Email marketing campaigns are too often dismissed as old hat. With spam filters firmly in place, businesses believe that their sent emails will disappear, never to be read. However, there are three distinct times when an email from your company is not only expected, but it will be welcomed. Timing is everything when it comes to marketing.

New Customers Deserve a Welcome

The content of your welcome email will vary depending upon the degree of interaction that you have had with your customer. If they have purchased something from you or have signed up for regular emails from your company, you have a second chance to re-engage them. Follow these tips:

1. Create a consistent format for your emails to make your business identifiable. You want your customer to remember who you are so that they will open your next email.
2. Get the email out quickly. There is no reason to delay since much of it can be automated.
3. Ask them for feedback by including a customer satisfaction survey at the end of the email. Returned surveys help you gauge the effectiveness of your business practices.
4. Include up to two links to your website in the email. If you include more than that, you will overwhelm them.
5. Make it short and simple.

Automated software allows you to capture interests and tailor the emails that you send. Be prepared to edit and revise until you are sending a message that elicits positive responses.

Share Your Promotions

Promotional emails should only be sent when you have something of real value to offer your customer. Limit these emails to big sales and stellar buyouts. Be prepared to answer the following questions before you begin writing your copy:

1. Who is your audience and why will this promotion interest them? Talk directly to them and address their needs.
2. What are you offering that is better than anything your competitors are bringing to the table? Spell out the value of your offer.
3. When will your customer have to take action to benefit from your promotional product or service? Create a sense of urgency.
4. What is your objective? What do you want your customer to do? Once you've worked this out, make it easy for them to complete the desired action.

Write the headline and the email subject line with great care. Start with a working title for each and revise it when you are done. Great copy writers understand the power of the first line. Make them compelling and your email will get the response that it deserves.

Instruct and Inform with Newsletters

Customer newsletters are tricky. They involve professionals writing casually about business. As subject matter experts, these writers have the voice and the qualifications to make a powerful impact on customer retention and referral rates. Use these tips to keep your readers engaged:

1. Make sure that the content is valuable. Address a need and provide a solution in a compelling manner. Avoid fluff within informative articles.
2. Include interesting tidbits to engage your readers. By interspersing the main content with funny stories or interesting and relevant facts, you create the opportunity to bond on a more personal level with your readers.
3. Take care with the format. Your newsletter should look professional and reflect your business well. Take the time to create a style guide so that future editions will have the same look.

While newsletters should be sent out on a regular basis, you don't want to overload your email subscribers. Limit it to once a month or less and make sure that you have great content before you send. Keep it short, sweet, and to the point.

Email is still a good way to keep your business fresh in your customers' minds. When used to welcome new and repeat customers, they are effective tools to promote your business and establish your credibility.