If you’ve got an electronic mail inbox, you know how bad the spam problem has become.

It seems that every day you get new offers of low mortgage rates, psychic readings, pornography, get rich
schemes, etc.

What does this mean for email marketing?

It means that it’s harder to cut through all the spam and get your legitimate offer read by the prospect.

This isn’t a personal observation based on anecdotal evidence. The Wall Street Journal published a terrific article dealing with the state of email marketing and their conclusions aren’t pretty.

The article explains that “initially, consumer response to email was high, with click-through rates as high as
15% . . . The current average click-through rate (now) is an anemic 1.8%.”

The author emphasizes that:

“The stakes are high for aggressive marketers eager to break through the clutter. Companies will blitz consumers
with more than 430 billion email advertisements this year. By 2009 that figure is expected to reach 960 billion. It is, by any measure, a lot of spam.”

A lot of spam, indeed! And if you want to be one of those marketers who does manage to break through the clutter,
you had better do everything right. Here are just a few things you can do to make sure your next message gets read and acted on:

1. Use a high-impact “Subject” line

It’s a simple fact. If your subject line isn’t working correctly, your letter will never get opened and your
campaign will be a failure. Keep your subject lines short. (Never exceed forty characters including spaces.)
This means that every subject line must communicate extremely quickly and have a little punch.

2. Make sure your Web address appears early in your electronic mail

Don’t bury your URL at the end of the letter. Put it near the top of your message so it’s readable as soon as your
email is opened. Make it easy for people to see your URL quickly so they can get to the landing page with the least possible effort.

3. Identify the reader’s pain quickly

Don’t start your email marketing letter by enumerating every feature and benefit of your product or service. One effective way to roll into your message is to prove to your prospects immediately that you understand exactly what they’re up
against – that you have the perfect answer to their problem. Use a classic problem/solution format and you
won’t go wrong.

4. Make the letter long enough to do the job

Some people have a terrible fear that their email won’t get read so they write two short paragraphs and call it
quits. That could be a big mistake. Prospects will read your email if it’s got valuable information for them.
The typical emails I write run a good seven or eight paragraphs in length . . . often with bullets too. They work just fine.

5: Write with enthusiasm

As I often say, you have to write with a little energy and sense of fun. Flat, boring writing just won’t cut it.
Sure, there are times when you have to sound sober, but never as if you’ve just popped some ludes! Sometimes,
when you add a little attitude, you can cut through the clutter and get the reader on your side. Then you’re
halfway home!

It’s getting harder and harder for email to cut through the clutter. This means you have to pay attention to the details and do everything right. If you do, email marketing is still a very powerful medium that can help you boost sales and profits.