• Subject Line 
• From Address 
• Layout
• Content

Writing Subject Lines:
Subject lines need to be concise, comprehensible and compelling. Subject lines are part of online microcontent. The micro content for subject lines (about 40 to 50 characters) needs to encompass your macro content; or what your business provides.

Poor open rates are often because of poor subject lines. They can make or break your email marketing campaign, so they need to stand out. Subject lines, much like headlines of a newspaper must be both interesting, and informative. They should also not lead to an email being deleted or spammed, even before it is opened.
They should be:

• Valuable to the customer- “Get 15% off on your next purchase of Pepsi”
• Timely and imply urgency- “Respond today to receive a gift coupon”
• Intriguing and make the reader curious- “Do you know where Jennifer Aniston went shopping last week?”

To help improve your subject lines, try:

• Questions. People want to answer questions, and are drawn to opening emails with a question in the subject line.
• Action verbs. Words like “open”, “earn” or “enhance” will make them want to read your email. Telling them what to do — “Open now”, “Click here”, also helps.
• Personalization. Using the reader’s name – implies trust, catches attention, indicates a more personal approach, suggests personalized info and offers friendship.
• Using tangible words. Instead of saying “earn lots”, say something like, “How to earn $10 more a day”. This makes it more real and more people will open these emails.
• Using anecdotes. “Want to know how I turned my small, offline business into a major online corporation?” These subject lines create the buzz you’re looking for.
• Important info first. Since subject lines are short, you want to put the most vital info at the beginning. Grab people’s attention and convey your purpose. “Redwood Camp - Important Travel Information’ is a good example as it provides timely information.
• Non spam. Make sure that your subject lines don’t sound like spam. Rather than being stopped by spam filters your emails can go directly into the inbox. Words like ‘opportunity’, ‘Million Dollars’ and ‘Click Here’ are most likely to be marked as spam.
• Anticipation. Let people have a glimpse of what might be inside the email. For example, “How to Stay One Step Ahead of Fashion Trends this Summer” hints at interesting information.
• Create a series. Give out one part in each email marketing newsletter. “Marketing Tips: Lesson 1″ will grab attention more than many other subject lines. Also, creating subject lines to your readers’ interests should improve open and click-through rates.
• News. A news angle is helpful when promoting offers affected by current events. For example, “How to effectively manage money with the newly increased taxes.”

Testing is the effective way to know if something works. Open rates are the most obvious measure of the success of subject lines.

The ‘From’ Field: 
The ‘From’ line is where you write your email address. The ‘From’ information is as important as the subject line. The Subject line and the ‘From’ line should work in tandem. The ‘From’ line should communicate who you are as the sender. Also, this entry should not change and should concisely convey who you are. Save any humorous phrases or concepts for the subject line.
A good way to fill the ‘From’ space would be to—

1. Type in your email address. For example: FROM: web-updates@smallbizexpress.com
2. Type the senders name or the company’s name. For example: FROM: Vish Sastry Rachakonda/ Small Biz Express.

The second option is better because the reader can see who wrote to them. People prefer to open emails that have the name of the sender. Some email addresses might not sound interesting or even real so they might delete it without reading. If you have brand recognition, you can use that for your benefit. This is because people will be interested in knowing what a popular company has to offer.

Email Layout:
While constructing the layout of your email, keep in mind that viewers read from the top down so, the important information should go at the top. A crammed layout will confuse recipients and not communicate your message effectually.
The following is a suggested order for your layout:

1. Logo. Placing your logo at the top will help the viewer identify who the message is from. This also helps reinforce branding. Your logo should be linked to your homepage.
2. Title. Place the title at the top. A good title should succinctly communicate the message of the email to the viewer, and provide motivation to continue reading. The title should be in text, and not placed as an image since increasing numbers of email systems now block images.
3. Sidebar. A sidebar can be a powerful addition. It can summarize the main draws of the product. The reader can just look at the sidebar for information without having to go through the whole email. Alternatively, it could be used to call out a specific feature of the offer, e.g. a discount or a free offer. At the top and bottom of the sidebar, include your phone number and a link to your webpage to boost response.
4. Text. Keep your text short and to the point with not more than 3 paragraphs. You can include a link to your site in the first paragraph itself. For information on text, look at “Content Matters Too”.
5. Images. Though it's tempting to use a lot of good, eye-popping graphics in your layouts as they improve the response to an email and add to your emails’ visual appeal. Make sure you don’t use too many graphics. Also, many email programs block them, so don’t rely solely on them. Be careful with the size of your email since the larger it is, the longer it will take to load. You can also make them clickable.
6. Colors. Try to stay away from fluorescents and colors that don’t match the subject matter. For example, if yours is a legal advice firm, a pink and yellow email will hint at informality. However, a vacation package with those same colors would work.
7. Call to Action. Your email should have calls to action. At the end of the email, there should be a final call to action clearly stated. Remember to place your address and/or phone number clearly in an easily visible spot.
8. Signature and P.S. line. At the end, do include your signature or your company’s logo and a P.S. line. This will help reinforce your message. It can also inform the reader of other available services. Since the P.S. line is the most widely read, and remembered line in all your content, make it effective.

• Be personal. Pleasing and -courteous-tones usually go better than pomp and hype. Start an email with the recipient's name and end it with your own.
• Offer your services. Promote the helpfulness of your company by providing solutions.
• Jog their memory. Remind the reader’s memory of an existing relationship, if you have one.
• Evade being marked as spam. Tell readers to put your email on their “white list” so it doesn’t get filtered out. Do this when they first subscribe; it’s your best opportunity.
• Use short paragraphs. The purpose of each sentence should be to lead the reader from arrival to click-through. Remove any element that does not serve that purpose. Emails are usually scanned quickly, so use – 4 to 5 lines per paragraph and use bullet points for emphasis.
• Newsletters. Include newsletters to increase your emails appeal. In this way you can also regulate the amount and type of information your prospect or client receives.
• Proof. Carefully read through you final content and eliminate any unnecessary information. Also check for spelling and grammatical errors.
• Privacy. Respect their privacy and including privacy statements also help establish trust.
• Convenience. Make your email use-friendly. Include subscribe and unsubscribe instructions, telephone numbers, opt-in mailing lists, full addresses,choice of both HTML and text versions of your email and discounts or tips.

After constructing your email, mail early, and respond quickly. Follow up to build a good reputation and to continue working with the client you have attracted. Always promptly remove undeliverable addresses so that you’re not lead to false conclusions while testing your emails’ effectiveness. By paying attention to email etiquette, visual appearance, and content, you greatly increase your chances of click-through rates, return business and referrals.

Conclusion:
Emails are a powerful tool, when used ethically and judiciously. One of the most important ways to obtain hard facts about the effectiveness of your campaigns quickly is to test your emails. Also, since emails are interactive, we, at Small Biz Express believe they help you acquire a unique sense of what your customer wants.
Given the cost and effectiveness, a well managed e-mail marketing campaign can add significant value to your business.