What makes an effective e-mail message? Weeding through inboxes has become a national pastime these days, so it’s no secret that not everything you send to people, whether it be a “forward” to your friends or an e-mail to your customers, will be read.

Even though folks are becoming more particular about the e-mail they receive, e-mail marketing remains a fantastic option to reach customers, especially if you are running a small business. Savvy entrepreneurs know there are a number of ways you can ensure your message gets read.

Easy Contact by Deluxe, a provider of e-mail solutions for businesses, offers the following 10 tips to make sure you deliver effective messages to your customers:

1. Let your customers know what they’ll be receiving when they sign up for your e-mail newsletter. If possible, alert them to the frequency of e-mails and the content you will be providing.

2. Communicate consistently. While each message should be unique, customers should know roughly when you might be sending e-mails and what they might contain.

3. It’s all in the subject line. Keep them short – subjects should be no longer than 50 characters long – and make the recipient interested in what’s inside.

4. Offer incentives. Offering discounts or complimentary items for those who read your messages is a great incentive to keep them reading.

5. Create a countdown. You can politely create a sense of urgency with customers if you tell them they have X number of days to take advantage of a sale.

6. Customize messages. If possible, tailor your messages to certain demographics and send information you think would be interesting to each customer based on past buying behavior. Segment your customer lists by their interests.

7. There’s no substitute for great content. Pass along items that your customers will find interesting. For example, if you sell cooking supplies, you could send out weekly recipes.

8. Ask your customers for input. If a number of people would like to see something in your newsletter, do your best to accommodate them, as it will strengthen your relationship with them.

9. Provide a clear and direct call to action. The e-mail should have a uniform theme and offer the customer a few nuggets of useful information.

10. Make purchasing effortless for your customer. Promotional codes or coupons should be easy to find within the message. If you link to an online purchasing option, customers should be able to complete a purchase quickly, needing as little information as possible to complete the purchase.