in Arial or Georgia.

In summary, on the whole a relaxed yet straight forward email with a light hearted undertone will serve you well if kept short and to the point. Remember, write unto others as you would have them write unto you, makes sense don't you think.