* Maintaining regular contact with your audience

* Automating that contact for maximum effectiveness and use of your time

* Creating marketing pieces that can easily be shared with others

Now, if you're like us, you get all fired up to start writing, and you wanna dive right into it.

And to that we have to say, "Whoa, Nelly!"

Because if you're going to spend the time creating the campaign, wouldn't you feel more confident about its potential if you stopped for a few minutes to make sure you get as much out of the effort as possible?

Yep. Thought so. Pleas, grab a pen and paper, or pop open a new Word doc, and consider these seven items:

1. Define the purpose of your campaign.

For some, it's outright sales. Others are meant for relationship-building. Your reason may be entirely different, but be clear on exactly what one thing you hope to achieve.

2. Identify your target audience.

Is it your own in-house list? A specific subset of that list? A partner's or affiliate's list, or maybe one you've purchased? This lays the foundation for knowing the answers to the next questions, all of which are crucial to the success of your campaign.

3. Honor your audience's expectations.

Are they used to all sales emails from you, or do you mix it up with information-rich touches? Do they get text-based emails, HTML emails, or both? How often are they getting email from you already? Knowing the answers to these questions will help you craft a campaign that isn't off-putting, confusing, or ignored by your audience.

4. Respect the Form/Function balance.

Is this a one-shot email, or is it intended to be a series? This affects things like the structure and length of the email content, the level of aggressiveness in your sales pitch, and the call to action you put out to your audience.

5. Manage your expectations.

Industry averages for "successful" campaigns can range from a .03% response rate (for a huge-yet-generic list) to well over 50% (for a highly-niched list with a highly-relevant offer). Look at the performance of previous emails the target audience has received. Be realistic about where you fall in that range. Email campaigns are truly designed to be tested, tweaked, and retested over and over again, so don't expect to hit the ball out of the park with your first big "Send."

6. Mind your ISP manners.

How you send your emails matters a lot! Are you planning to send your marketing emails straight from Microsoft Outlook? Check your Internet Service Provider's policies about bulk emailing. (You may have to send emails out in small batches, for example.) Personally, we use the email/newsletter/list management service provided with AhaCart.com, and it's worked well for us so far. You don't want to go to all the trouble of setting up any kind of email campaign only to have it blocked, spamified, or put into the dreaded junk filter.

7. And most importantly, make sure your campaign fits into your overall marketing strategy.

Done right, this email campaign will be integrated with other marketing channels. (News releases, articles, and blogging are our faves.) And hopefully, it'll be part of a regular Content Plan that lets your audience know you don't just want them for their money.

Ideally, your email campaign will keep your audience engaged with you - regardless of whether they're ready to buy at the moment you email dings into their inboxes. Because as we've been told time and again, people don't buy when you're ready to sell. People buy when they're ready to buy.

And the simple trick to success is this: By implementing consistent, "Dignity Marketing" based communications, you're bound to be there when the buying time comes.