As I was looking around the Internet this week I was reminded of something that I have seen so many email marketers miss. It's so simple I can't believe anybody does it, but everyday I open my inbox, I see it dozens of times.

What is it?

-Well it's something that takes about one minute to set up

-It's critical to your success as an Email Marketer

-If you miss it, your open rate will surely suffer

-It's one of the seven deadly sins that will sabotage your email marketing campaign

Interested to know the sin?

Putting something that means nothing in your From field.

The From field is the part of the email message that identifies where the message is coming from (e.g., Jack's Flowers). The From field in your email marketing message can be set to anything you wish.

When your subscriber gets your email message, the first point of contact is their inbox. If the subscriber recognizes the information in the From field, the message is quickly opened.

If your subscriber doesn't recognize the information in the From field, the message is likely to get deleted before it's opened.

Why?

Do you readily open messages from people you don't know? I sure don't. I don't want to get bombarded with emails promoting little blue pills, or worse, somebody's cruel virus.

Putting something that means nothing in your From field is certainly the surefire way to get your email message in the delete box - before it even gets opened!

Wondering what should go in your From box?

a) The name of your business

b) The name of your e-newsletter (if the name is recognizable)

c) Your web address (if it is recognizable)

Do NOT use your personal name unless you are well known.

Okay, I agree if I got an email from Anthony Robbins I think I would recognize his name. However getting an email from Mary Johnson (when I don't know her)it is another story.

This is usually the way that companies blow it with the From field:

Some well-intentioned employee who is responsible for sending out the e-newsletter sends the email message from their email address. Unfortunately that employee doesn't realize that no one will recognize their name and will most likely delete the message before it gets opened.

So what do you do now?

Immediately go and check what you have set up in your From field on all of your e-newsletters.

If you are guilty of the From field sin, ask forgiveness from the email gods and move on. If you were already one step ahead of me and had a great From field entry - congratulations!


About The Author


Brought to you by the -- Email Marketing Club: The only place on the Internet where Email Marketing is FUN!

Join now and receive a gift - guaranteed to increase your status with your friends, co-workers and boss. Click below: http://www.emailmarketingmadeeasy.com/email_marketing_club

Check out our popular ebook Email Marketing Made Easy & one on one expert Email Marketing coaching at http://www.EmailMarketingMadeEasy.com

Earn good karma, forward this article to everyone you know who has an email address.

Copyright Joan Pasay - 2005

Creating Demand with Email Newsletters

You've launched your web site. You've implemented a public relations campaign and spent oodles of money advertising in trade journals, magazines and newspapers. But your site's daily visitors are still in single digits and your sales are...well let's just

E-Newsletter Readers Not Converting? 5 Simple Steps to Increase Sales

Email newsletters excel at gaining repeat and new business at a lower cost than other forms of marketing and advertising. So how does a company use its e-newsletter to increase quality leads for sales teams and give a boost to viral, word of mouth, and re

Writing e-Newsletters – Tricks of the Trade

Follow 10 simple rules of thumb, and you’ll soon be writing great e-newsletters and reaping the rewards. Company e-newsletters can be an amazingly successful marketing technique. Whether you want to up-sell or cross-sell, establish your brand or estab

Writing Effective Email Newsletter

We all know the importance of having an excellent follow-up system integrated into our online business. A follow-up system is capable of securing for our web pages recurring visitors, and eventually, sustainable traffic. Additionally, a follow-up system i

Covering All The Bases: How to Make Sure Your Newsletters Get Opened and Read

It’s not enough to prepare and distribute a monthly newsletter, one that offers information of genuine value to your market. You also have to make sure your newsletter gets opened and read! Covering letters provide reasons for recipients to open, download