Email marketing means more than just sending out mass emails to everyone who has ever bought something from your business. A properly conducted email marketing campaign can be complicated to put together, but if you know what you are doing, the rewards can be great. Read on to find out how to do so.
Always get permission! Unsolicited email is not welcome, and in certain cases, can get your ISP blocked. When contacting someone, always include a newsletter or an offer – this way the customer has the chance to agree to receive your messages. The last thing you want is to be branded a spammer.
Always seek permission before sending marketing emails to potential customers. Sending unsolicited emails will quickly have you labeled a spammer. Getting permission to send your messages doesn’t have to be hard; offer something valuable to your customers in exchange for the ability to email them, such as a discount, coupon, or other sign-up incentive.
Steer clear of renting or purchasing lists to pad your email marketing database. Not only do you not know if the emails you have purchased are truly your target market, but the lists can actually hurt your deliver-ability rates and ultimately your reputation. As much as possible, build your list organically.
Be persistent in your attempts to reach customers. You don’t have to send emails daily, but keep in mind that you may not capture a customer’s attention, or business, until he or she has been exposed to your brand or products several times. Touch base often, but not so frequently that it seems too annoying.
To get people to opt-in and give permission for you to send email marketing messages to them, offer an incentive. Offer a discount or a coupon on one of your products or services. Include a whitepaper or newsletter about your niche or market. Give your prospect something in return for access to their inbox.
Keep track of the subject lines on e-mails that get opened and those that do not. Choose an email and split the mailing list in half, sending each half an email with a different subject line. This can help you see which subject lines cause readers to open your messages and which get ignored.
Encourage customers to leave active, as well as passive feedback, in your marketing campaigns via email. Active feedback is obvious: ask for suggestions and opinions from your readers. Passive feedback is very subtle and may not even be obvious to your customers. You can use any type of internet software tool to determine which links get the most clicks.
Put real consideration into where you place links in your marketing newsletters. For example, you don’t want to send readers away from your email before you give them their call to action. You also don’t want to put your priority links at the end of an email where they may be overlooked.
Make it easy to unsubscribe. Make the unsubscribe link clearly visible in your email, allowing someone to stop getting email marketing. This way you are less likely to get reported for sending spam. Also, if someone has unsubscribed, don’t make the mistake of continuing to send them email: that is likely to cause them to complain.
Do not send too much information in one email. Customers will get frustrated and overwhelmed if there is an overabundance of information in a single email. Instead, put a sufficient amount of information in a series of emails and be sure that each one contains a few paragraphs. This will keep their attention.
Offer a bonus, such as a coupon, discount code, or other freebie, in exchange for signing up for your email mailing list. People love receiving free things. An email address is low in value to the customer but high in value to you as a business. People will gladly trade their contact information in exchange for a 10% discount off their next purchase.
Include an audit memo on the follow-up emails that you send to your clients. Paste a link on your message that tells them to download this right now. The ending postscript could convince these clients that now is the time for them to experience success, and they can do so by following the link provided.
Your customers will be more open to your email marketing campaign if you let them choose the frequency of your messages when they sign up. Knowing how often they can expect to hear from you will keep them from feeling surprised or overwhelmed by your messages. This will make them more receptive to what you have to say.
Don’t make it hard for people to unsubscribe from your email list. The link to unsubscribe should be noticeably visible in all of your correspondence. I f you hide the link, not only some customers think that you are doing something untoward, but you may also receive complaints about spam.
Make your emails focus on your audience, not yourself. Your customers are the ones that make your campaign a hit or a failure Be a great resource to them and try to do what you can to include feedback from them. This can be with polls, comments, etc. Getting them engaged may help you build beneficial relationships for your business’s future.
Implement a double opt in. Sometimes clicking a little box to signify that you want to receive e-mails slips by a person. To eliminate complaints of spam, use a double opt in. Have the person confirm that they wish to receive e-mails by verifying their e-mail or clicking a second button.
Running a great email marketing campaign can seem like a daunting prospect, but do not let your fears prevent you from getting started. As you have seen, it does not have to be a onerous chore. If you remember the advice you have read in the preceding article, you should be able to put together a highly effective campaign.
