Here on the VerticalResponse Blog we’ve never had a problem using puns or a play on words in our posts, and this title follows that glorious history (with apologies to Oscar Wilde). Funny title, sure, but the subject is pretty important for email marketers: Links. You have links in your email… everyone does, right? Wait, not everyone? Good thing we have this blog post then! Here are 5 tips to get you linking:

1. Link images – Most people know they can click an image to go somewhere, so be sure to link your images and let them do just that. VerticalResponse will track the clicks for you (as we do all links in your email), so you can see what images are being clicked and who is clicking them. Just make sure you’re linking to a destination your customer is expecting. For example, link an image of a product in your email to a page with more information on that product, not just your homepage. Your customer may lose interest fast if they need to hunt around your website looking for the right page.

2. Use call-to-action buttons – Links are great, but to ensure you get engagement, use call-to-action buttons. Someone thinking about visiting to your website will feel even more compelled to click on a button to do just that.

For even bigger points, use a colorful button to help your recipients understand what they need to do. And we can help you with this: check out our free button-building site at buttons.verticalresponse.com.

3. Include “read more” links -Does your email contain news or content articles? Give your readers teaser copy to catch their interest, then provide a link to read the rest of the article. This makes it much easier for your recipients to find what they want in your email, and you get more data on their engagement with a click.

4. Provide social links – Don’t forget to include social media links. Your recipients want to find you on social sites, so make it easy for them. Allow them to share your email through social sharing and follow you on whatever social platforms you are using.

5. Get them to your website – Ultimately your goal is to get customers to your website. Give them lots of opportunities to do so with links. Sprinkle links throughout your email so when your recipients are ready to visit your site, they can and easily. Is there a certain number of links you should use? No. The important thing about links is that they go to a good site with a good reputation. If not, you could find your email getting flagged as spam.

Once you send out your email, use our reporting tool to see what links were important to your recipients. You’ll be able to see which links are clicked the most and where in the email they’re clicking, allowing you to continue to give them what they need. While it may be important to be earnest, it’s even more important to link!

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