E-mail Content, Design & Frequency
Before you sit down to design your e-mail creative (advertisement), or hire a graphic designer to do it, you must make some very specific decisions that can drastically influence the reach, impact and results of your e-mail marketing campaign. Consider these questions as you plan your e-mail creative, making note as to how you expect each decision to affect your campaign.

Rich Media Specifications
• Should I use video?
• Should I use audio?
• Can I / Should I use Flash or JavaScript based elements?

Design Specifications
• What is my Branding Message or Call to Action?
• What is my color scheme?
• What are my size limitations (weight and dimensions)?

Copy Specifications
• What is the promotion, if any? What are the most important elements of the promotion that your list needs to know?
• Do I need to include specific personal information on each e-mail, such as a First Name or Order Number?
• What is a successful conversion after the click of this e-mail? Where are you leading your list?

Frequency
• How often will I send this message?
• Is this e-mail creative part of a series?
• Is this a newsletter with regular frequency (same day of the week or month)?
• Have I communicated this frequency with my list?

Here are some of my personal tips and recommendations:

How often should I send my message and how do I communicate this to my list?
If your e-mail creative is timely, advertising an event with a definite end date, you should send your e-mail 3 weeks before the event, 2 weeks before, 1 week, 3 days before, 1 day before and the morning of the event. This is very frequent mailing so it is crucial to communicate with your list, either in the sign-up form, or in the welcome or confirmation e-mail how frequently you will be sending updates.

Newsletters should be sent regularly, on the date, week or month that they are scheduled to be sent and should be frequently sent, but not too frequently. A weekly newsletter is usually sufficient for most industries. Something more social or news-related may operate on a more real-time model. E-mails that are part of a series should each make mention to one another, and should all be linked on the landing page. A properly coordinated landing page with your e-mail campaign is essential. Read more about landing pages here:Effective Landing Pages for Paid Search and E-mail Marketing

Your e-mail creative will also include multiple options for list removal – including a link to an automatic removal from your list, the option to reply to the email and request removal, or a postal address to mail in a request. Now the frequency control is in the hands of the end-user. But before your user is thinking about leaving your list, give them reasons to stay. Be honest about how they signed up for your list and remind them of it from time to time. Tell your list from the start how often you plan to send e-mail and what the e-mail will usually contain. Tell, but don’t sell (yet!), the features or advantages of being a member of your e-mail list. Tell your list “What’s In It For Them?”

Keep checking for the continuation of this part in our E-mail Marketing Series – Part IV – What to Send & When to Send It.