And more complicated.  And less effective.  And what about video and mobile?

Does that mean you should look for the latest shiny marketing object to try and find a silver bullet for your (email) marketing?

In short, the answer is no.

When you start to think thoughts like this, you are clearly starting to think about the wrong things.  I usually will suggest you go back to the basics building blocks of email marketing and focus on getting good at those.

In order to keep your email marketing skills in tip top shape follow these 10 email tips and stick to the fundamentals.  You’ll continue to get solid results this way and not get worried or taken off track.

10 Email Tips

1. When you compose your email, pretend you are writing to just one person.  Get a clear impression of them in your head?
2. When you write your emails, write it the way you would say it… write if if you really, really mean it.
3. Create a compelling subject line and make sure you are NOT trying to be clever, tricky, funny, or too obtuse.  (Don’t use words like obtuse either)
4. Make each message focused on ONE topic or subject matter. People are busy and you make it easy for them to read and deal with your message.
5. Make your messages short… as short as you can.  While you’re at it, make them clear and easy to understand.
6. Use a visible call-to-action in your message. Tell people WHY they should take your call-to-action.
7. Don’t send the same email to everyone. Segment your list into smaller groups and talk to them (see Tip #1)
8. Make your email design clean, one column, easy to view on mobile phones and smaller devices.
9. Send a test message. Every. Single. Time. Check for formatting, layout, spelling, preview pane, links working, and do this even if you make a single, minor change before sending.
10. Split test!  Write competing subject lines, offers, layouts, and see if you can find a winner.  You’ll learn a lot about your audience and over the long term you’ll get better results.