E-Mail Marketing
With proper education and the support of a well-rounded
internet marketing agenda, an e-mail marketing strategy can be cost-effective and
a high-response-rate tool for developing relationships with receptive audiences.
E-mail marketing allows a web experience to transform from passive to interactive
through means of establishing consistent communication with the customer by informing
them of promotional events, special offers, and marketing campaigns, and from newsletters,
surveys, and sweepstakes.
E-mail marketing should not replace a business's overall
marketing program. However, there are two aspects of this particular media of marketing
that provide great appeal: it is virtually free and provides immediate response.
There are no printing or postage costs. The expense is creating the message, a low
sacrifice relative to projected rate-of-return. Response time is generally
less than 72 hours, according to when it was received and whether or not there was
a reply.
Permission-based, or opt-in, e-mail marketing separates
itself from other illegitimate e-mail tactics, such as spamming or e-mail blasts,
by targeting people who have willingly offered e-mail addresses in relation to the
business through previous association. Equally important to an ethical web-based
relationship is the ability for the receiver to opt-out when desired.
If the foundation of an e-mail marketing campaign is based upon these principles,
then potential to develop loyal relationships and repeat business is significantly
gained.
Permission-based email marketing can be broken down into
the following process:
- Email Lead Capture
- Database Profiling
- Effective Message
The pre-requisite to executing a successful e-mail marketing
program is an evolving and continual collection of e-mail addresses. Collecting
e-mail addresses and centralizing them into a proper database will allow for businesses
to target relevant information to the appropriate set of people.
There are several ways of collecting e-mail addresses.
Permission-based e-mail marketing directs communication by way of e-mail messages
to people with previous, current, or associated contact with a particular business.
One great method of e-mail collection is on a web site. This is an easy way of providing
an interactive online experience and getting e-mail addresses from potential or
current customers expressing interest in a company's products/services-especially
if there is reason or value attached to the e-mail address, such as a free gift.
Collecting business cards, requesting e-mail addresses from the customer by phone,
or person-to person exchange are just some of the ways of generating a good e-mail
list.
The e-mail lists that are frequently bought and sold
online are usually not practical; they do not target people who are interested in
the product or service and are often outside of the target area. Cheap, easily
attained lists that are the driving force of e-mail blasts will often cause banning.
Quality lists are available, but are rarely affordable to a small business.
A company's e-mail list should continuously grow and be
maintained. Contacts should be profiled within the context of their association,
status with the business, expressed interests, occupation, and so forth in accordance
to business objectives. Is the contact a prospect or a customer? Are
they a decision maker within a company? A good customer relations software
program, such as Microsoft CRM, is an excellent tool for managing and organizing
e-mail contacts.
Once a database of e-mail addresses is established, a
message can be created. An e-mail message should link to a web page providing
the real pitch and carry a sense of urgency.
Other requirements of an effective message are:
- It must have value to the reader
- It must be relevant to the contact's
interests
- It should have clear intent with
a well-thought out purpose
- It must not promise something it
can't deliver
The best way to determine the effectiveness of an
e-mail message is to test market. Testing two different messages
against a split group of contacts and measuring the response generates insightful
statistics that lend to a more successful e-mail marketing campaign. For example,
a message can be tested with or without graphics to determine which is more productive.
A web analytics program or e-mail database program capable of splitting lists and
measuring response is necessary to achieve this purpose.