Wow, we’ve covered a lot of distance over the last few months! Do you feel like you’re an email marketing expert by now? You understand why email marketing is still valuable, how to obey the rules, and how to get through roadblocks between you and your email subscribers. But, there’s one more thing you need to keep in mind.

Email Marketing: Care and MaintenanceA classic car requires more than just hopping into the driver’s seat and going for a cruise. You need to change the oil, keep it clean, rotate the tires, check the brakes, and more. If you want the car to keep running as long as possible, you must take care of it and maintain it.

Think of your email marketing efforts in this same way. If you want reliable ongoing results, you have to keep your subscribers engaged. You must care for them and maintain the value of the email relationship.

If your inbox is anything like mine, some days it looks like a traffic jam – packed bumper to bumper with important, urgent, or significant messages all competing for my time. To come out on top, your emails must earn attention time after time after time.

Here’s a quiz so you can give your email marketing a checkup:

  • Do you send interesting articles that focus on the needs and interests of your subscribers? (add 10 points)
  • Do your messages talk mostly about you and your accomplishments? (subtract 5 points)
  • Do you encourage interaction by asking questions, seeking input, or encouraging replies? (add 20 points)
  • Are your emails easy to read? (brief articles, short paragraphs, and short sentences) (add 10 points)
  • Do you use bold or italicized text and bullets to break up the content? (add 10 points)
  • Do you have more than 2 articles? (subtract 10 points)
  • Are your subject lines interesting and relevant? (add 10 points)
  • Is your email newsletter design attractive and consistent with your company branding? (add 10 points)
  • Do you send from many different email addresses? (subtract 15 points)
  • Do you have lots and lots of images? (subtract 10 points)
  • Do you add personalized content that creates connections, like stories, opinions, and links to videos or a blog? (add 20 points)
  • Do you send the promised content consistently and on schedule? (add 20 points)

Email marketing is a great way to send valuable information to your contacts, but you need to treat it as a 2-way conversation. If the people you’re emailing don’t read, click, or reply to your messages, then eventually your emails might not be delivered at all. Recently, email providers like Gmail and Hotmail began tracking engagement trends to determine which messages their customers want to see and which ones they don’t. Getting permission is only the first step in email marketing. You must also keep people interested in what you’re sending.

Do you want to start using email marketing in your property management business?

Do you want to create and send your own newsletter? Consider purchasing LandlordSource owner and tenant articles to help you send the kind of content that keeps people interested.

Dee Allomong - Director of Marketing for LandlordSourceDee Allomong has over 10 years of experience in Internet technology and strategic marketing. You can reach her at DeeAllomong.com.

Disclaimer: LandlordSource does not represent the article content in this website as legal advice. It is shared information only and up to the reader to use this information responsibly, seeking legal advice as necessary to their business.