| Email marketing is one of the most powerful, effective | | | | as you begin to acquire your list make sure to break it |
| ways to market your company and its products, but | | | | up. This process will vary depending on who you work |
| it's often overlooked. | | | | with, generally you will have clients/customers, vendors, |
| Email - What is Email? | | | | leads, friends & family, etc. As your list grows and |
| Well, unless you've been hiding for a generation, email | | | | you continue to hone in on your email marketing skills |
| or electronic mail, has become the #1 form of | | | | the more targeted your list is the better. |
| communication in modern society. According to recent | | | | DO NOT USE PAID LISTS - Paid lists or compiling |
| estimates, the number is approaching around 60 Billion | | | | randomly found email addresses from websites |
| email messages per day! | | | | throughout the net - although allowed - will lead to |
| Email is popular. Friends and family use it to stay in | | | | nothing but trouble in all but the most lucky or extreme |
| touch across long distances. Co-workers use it when | | | | of cases. Simply put, do not solicit to anyone that you |
| it's more convenient than getting up and walking over | | | | haven't physically met or asked to a part of the |
| or picking up the phone. Email is used to verify who | | | | newsletter - email marketing, when done right will take |
| you are (on various websites)... email is everywhere. | | | | more time, but in the long run it will be more effective, |
| Knowing that email use is so prevalent it brings us to | | | | have a higher return, and will keep you out of trouble. |
| our next section - why email marketing? | | | | Marketing to people who have not asked or given you |
| Why Email Marketing? | | | | permission can get your account banned from |
| In preparing for this article I was able to come up with | | | | different services (if you are using a paid email |
| 5 major reasons why a company or entity should do | | | | newsletter service) destroying any hard work you put |
| email marketing. These 6 reasons really ignore email | | | | into the design or creation of your targeted lists. |
| marketing's statistics - low cost, high effectiveness, etc. | | | | Marketing to people who have not given you |
| and really just concentrate on the benefits to your | | | | permission can also lead to the server where you |
| business after you've implemented: | | | | send out the messages becoming black listed - hurting |
| - The Amazing Return On Investment | | | | anyone else on that same server and leading to |
| - Sales & Discounts | | | | overall mail problems for your business and the other |
| - News | | | | businesses on the server. |
| - Surveys | | | | Creating Your Email Newsletter |
| - Saying in Front! (of your competition, of your clients, | | | | You're ready to go, you've decided you want to do an |
| of vendors) | | | | email newsletter. You've spent sometime gathering |
| Return on Investment - According to Direct Marketing | | | | some addresses what do you do next? |
| Association, email marketing generated an ROI of | | | | Service: - Create your email. There are a number of |
| $51.58 for every dollar spent on it in 2006. The | | | | ways to do this. If you are on a very small budget or |
| expected figure for 2007 is $48.56, and the prediction | | | | just starting out you can simply use your own email, |
| for 2008 is $45.65. Email marketing to in house lists | | | | outlook, hotmail, or yahoo will all work fine. Paste your |
| outperforms all the other direct marketing like print | | | | contact emails, draft a short message and hit send. |
| pieces, brochures, sales pamphlets, etc. Email | | | | Outlook users can also do what's called a mail merge - |
| marketing is incredibly inexpensive to produce and | | | | and if you've setup your email list through an excel |
| replicate, but incredibly effective. | | | | document you can merge appropriate fields for a |
| Send Information - there's always stuff going on at | | | | more personalized message. |
| your business. You have updates, you have changes, | | | | If you're looking for something more advanced, maybe |
| you have information that your customers would | | | | something that is designed to look like a newsletter |
| appreciate having, and would appreciate knowing. | | | | with your logo, you can play around with the tools the |
| Email marketing allows you to get out this information | | | | above services offer or move to a complete email |
| in an extremely efficient manner. Compose one email | | | | newsletter service. |
| regarding a recent change at your business - target an | | | | Personally, I am a proponent of Constant Contact. |
| appropriate group of clients (more to come regarding | | | | We've been working with the service for years. It is |
| targeting) - and suddenly thousands of people you do | | | | very easy to use and customize and you pay per |
| business with every day know exactly what is going | | | | contacts - not per number of emails sent. That might |
| on. Sending information - the real heart of email - is | | | | not work for all companies, but if you have a 5000+ list |
| probably one of the biggest (and simplest) reasons | | | | of contacts and you send a message out twice a |
| why you should be doing email marketing. | | | | week, the number of emails sent quickly adds up. |
| Sales & Discounts - Are you holding a special sale | | | | If you are looking to create a more advanced look, |
| or offering long-time clients a special discount? Let | | | | with accurate tracking I highly recommend investing in |
| your customers know and you could be bringing in | | | | one of these services. |
| many more times the business you are now. They | | | | Etiquette - Your email should be polite, but laid back. |
| say it's most effective to sell to an existing client. Email | | | | Speak to your audience in the 2nd person, it takes a |
| marketing is a prime way to efficiently (but personally) | | | | while, but the affect is tremendous. In the end you |
| communicate sales, deals or discounts to your | | | | know you're audience best - write your email for them. |
| audience of potential and existing customers. | | | | What works for a crazy online tee shirt company |
| News - Communicate your good news! In business | | | | might not work for a financial advisor. |
| people like to know they are working with growing, | | | | Subject Line - Make sure your subject line pertains to |
| prosperous companies. It rubs off! I met Colin Quinn a | | | | the body of your email but, be creative and inventive. |
| few years ago and contribute that awkward meeting | | | | Experiment with different ways to say what it is |
| in the Newark airport to my success today. | | | | you've created. You need people to see your name, |
| Just kidding, but if you have been mentioned in the | | | | see your subject line, and want to click. |
| paper or have had a ribbon cutting, let people know. | | | | Design - Whether you use one of the above email |
| Broadcast your good news, attain celebrity - even | | | | newseltter services or just your plain email keep |
| local celebrity, and continue to prosper. | | | | design in mind. You might not need a logo, fancy colors, |
| Surveys - Your customers, vendors, employees - | | | | or cool effects, but direct your audiences eye with |
| everyone you work with - deserve a voice. A quick | | | | bold text, bullet points, colors, etc. And make it as |
| email newsletter along with a survey can help you gain | | | | simple as possible. Email inboxes are getting more and |
| insight into all aspects of your business and associates. | | | | more cluttered and people have little or no time to |
| Staying in Front - I saved the best for last. In my | | | | actually read. Quickly direct them to the most |
| experience in setting up and creating email marketing, | | | | important points. |
| the biggest thing I would like to communicate is Staying | | | | Content - Much like design, make your content short. |
| in Front! | | | | Typically a paragraph works, but a few sentences is |
| People only have a limited memory. If you performed a | | | | better. Time and time again in doing usability and |
| service - a great service - someone will probably tell a | | | | optimization tests with clients emails that are short and |
| friend or two - or refer a business associate. But, as | | | | simple perform the best. Additionally your email needs |
| time goes by, as they get farther away from the date | | | | to include a call to action. Whether its drop dead simple |
| of the service, they may forget about you. | | | | - a big button asking your audience to donate - or |
| The detailing job you performed on your client's car | | | | included in the body of the text give your readers a |
| was fantastic, but as time goes by - as situations in | | | | next step. Do you want them to click, to call, etc. and |
| your client's life arise that warrant a referral (a friend | | | | whatever that goal is, make sure they can reach it |
| of your clients buys a used car for example) - the | | | | quickly and simply. |
| transaction is so far away that they forget that you | | | | Sending Email |
| are available with a service that will benefit them. | | | | When sending your emails there are two primary |
| Email marketing destroys this time barrier. Clients you | | | | things to remember, send at the right time, and send to |
| performed services on years ago when properly | | | | the right audience. |
| informed on your latest information, sales, news, | | | | We discussed divvying your list up into different groups |
| surveys, etc. are getting an inbox full of you and can't | | | | or lists. As you acquire the emails, break them out as |
| forget about you. Even if they don't read every email | | | | best you can. That way, when sending emails you can |
| the constant small reminders are a great tool to help | | | | send specific, targeted messages, to those particular |
| your business stay in front. Email marketing allows you | | | | groups. We've even gone so far as to create groups |
| to stay in front of all of those clients and vendors you | | | | for certain events we've attended. That way we can |
| worked so hard to get, but may not be working with | | | | send a message just to those people we've met - or |
| or helping at this exact moment. | | | | perhaps a special promotion. |
| Additionally, an email newsletter helps you stay in front | | | | Timing is everything and email newsletters are no |
| of your competition. I've talked with many companies | | | | different. A message sent at 5:30 pm on a Friday will |
| recently unsatisfied with their vendors or other | | | | not usually be as effective as a one sent on a |
| services they've hired out, but they can't even | | | | Wednesday at 2pm. Much like the crafting of your |
| remember the company's name! People are busy, | | | | content, keep your audience's habits in mind. Do they |
| they will forget. But, if your client does get targeted by | | | | check their email at 5am in the morning? Do they have |
| a competitor an email newsletter - one that has helped | | | | busy work days involving lots of email? Overall we've |
| keep your company in your client's mind - is a great | | | | found that email send in the middle of the week has |
| tool to retain your client. | | | | last chance of getting bundled in with the end of the |
| Acquiring Email Addresses | | | | work week mess or the overflow that seems to pour |
| There are a number of ways to acquire the email | | | | in on Mondays. Time of day is also important. All |
| addresses of individuals to which you will send your | | | | audiences are different but if you are seeking |
| email newsletter. Any amount of size will do. You can | | | | professionals we've found mid afternoon is great. Most |
| start small. We started with only about 60 or so | | | | people have already sifted through their inbox mess |
| addresses (friends, family, colleagues, clients, etc.). Your | | | | and when your email pops up in the lower right hand |
| list will grow over time. But, the ONLY way in which | | | | corner of their screen it is a wonderful distraction. |
| you should acquire emails are via free methods: | | | | Tracking Your Emails |
| Existing Associates - Tap your existing clients for | | | | Depending on what service you use to send your |
| emails. If you already have some kind of excel | | | | email tracking may be difficult or simple. This is another |
| spreadsheet with all of your clients and vendors or if | | | | reason why we love the email newsletter services as |
| you are using more advanced CRM software start | | | | they allow for easy, almost creepy, tracking. You can |
| there. Compile your list from people you work with | | | | view email-over-email who clicked on what and when. |
| every day. | | | | As you continue to send out emails you may start to |
| Networking Events - If you go to networking event | | | | notice that a certain time works better or certain |
| ask everyone you meet if they would mine receiving | | | | words in your subject line leads to better open rates. |
| your email newsletters. More often than not your list | | | | As you do track your emails begin to experiment and |
| will grow incredibly fast once you start concentrating | | | | refine. Overtime with slow tweaks you can have a |
| on it. Most of these suggestions involve events and | | | | highly opened email that almost everyone reads. |
| people you attend and see every day. | | | | Legalities |
| Trade Show - Offer a free gift, guide, or consulting | | | | Inspired by my recent trip to the Entrepreneurs Law |
| session to everyone who is willing to be added to your | | | | School at FGCU I decided to throw in a little bit about |
| list. You're at the trade show to network and market | | | | the legalities surrounding email. Basically you can send |
| your products or services, acquiring a real qualified | | | | email to anyone, at any address, no matter where or |
| email address allows you to do that for a lifetime. | | | | how you got that address as long as these basic |
| Targeting - Different emails will have different | | | | requirements are met: |
| audiences. A message you have for your vendors | | | | - Use a non-elusive subjectline |
| might not apply to your customers - in fact it might be | | | | - Allow people to unsubscribe |
| imperative that you don't send that message as it will | | | | - Feature your company information (name, address, |
| send mixed signals or tarnish relationships. That is why | | | | phone, etc. |