Be sure to link articles back to your site. This is a BASIC but very important rule. Start your article and include a “read on” link that accurately describes what the article is linking back to. For instance if the article is announcing a sale, introduce the sale in the enewsletter, then say “Find more items on sale here.” This in itself serves several purposes: It cuts down on the "mile long" scrolling, never-ending email that no one will read. Giving them bite-sized lead-ins to articles will allow them to pick and choose what they want to read. Remember online readers tend to skim for…

Many small businesses use Microsoft Outlook or a similar email program when they start doing email marketing. The problem is that these applications were designed for one-to-one communications. They can work fine for sending email to a few dozen people. But using Outlook to help you send hundreds or thousands of emails to your customers is like using a speaker phone to deliver a speech in an auditorium. Email marketing can have a powerful impact on your business, and you need tools that are designed for the task. If you are serious enough about email marketing to pick up this book, you should…