3) What are your values for Getting the Word Out via email?

I recently came across this “top ten list” from iContact.com regarding getting the word out via email. They suggested that organizations need to… 

• #10 Build Your List at Every Opportunity You Have
• #9 Avoid Excess Punctuation or Capitalization — “Don’t use ALL CAPS or multiple exclamation marks within your subject line or body. Doing this will trigger spam filters.” Oops. Warning: reformatting of Brigada Today is coming your way.
• #8 Include Plain Text and HTML Emails — If you don’t include a plain text message, around 5% of your recipients will see a message with nothing in it.
• #7 Familiarity Encourages Open — Make the From Name for your messages either your company name or the name of a person at your company. Once you choose a From Name, keep it consistent. In the split second where subscribers decide whether to open your email, the most important factor in their decision is whether the From Name is familiar to them or not.
• #6 Add a Note About Deliverability — To improve message deliverability, add a message at the top of your emails that says something like: “To ensure receipt of our emails, please add something@yourcompany.com to your Address Book.”
• #5 Be Consistent With Your Sending Frequency — Pick a schedule. Whether it is weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly, stick to it as often as you can. This way, your customers will come to expect and anticipate your organization’s communications. Oops. Guilty again. :-)
• #4 Timing is Key with Business to Business Communication — In most cases it is best to send business to business emails Tuesday through Thursday. We’ve found that the best times of the day to send are just after the start of the day or just after lunch. It is best to avoid sending business to business emails after 4:00pm or on weekends.
• #3 Timing is Key with Business to Consumer Communication — According to iContact, in most cases it is best to send business to consumer emails either between 5:00pm and 8:00pm Tuesday through Thursday, or between Friday evening and Sunday afternoon.
• #2 Only Include Relevant Content — Only send content relevant to the recipient. This can take many forms including content on a relevant topic, offers of a discount off a product related to one purchased previously, and so on. By being relevant, people will allow you to continue to contact them.
• #1 Only Send Emails to Persons Who Have Requested to Receive Them — Unsolicited email is, of course, called spam. Sending spam will ruin any legitimate organization’s reputation and brand value quickly. Rule number one of becoming an intelligent email marketer is never to send unsolicited email.

So there you have it. Any additional values or warnings? If so, just click “comment” below.