So what's the distinction between permission based (opt-in) Email and Spam? Opt-in Email means that recipients have signed up to receive information via Email from the sender. Of course, the recipient can also unsubscribe (or opt-out) at any period of time and all messages are plainly defined as coming from a specific and approved vendor or source.

Below you'll discover some excellent advice for putting together your next Email/ Newsletter campaign.

Tip #1: Avoid spam

People detest spam and the more it is abused, the more it is hated. It's as if the sender really thinks they will get a new customer by invading (and therefore insulting) their personal space ? their inbox.

Tip #2: Keep the E-newsletter short

Most people are already over-dosing on Email. If you want your message read and you're website visited then get to the point right away.

Tip #3: Be conscientious

Don't abuse your recipients by over-sending messages to them. If admissible, tell them up front how often you'll be sending before they opt-in.

Send information that can be used by your customer. Is there a call to action? Is there something they can benefit from knowing or buying? If not, then don't send just for the sake of sending.

Tip #4: Links to your site

Make certain you provide links to your website, not just to your home page, but send your recipients to pages that are directly referenced in your message. If you're selling a particular product, send them to the product page that describes this product in significant detail (don't forget the call to action from here).

Tip #5: HTML or plain text?

A standard rule of thumb is, if your target audience is consumers, then many prefer the HTML format, due to the "prettier" graphical content; but, if you are targeting corporate or technical types, the majority of them desire a message that is text only and one that leaves out any/all marketing hype - just the concise facts.

When you send an E-Newsletter to your FriendlyWebBuilder.com recipients they have identified if they want to receive HTML or plain text. When you send the message out an "auto-detector" (or sniffer) will strip out any HTML code for plain text recipients so you do not alienate your recipients or send them a message that may be unreadable due to their Email settings.

Tip #6: Combination marketing

Use different forms of media and contests to get people to sign-up. If you can afford to give away a product for free then people will be more inclined to sign-up if it interests them. After the winner has been drawn, use this as an opportunity to communicate with your opt-in base to let them know and move on to the next campaign.

Tip #7: Collect data

If possible get your opt-in recipients to provide a little information on the products or services that you offer that is of interest to them. In this way, all of your sends are highly targeted, and therefore more likely to get a response. A short Email form should be sufficient (remember, keep it short).

Tip #8: Reporting

How successful was your campaign? The good thing with Email campaigns is that they are fully trackable from the time they are sent, unlike other forms of media. This means you can track how many people opened the message, whether or not they clicked on anything, precisely what part of your web site they visited and if they passed it on to a friend.