Emails are one of the least intrusive forms of marketing. Customers can opt-in or out of them whenever they want. They have the freedom on whether they want to entertain your sales pitch by opening your email, or ignore it and send it straight to the trash bin.

The fact that it’s not intrusive makes it one of the most effective. But also because it’s not as intrusive, you have to make each message worth reading.

So how can you make sure that your email marketing campaign works? Here are some guide points:

1. Create an Email Marketing Strategy

Yes, emails are very good as marketing tools. But like any form of marketing, you’ll need to create a concrete strategy to turn passive readers into customers. Create a detailed marketing funnel that has a clear goal in every step.

2. Get Personal

It’s alright to create a completely formal email. It makes you sound authoritative. But it can also bore your customers even before they reach half of your message. Keeping a professional tone is fine, but you also need to consider your readers. If they get an email from a total stranger, they better not get an almost-robotic text. It’s boring, can be intimidating, and increases the chances of being sent to the trash.

3. Keep It Short

Do not write anything that’s as long as a magazine or newspaper article. Your customer doesn’t need to know about the history of your company or the ingredients in your product. Not yet, at least. Save that for later. Make each letter in your email count. Keep them brief and straight to the point.

4. Don’t Send Too Many

“How much is too much?”

If you’re asking this, then you’re probably sending way too many emails. Don’t send more than one email every day. Don’t even bother if you’re not creating an email series. Thrice a week at the most is enough.

5. Make Them Worth Reading

Unless your customers deliberately went to your website with the sole purpose of signing up to your newsletter or to get marketing emails from you, they’d probably consider your email as another typical email from a random company.

If they click on your email and decide to read it, make sure that they’ll keep opening your messages by offering something worth their while. You can offer a discount, freebies or provide them with exclusive information that would be useful for them. Make the emails catchy or entertaining. Make them enjoyable and for your customers to read.

6. Make Them Comfortable

Send updates about your company. Provide information that can be useful for your audience. Establish trust between your brand and the recipients of your emails. You can give discounts, which is one of the best ways to sell your products. Avoid hard selling, if you can.

Like social media, SEO and other forms of marketing, there is no one-size-fits-all email strategy that guarantees success. At the end of the day, it’s all about knowing your customers and appropriating to their needs. You can do it on your own, or you can work with a company who provides email marketing campaign services to help you out.