Email marketing coupled with a home grown marketing list is one of the most cost effective forms of marketing available to any business.

Within seconds your offer, news and information is nestling in inboxes around the world waiting to be opened and read. But how can you make sure you make the most of it?

Below are 5 very simple tips to help you get the most out of every email you send.

1. How long should it be?

Finding the perfect length for your email can be challenging. It must be long enough to offer great advice and information, but short enough to be attractive enough to read. After all, no one wants to be faced with War and Peace.

An average of 400-600 words is generally good to aim for; long enough to say what you want to say, but not so long it will bore the pants of the reader.

2. Make it relevant

By making the content relevant to what’s happening (either seasonal or with current news), your email will resonate more with the reader.

3. Get to the point

Waffle is boring so get to the point quickly.

Your first paragraph should set the stage for the rest of the email. Plus, by adding headings and sub headings throughout your newsletter, the recipient will be able to easily see what it covers and pick out the bits they want to know more about.

4. Links

Links are a great way to keep your newsletter short.

If you have a blog or article you want to include, just write a short teaser and then link out to the full article on your website. This will make the newsletter easier to read and encourage people to go to your website.

5. Be you

By injecting your personality into your newsletter you’ll make it more readable, more human and it will strengthen your relationship with your readers.

Writing in the second person with lost of ‘you’ will help you make a connection and make your email appear friendly rather than corporate.

See, 5 very simple things that will have a big effect. You should also take note of the emails you read – think about what it was about them that persuaded you to open and read them. If you can capture that in your own emails, you’ll be half way there.