UrbanDaddy is taking care of business by finding its way into young consumers' inboxes.

UrbanDaddy is taking care of business by finding its way into young consumers' inboxes. The email magazine, which primarily targets men, offers consumers location-specific insight on what to do in the neighborhoods near them. Building a business on marketing emails requires content of the highest quality, but the success of UrbanDaddy should serve as a reminder to marketers that strong copy and personalization can boost email subscriber lists across industries.

Daily emails are sent to subscribers in city locations across the nation, each offering a tip on where to go or what to do. The emails contain one short article, typically reviewing a local establishment or highlighting an upcoming community event. The concise messages are really appreciated by loyal subscribers – one blogger gives the company a link in his popular online publication, RealFoodies.com, explaining, "I love UrbanDaddy because they give it to me short and sweet."

By appealing to consumers with content that addresses local interests, the brand ensures its emails are relevant; as Brafton reported earlier this year, ExactTarget's Email X-Factors shows that 41 percent of U.S. internet users said they would discontinue business with a company that did not offer relevant information.

Relevancy is on UD officials' minds. They explain, "UrbanDaddy takes its content and its readers very seriously. This means we spend a lot of time and effort finding things we think you'd like to know about."

The brand takes on a sassy but informative tone, letting readers know the business stays ahead of city trends. To appeal to its young male audience, the brand uses cool phrases, such as a line reviewing a restaurant in Boston: "Say you're at some gala event at the ICA, and your leggy date suddenly gets that 'I need veal' look in her eye." These messages establish UrbanDaddy as the authority figure on cool urban nightlife. Other companies can make themselves thought leaders by including information on the latest industry news in their emails and adopting a tone befitting of their brands.

In addition to perfecting its tone, UrbanDaddy gets it right with use of intriguing, relevant promotions. At the bottom of every email, subscribers have the chance to click a "perks" tab to receive an exclusive offer related to the article at hand. Additionally, at the top of each message, recipients see a customized "My UD" profile that tells them how many "available perks" they have.

Perks and personalization are sound strategies for boosting subscribers. ExactTarget's report 62 percent of online shoppers say they sign up for emails in the hopes of receiving promotional offers, and another study from MailerMailer explains that personalization in the body of an email improves open rates.

Whether brands' business models are linked to emails (like UrbanDaddy) or email is a piece of an overall marketing strategy, the moral of the story is that content is key. From interesting copy to exciting offers, marketers should make the content in their marketing messages relevant to their target audience

Katherine Griwert is Brafton's Marketing Director. She's practiced content marketing, SEO and social marketing for over five years, and her enthusiasm for new media has even deeper roots. Katherine holds a degree in American Studies from Boston College, and her writing is featured in a number of web publications.