16 Email Rules Marketo Says 'You Absolutely Have To Break'

Despite its many critics, email still has a place in every marketers' toolkit. Marketo has published "16 email rules you absolutely have to break." The complete article follows.

When it comes to email marketing, there are a lot of purists out there who say you should ALWAYS do this or NEVER do that. Consider all of the "best practices" that are floating around online. From PowerPoint presentations to old white papers, archaic eBooks and other resources that are just plain outdated, they promote rules that used to be true.

The reality is, as long as you are not breaking any laws, not much is black-and-white. (That said, we do strongly encourage you to consult counsel for anything legal. We are not attorneys!)

That's why we've made a list of email marketing "rules" that you absolutely, 100% must break. Break" is a fancy way of saying test to see what works best for your audience. Don't assume that all of these rules will work for you simply because they worked for someone else. Test. Tweak. Then, break the rules. Figure out the best approach for your community.

1. NEVER use words like "free" or "deal" or "discount" in an email subject line.
2. ALWAYS keep your email subject lines between 30 and 50 characters.
3. ALWAYS use double opt-in when growing your list.
4. NEVER use a pop-up (or pop-over) to collect email addresses.
5. NEVER send a mostly text email.
6. NEVER send a mostly image email.
7. NEVER send an email with one big image.
8. ALWAYS have a good balance of images to text.
9. NEVER send "ugly" emails.
10. NEVER have fun.
11. NEVER use ALL CAPS in an email subject line.
12. NEVER use animated gifs in the body of an email.
13. NEVER put the unsubscribe button or link at the top of an email (or make it obvious).
14. ALWAYS send an email during the middle of the week.
15. NEVER send an email at the end of the day.
16. NEVER send more than one email per day.

For more tips on email marketing, consumer marketing, lead management, customer base marketing, mobile marketing, revenue attribution, and account-based marketing, visit Marketo's website, call 877-260-6586, or email sales@marketo.com.