| Email marketing is a kind of direct marketing | | | | a deluge of unpleasant flame mail. However, many |
| which entails use of electronic mail for | | | | marketers assume that the best way to reach |
| communicating commercial and fund raising | | | | customers by email is by spamming - or sending |
| messages. Emails are usually sent with a purpose | | | | out unsolicited bulk email. But it is not so. Here are |
| of enhancing the relations between the merchant | | | | five ethical ways to use email to promote your |
| and customers. Other purposes may be: * To | | | | product or service: * Build your own house email |
| encourage customer loyalty. * To acquire new | | | | lists. * Start an announcement list. * Publish a free |
| customers. * To convince the existing customers. | | | | email newsletter. * Advertise on opt-in and |
| * Adding advertisement. The Three Elements of a | | | | voluntary email lists. * Advertise in e-zines and |
| Successful Emailing: Offer Basically, your offer | | | | email discussion lists. However, Most of the |
| means, what are you going to give them and | | | | marketers are preventing themselves from being |
| what are they going to give you? The offer is | | | | successful by harboring unrealistic expectations. |
| critical to the success of your email effort. You | | | | These expectations are: Keeping a Low Budget |
| need to be crystal-clear about what your offer is, | | | | It's true that email can be an inexpensive |
| and you need to be crystal-clear in communicating | | | | alternative compared to postal direct mail |
| it to your recipient! List You might have a great | | | | marketing and other methods. But it really doesn't |
| offer, but if you send it to the wrong list it will | | | | means that it wouldn't cost you at all! You have |
| flop. Finding email lists can be quite a challenge! | | | | to keep a fraction of money for it. Expectations |
| Creative In advertising, "creative" refers to the | | | | of Phenomenal Results Unrealistic expectations |
| concept, copy and design of an advertising piece. | | | | about response and conversion rates are not |
| Most email advertising is sent out in plain text, so | | | | limited to email marketing, but they are common |
| you can't do much with design. But good strategy | | | | in this field. An email promotion that offers high |
| and copywriting can make a big difference! Give | | | | value to a well-targeted audience can pull well. |
| careful attention to these three elements of an | | | | Buying or Renting the List In the email marketing |
| emailing. If your effort falls short in any one of | | | | business, we talk about "renting" lists and "buying" |
| these three areas, you can expect a poor | | | | media. Many newcomers mis-understand that |
| response. Things to be kept in mind: 1. If you're | | | | when they rent an email list they will receive the |
| looking for a way to increase the response to | | | | addresses and send out the promotion |
| your email marketing efforts, you should definitely | | | | themselves. Unrealistic expectations often result in |
| consider personalization. Personalization can help | | | | disappointment. Understanding the realities of email |
| you speak directly to your customer or prospect | | | | marketing can help even the beginner to plan a |
| and achieve the much-sought-after goal of | | | | marketing effort with more likelihood of success! |
| one-to-one marketing. It's important to make | | | | Email marketing is one of the most powerful |
| them sound personal, like a one-to-one | | | | marketing tools available for today's small |
| communication from one friend to another, | | | | organizations. Email marketing helps businesses |
| whether you personalize your email marketing | | | | see instant sales from existing customers, but |
| messages or not! 2. Spamming is widely hated | | | | more importantly, it maintains and builds |
| among Internet users. Getting labeled as a | | | | long-lasting, loyal relationships - which are the core |
| spammer can do much more than subject you to | | | | of most successful businesses! |