It's cheap, easy and fast, so e-mail's a marketing tactic few can (or should) resist. But take care: on any given day, you may be competing against dozens - or maybe hundreds - of other e-mails, plus quick trigger-fingers poised over "delete” keys. Here are a few ways to increase the likelihood that your e- mail gets opened, read and acted upon.

Write clear, relevant subject lines. The subject line is the first thing potential readers see as your e-mail is registered in their in-boxes. Anything that smacks of let's-make-a-deal talk - with words such as "free,” "special,” "act now” and the like - screams "spam!” and is begging for deletion. Instead, identify yourself to remind recipients of your previously established relationship, and speak to the core message immediately, i.e., "Pet HQ's winter prep tips for dogs”

Use a familiar "from” address. People don't like to open doors, or e-mail, from strangers. It's best if your mail is sent from a familiar personality. At the very least, it should be from an address with your server/path, i.e., "jsmith@pethq.com.”

Make an offer, then make it again. And again. Plan on including a hyperlink to your offer in at least three places in your mail: between the headline and the body; in the middle of the body; and at the end. The whole point of your e-mail is to get respondents to take action, so give '

em plenty of opportunity to do so. Example offer link: "Schedule your pet's check up and get our free winter health guide today.”

Move the particulars to your website. People like to skim their e-mail, so whittle your message to its bare-bone essence: your offer and how to get it. Move all the proof points and other elaborations to a page on your website readers can reach via links. Example: "For more information about pets and cold weather, see our Seasonal Guidelines.”

Don't neglect the opt-out. Let your readers be in control. Always include a reminder that they can link to a page to be automatically unsubscribed from future messages. This simple reassurance can often remove the taint of imposition from your e-mails and dissuade recipients from cutting you off.

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