Email Marketing Overview

Email is a simple, fast, cost-effective and powerful way to communicate with customers and prospects. Incorporating email marketing into your overall marketing and advertising campaign will:

• Save you money — Over time, the cost of printing and postage for traditional mail campaigns far outweighs the cost of creating and managing an email marketing program.
• Save you time — Your message can be simultaneously sent to an unlimited number of people around the world. Once you have established a list of email recipients and created your first message, updating names and content is easy.
• Generate solid sales leads — Unlike traditional blanket marketing techniques, you’ll only be sending messages to people who want to receive them.

As a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and lead generation tool, email marketing is unparalleled in terms of flexibility. You can use email to deliver e-newsletters, promote special offers and discounts, distribute online catalogs, send new product announcements or invitations, and even support an existing advertising or direct mail campaign. For example, you might send a coupon in the mail and send an email a week later to remind people to use the coupon on your site or bring it to your store.

Make the Most of Your Recipient List
The most important component of any email marketing campaign is the contact list. If you have a list of email addresses from customers who have agreed to be placed on your mailing list — via a sign-up form on your web site, from sales or service calls, or after making a purchase — you’re well on your way. Collecting email addresses from customers and prospects (and getting their permission to send emails to them) always should be a top priority.

As you collect more information, you may need additional tools to maintain your list so that you can use it in building relationships. You may consider working with an email marketing firm that offers solutions for storing and managing your email database. Such resources allow you to view and edit your lists and manage bounces and unsubscribes automatically.

Design Your Campaign
Making an impact and reinforcing your brand in every email communication will lead to better results and more sales — whether you’re sending an e-newsletter, special promotion, or simple announcement.

• First, make sure that the look and tone of your emails matches your web site and other marketing materials.
• Second, send timely, relevant information designed to get a response — customers should be inspired to make a purchase or at least visit your site every time they receive an email from you.
• Third, have one goal in mind for each message you send to avoid confusing customers. If you are promoting a sale now, there’s no need to mention that you’ll have another sale in six months. Remember, people are busy and tend to skim email so keep your message clear and concise.

There are a number of ways to build effective content for your marketing emails. You may hire an outside vendor who will work with you to create messages and track results. However, if you want to handle your own campaign, a new generation of email marketing resources makes it easier than ever to build personal, relevant emails and experience great results.

Don’t Let Your Messages Be Mistaken for Spam
The people receiving your messages want to be receiving them — that’s why they gave you their addresses — so it’s important that your message reaches their inboxes. Many people use spam filters to block unwanted messages, and if your email looks like spam to the blocker, it may never reach your customer.

The subject line is an important part of your message. Good subject lines are clear, straightforward, and reference content of the email. In addition, subject lines should be kept short (45-50 characters). To avoid spam filters, the subject line should not contain exclamation points and avoid terms such as “WIN!” and “free.” Users delete these messages, and spam filters often catch these. The “From” field is also important. Use a real email address that a customer can reply to. Using an address that doesn’t identify you or your company will raise a red flag for spam blockers.

Measure and Track Your Progress
Keeping tabs on the results of your email campaigns can help you justify the expense of the program and determine what improvements you can make to increase your response rate. The three main components to track include:

• Open rates — How many people open the message.
• Click-through rates — How many people visit your site directly from a link in the email.
• Unsubscribe rates — How many people are asking to be removed from your email list.

Email marketing gives your business a real edge in today’s highly competitive marketplace. As more and more consumers use email as a primary medium for communication, it will become a critical component of your marketing efforts. Taking the time to reach the right customers, provide the best information, inspire a response, and track your success can make email one of the most cost-effective tools in your marketing arsenal.

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