Is your e-mail worthy?

With junk e-mail bombarding the public, marketers' jobs keep getting tougher. Increase the odds that your target audience will read and respond to your e-mail campaign by following these simple rules...

1. First, do no harm ... to the eyeballs. Keep it clean, simple, and easy-to-read. Make sure it passes the "squint test." If you squint your eyes until it's blurry and the message looks like it's going to be an effort to read, your e-mail will fail.

2. Give 'em something to do. Including a call to action is a must. Ask your readers to call, fill out a form, or take advantage of an offer. But make sure it's obvious and easy to respond.

3. Benefits, not features. Tell your audience how they will benefit from your product or service. Explain how you can ease their pain, save them money, and make their life better.

4. Watch for spam filters. Customers don't want junk mail, and their filters can catch good e-mail, too. Words like "free" and "for a limited time" could cause your customer to never see your message.

5. Graphic content: Heavy HTML graphics, animation, and multi-media files are ousted not only by spam filters, but many cell phones receiving e-mail don't support graphics. Think first before creating a work of art, as it may never be seen.

Bottom line: Keep it simple. You have about one second to grab attention before the "delete" button is pressed. Make it count.