A cornerstone of a building usually directs how all other bricks will be arranged. And that same concept should work for your email strategy, according to John Kenyon, nonprofit technology consultant and educator. He outlined four email cornerstones at NTEN’s 2009 Nonprofit Technology Conference to keep your email communication foundation solid:

• Personalize. Personalization doesn’t just work for direct mail. People want to feel a relationship with your organization’s mission. If you don’t know your audience, those constituents just may forget about you.
• Target. People come to your organization for a variety of different reasons. Segment your list in a way that makes sense to your constituents. For example, an organization focusing on a particular disease may want to send a different type of message to someone with that illness than a caregiver.
• Integrate. Create streamlined communications that tie your channels together. For example, if you send a direct mail piece make sure the Web site mentions the piece or campaign on the homepage where people can get more information.
• Track your statistics. Kenyon said to seek out data from your emails. Track how people are using the emails and what are high and low points of engagement. But then use that data to reformulate your next email.

courtesy The NonProfit Times