Marketers have the right idea, when it comes to e-mail marketing, but they tend to be a tad optimistic. While they definitely have a sense of what resonates with prospective buyers, according to the latest research from MarketingSherpa, marketers overstate the value of the measures they take to improve click-through rates.

Sixty-three percent of marketers, for example, believe that providing links to other content makes an e-mail newsletter more useful. Prospective buyers agree, but only at a rate of 55 percent. The situation is the same for the ability to navigate from within the message to more detailed content (58 percent for marketers, 51 percent for prospective buyers).

The next key issue for prospective buyers is actually one that marketers are able to address easily: highlighting keywords and pain points. Bold key phrases to show the reader it’s worth his time, a substantial 47 percent of them say, and you’ll get a better response. It doesn’t get much easier than that!

[Source: MarketingSherpa, click the chart to see it in full size]