Are you securing email addresses from customers at every opportunity? Do you have a signup box on your Web site? Does your sales staff ask for an email address when they're on the phone with a customer or prospect?

What information are you asking for when you secure an email address? Are you asking too much, and possibly losing signups? Or are you not asking enough to be able to send targeted mailings? Do you have a strong privacy policy that states you never share customer information, and do your customers know about it?

Have you been sending to the same list for some time now and seeing declining open rates? Try sending a message to those who aren't opening your messages and ask if they still want to receive emails from you. Perhaps they're interested in receiving different content from you, or maybe you can remove them and cut down your list size.

Does your content meet the "What's In It For Me?" test? Do readers feel they are receiving emails with information that is of value to them, not just advertising or marketing messages? Do you offer customers a choice of which emails they receive from you? Don't just guess - Let subscribers tell you what they want to get from you!

Are you sending the same mesage to everyone on your list? Try customizing your content and templates to target specific segments of your audience to increase open rates and activity. The more relevant the content is to your subscriber, the more interested he will be.

So you're monitoring open and click-through rates for a sudden change, but do you know what happens after a reader clicks on one of your links? Without a mechanism in place to further track that reader, he or she is lost! Using a web analytics tool, like ClickTracks Pro, lets you see where your reader went after she clicked, and if she made a purchase. Now you can track revenue, not just clicks, and get an even better understanding of your email marketing ROI.

Changing purchasing cycles
An auto dealer sends emails to clients when someone requests a specific used vehicle. He offers them an enticing trade-in offer as well as a great value for a new purchase.

Supporting enthusiasts
A professional sports team sends emails to fans giving them the latest scoop and an "inside look" at the team and season.

Driving people to events
A major radio station sends messages to subscribers to let them know about upcoming promotions and help stimulate buzz around events they are sponsoring. Several associations use email to announce webinars and drive people to register online.

Consolidating news
A chemical organization consolidates headlines from all of the best industry journals and resources, and emails to their constituents. Recipients can quickly see what's happening in their industry and the sender reinforces it is an expert in the industry.

Promoting best practices
Several organizations in retail, real estate, and food and beverage use internal email newsletters to ensure dissemination of best practices, important announcements, and encourage sales growth. Many highlight offices or employees with outstanding sales figures.

Ensure consistent corporate branding
Corporations with multiple divisions who send business-to-consumer messages want to ensure a consistent look and feel to safeguard their brand. An email marketing platform that allows content and templates to be shared across several accounts means separate branches can send to their own lists while maintaining a professional, branded image.