If you're considering starting up an email marketing campaign, then you have picked the busiest ? and potentially the most profitable ? time to do so. Christmas is looming, and ahead of it come the weeks where the most online shopping of the year takes place. To make the most of this massive potential, here are seven hints and tips for getting off to a flying start:



Lavish care on the subject. When sending marketing emails, you need a zinger of a subject line to grab the potential customer's attention and prevent your message being sent, unread, to the trash folder. The best email marketing software enables you to check the number of contacts who bother to open your emails. This makes it easier to see which emails were the most successful, and which subject lines appear to have been the most tempting.

Stay short and snappy. Once your recipient opens your email, you need to hold their attention. You have only a few seconds before they decide the message is either boring or irrelevant ? this is why long and rambling messages are the kiss of death for conversions and sales. Get straight into the nitty gritty of your offer or promotional message and leave the details about your company for later.

Be graphic. Images and graphics are a sure-fire way to beef up your email marketing. Research has shown that consumers respond far more heavily to messages containing images than text-only emails. Don't overdo them ? you don't want to cause a migraine! ? but make sure they're an integral part of your email marketing strategy.



Keep options simple. In most cases, this should mean including just one ?call to action? in your email, rather than several options. Too many different chances to act often leads to customers dithering and not taking any action at all. Clearly light their path!



Mobile friendliness. Another essential part of your strategy is ensuring that all your messages are set up to be properly displayed by mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. The mobile revolution is very real, and nowadays the lion's share of online commercial transactions take place from mobile devices. This goes triple during this time of Christmas shopping! Email marketing software can help you confirm your messages' compatibility with all mobile platforms.



Stay relevant. Once you've a list of subscribers, the need to segment your emails will become more apparent, so start harvesting that data now, with the aid of your software. Some contacts will need targeting differently than others and may unsubscribe if they feel your emails are not relevant. Avoid sending introductory offers to long-time subscribers, for instance.



Don't overdo it. Do not bombard your subscribers with emails. Twice a week is the absolute maximum to send out messages ? more than that and they will become annoyed and unsubscribe. Even twice a week is pushing it, although Christmas time's a good time to increase the pressure slightly.