At Next-Mark, we use Associated Press style, unless we’re asked to do otherwise. This works well for me, as my roots are dug deep in journalism. It also works well for our clients when we’re talking to working journalists via press releases, news alerts or advisories. It’s a matter of not wasting their time and respecting what they do by speaking the same language.

The latest version of the AP Style Book (“The journalist’s bible wherever you are”) was released this past May, “optimized for the desktop, laptop, smartphone and tablet.” The version sitting next to me has a copyright of 1977, handwritten changes and a stamped reminder to “return to” a newspaper that went belly up in the ‘80s.

Yeah, we’ve both been around a long time.

I was taught that AP style was created not only in the name of consistency, but also brevity – using the fewest punctuation marks and shortest accepted spellings to allow for more copy per space. That’s why its perhaps most recognizable trait is a long-held disdain for the use of a comma before “and” in a series. Today, that also extends to having only one space after a sentence.

Of course, you don’t have to know AP style or be a former journalist to write a press release, but it does go a long way in making it easier for editors to accept, as rewriting corporate announcements are not exactly the dream they hoped to live.

In later blogs, we’ll talk about other roads to journalists’ hearts. For now, though, remember there’s a method to the madness of getting press attention – and sometimes it’s a matter of style.

This post is part 2 of a 2-part series on email marketing best practices. This week, we present ten tips for creating effective marketing emails. In Part 1 of our mini-series, we focused on the current landscape of email marketing.

1. You Don’t Need the Kitchen Sink

With marketing emails, less is, emphatically, more. Take care to limit the amount of copy in your emails; only provide the most pertinent information; and, feature your call to action prominently.

2. Be True to Your Brand Promise

As with other aspect of your marketing plan and your business, your marketing emails should be true to your brand. Your emails should reinforce your brand’s unique promise and reflect your brand identity.

3. Know Your Audience

Select the optimal email list to appropriately target your audience. If time and resources allow, test your campaign on a random sample of recipients from your list then use your findings to tweak your email before sending it out to the whole list.

4. Monitor Your Results

Most email partners (e.g., Constant Contact , SilverPop) collect metrics such as open and click through rates and provide you with tools to monitor results. Be sure to share these results with colleagues and stakeholders.

5. Integrate Social Media

Give your recipients the tools to share your email on their social networks and follow your company on your social networks.

6. Don’t be an Email Nuisance

First up, know your company’s rules and policies on spam. Many companies require that marketing emails or newsletters make it easy for recipients to unsubscribe or opt-out. Getting lots of un-subscribes? It’s probably a sign that it’s time to move to a different list.

7. Select an Optimal Email Partner

There are a lot of email marketing software providers to choose from. Some solutions for small businesses include: Vertical Response, MailChimp, Constant Contact and iContact. Large businesses can turn to enterprise systems like Silverpop, Eloqua, Marketo, and Pardot or opt for CRM integration.

8. Keep Mobile Applications Top of Mind

A large portion of people opening your email will be doing so from a mobile device. Keep screen size in mind when writing and designing your emails – use simple subject lines, streamline your design and prioritize content.

9. Create Sustainable Templates

Using your brand’s look-and-feel, create a simple template that you can re-use for different campaigns. No need to re-invent them each time – a template will make it easy for you to create your emails and make them recognizable.

10. Emails are only One Solution

Emails are only solution in an arsenal of many marketing communications tools.  Be sure to integrate your email marketing efforts with other strategic marketing initiatives for powerful results.

Years ago, I was writing the script for a meeting that included the Deputy Secretary of the Treasury, or “DepSec,” as we said. The first time I used the abbreviation in the computer document, however, a box popped up that said, “Do you mean ‘dipstick’?”

No, I most certainly did not. And, besides, I’ll have you know that I’ve always been quite capable of making mistakes on my own, thank you, without electronic assistance.

I was reminded of this by a recent online article about common errors made by even the most professional writers – all by themselves.

One of my own pet peeves targeted in the post was the repetition of words, as in,  “The recently announced program is one of the first programs ever addressing this problem, and the program format is designed for maximum participant participation in the program.” While such sentences get the point across, they can raise doubts about your attention to detail.

A second was misplaced modifiers, as in:  “Created in the 17^th century, visitors will be amazed by the architecture of the mosque.” Hopefully, the mosque, not the people, debuted in the 1600s. Otherwise, there’s a bigger story there.

One noted “error” that cut a little too close to home involved phrases one tends to use over and over. While this makes readers feel they know you, it also can dampen the copy’s effect. (That said, I had to consider that I use “that said” and “consider” way too much.)

You’ve seen legions of other writing errors, I’m sure, from incorrect choices among homonyms to the eternal confusion between “which” and “that.” On the downside, they can make you wonder about the writer; on the upside, they can make you feel superior.

Still, the fact that someone cared enough to write an article gave me both hope and inspiration: hope that respect for language lives on and inspiration to do better by it.

On May 9, pollster and columnist Michael Barone used the example of higher education’s bubble bursting to show the market’s natural tendency to right the ship.

However, he also pointed out that unnatural influences on that tendency can delay natural correction. This is a reminder that, while the road to market share is always paved with good intentions, it’s a good idea to make sure we’re using the right touch before taking the wheel.

There’s a lesson here for marketing, as well, where a lack of finesse can be seen in messaging that is layered on too thickly in an attempt to hit the right note.

That’s why, at Next-Mark, we keep in mind that message overkill isn’t the answer; rather, it’s the right message and timing of it that matters.

Back to Barone’s point: Helping the market toward course correction isn’t a bad thing as long as the hand on the tiller doesn’t overdo it.

Otherwise, you wind up turning in circles – and losing sight of your charted course.

This post is part 1 of a 2-part series on email marketing best practices. This week, we’re focusing on the current landscape of email marketing. Next up, best practices for creating effective emails.

Email marketing has become rather humdrum in the marketing world, with many questioning whether email campaigns yield results and if email is overused as a marketing vehicle.  Despite marketers’ misgivings, email marketing is alive and well. Read below to get a sense of the current landscape in email marketing – information we hope you can use to make your email campaigns more effective.

Email by the numbers:  According to Forrester Research, spending on email marketing in the US will balloon to $2 billion by 2014 — a nearly 11 percent compound annual growth rate. As a result of this spending, consumers will be deluged with more than 9,000 email marketing messages annually.

Common email mistakes: Weak subject lines, too much or poorly selected content, poorly selected email lists, lack of integration with social media, and poor timing of emails rank among the top email mistakes. Learning from others’ mistakes will help make your email campaigns more effective. (Stay tuned for part 2 in our series for our list of email marketing best practices.)

Some email insights: The majority of email actions (i.e., opens, forwards, deletes) occur within the first 12 hours of deployment. 50 percent of opens occur within 12 hours of deployment. 86 percent of opens occur within three days of deployment. Initial emails are opened more quickly than the second in the stream.

The Next-Mark team was recently award an Image Award of Distinction for Promotional Marketing by the Florida Public Relations Association of Florida.

Working collaboratively with the Nuance marketing team, Next-Mark developed the tagline “Destination: Best” to promote the product’s superiority in the market and brand promise. Next-Mark then used Nuance market research to build a campaign that would focus on PowerScribe’s ability to deliver productive radiologists, loyal referring physicians, healthier patients and a prosperous business. Incorporation of a strategically designed arrow reinforced forward movement toward success and excellence while supporting the brand’s visual identity.

A primary campaign objective was to get individual prospects and current customers to schedule a demonstration of PowerScribe 360 at the show. Pre-show campaign elements included a targeted microsite, with original photography and a video written, designed and produced by Next-Mark. New thought-leadership resources also were created for use on the site, implementing content management in support of the campaign. A series of compelling email blasts were issued to drive traffic to the site, offering premiums to those who signed up for a demonstration at the show or, in the case of non-attendees, requested an executive briefing.

Reinforced with a full-page ad in the show daily, the on-site campaign included signage and banners on escalators and stairways, all pointing the way to the best and, of course, the Nuance booth, which incorporated the new visuals and messaging.

Nuance Healthcare reported a record number of both visitors to its booth and prospect demonstrations performed. Going forward in the year-long campaign, the Next-Mark team will work with Nuance in leveraging these successes to support Nuance Healthcare in reaching its audiences – and its goals.

View the Destination: Best video.