Having an email newsletter is one of the most powerful and cost-effective ways to communicate with your constituents in a positive way. However, I've noticed that many organizations are not taking full advantage of this medium. There are many subtle guidelines that are important to follow when publishing an email newsletter. Here are a few tips to help maximize the effectiveness of your newsletters.

1. Utilize a professional design. It amazes me how many times I receive an email newsletter that contains broken images, low-quality photos, and incorrectly formatted content. Most people get at least some spam and you want to make sure that your newsletter does not look like all the poorly-formatted spam that gets sent today. Make sure you are using a professionally-design email template that matches the branding of your company.

2. Keep the content subscriber-focused. Most organizations make the mistake of filling their email newsletters with "look at us!" promotions and "latest specials". News flash: your subscribers want value from the newsletter. They do not want more marketing. A great way to structure your newsletter is to make the main article a useful piece of information that educates your subscribers, offers them useful information, and gives them something they can take away and use. Marketing messages will get ignored and lead to unsubscribes while useful content will get saved and read. There is nothing wrong with promoting your business in the sidebar areas but keep the main content useful to your subscribers.

3. Stick to an appropriate schedule. Another common mistake is to send out your newsletter whenever you feel like it or whenever you have something new to announce. Big mistake! The more sporadic your newsletter is, the more it will feel like spam. Pick a schedule and stick to it. We've found that every 2 weeks is a very good standard to follow. Once a week is often enough to be annoying but once a month is infreqent enough to be forgotten. Every two weeks is a great balance and gives your subscribers a routine to get used to. We also recommend sending on a Friday morning.

4. Give your subscribers an easy escape via one-click unsubscribe. Any unsubscribe process that takes more than a single click is absolutely unacceptable. I am always amazed at newsletters, even from large companies, that require me to "update my subscription preferences" in order to unsubscribe, or ask me to send them an email with "Unsubscribe" in the subject line. This is burdensome and rude. Your subscribers may have very valid reasons for wanting to leave. It's their choice... let them unsubscribe easily. It's also important that your unsubscribe process is automatic and instant. Additionally, if your unsubscribe process is too difficult, your subscribers are more likely to simply flag your message as spam, which can lead to you getting blacklisted on the Internet. Very bad!

5. Keep your list clean and 100% opt-in. Adding subscribers to your list without their consent is very bad manners. It can also get you flagged as a spammer. Just because you exchanged business cards with someone at a networking event does not give you permission to add his/her email address to your list. Just because your local chamber of commerce gives you a spreadsheet of all the members' email addresses does not give you permission to dump that spreadsheet into your list. If you add subscribers to your list, make sure your have their consent. Offer an easy way to subscribe on your web site. If you meet someone in person, ask for his/her permission to subscribe that person. It's better to have a list of 500 people who want to hear from you than a list of 5,000 people who don't.

These small details can make a huge impact on the effectiveness of your email newsletter. By following proper newsletter ettequitte and establishing your organization as an expert in your field, you will be able to build and strengthen trust with your audience.