| I often talk with marketers who complain that they | | | | sure you're dealing with a legitimate company with a |
| tried email and "It didn't work." The email medium might | | | | good track record. Talk with them directly on the |
| not be the problem. Consider these three factors. | | | | phone. Find out how each list was compiled. Make sure |
| A solid emailing rests on three "legs": offer, list and | | | | recipients were added to the list only with their explicit |
| creative. If you've been involved in traditional direct mail | | | | permission. |
| marketing (the postal variety), these three elements | | | | Find out all you can about the audience. Does the list |
| should ring a bell, as they apply in both media. | | | | owner have demographic information or survey data |
| 1. Offer | | | | from list recipients? If you're buying advertising in an |
| Basically, your offer means, What are you going to | | | | email newsletter (e-zine), what is the topic and target |
| give them and what are they going to give you? | | | | audience of the newsletter? Make sure that the list's |
| In the most basic kind of offer, you are going to give | | | | recipients are the right market for your offer. |
| them a product and they are going to give you money. | | | | Finding email lists can be quite a challenge. One good |
| You can make an offer more compelling by giving the | | | | place to start is the Direct Email List Source, a Web |
| customer a better deal, "Save $43.00," for example, or | | | | directory of opt-in email lists. |
| "Buy one, get one free." | | | | 3. Creative |
| An offer doesn't have to involve the exchange of | | | | In advertising, "creative" refers to the concept, copy |
| money. You might offer a free gift in exchange for | | | | and design of an advertising piece. Most email |
| marketing data; perhaps the user can download a free | | | | advertising is sent out in plain text, so you can't do |
| software program in exchange for providing personal | | | | much with design. But good strategy and copywriting |
| information or filling out a survey form. Or you might | | | | can make a big difference. |
| offer a free newsletter. In this case, the user might not | | | | Focus your copy around your offer. In email, we |
| have to give anything in return; it's enough for them to | | | | recommend copy that's brief, straightforward and |
| let you into their inbox every week or every month. | | | | to-the-point. Make it interesting, compelling and personal. |
| The offer is critical to the success of your email effort. | | | | But no hyperbole, no hard-sell. |
| You need to be crystal-clear about what your offer is, | | | | Make the offer clear. Include a call to action -- in other |
| and you need to be crystal-clear in communicating it to | | | | words, tell them what you want them to do and ask |
| your recipient. | | | | them to do it. Make it easy for people to respond. |
| 2. List | | | | Most email promotional messages will direct the user |
| You might have a great offer, but if you send it to the | | | | to a Web page, where they can find out more details, |
| wrong list it will flop. On the Internet, list buying is trickier | | | | fill out a form or send in an order. |
| than in the world of direct mail, where you can | | | | Give special attention to your subject line. Avoid |
| examine a standard-format rate card, look over | | | | subject lines that scream out "This is an ad!" Make it |
| demographic data, or get help from an experienced list | | | | something simple, unassuming and short, while implying |
| broker or consultant. The email list business has few | | | | a benefit -- maybe something like, "Discount tickets?" |
| standards, and it can be hard to be sure who you are | | | | or "New opera recording." Avoid deceptive "gotcha" |
| dealing with. | | | | subject lines that trick the recipient into opening the |
| Stay away from the spammers -- the bulk emailers | | | | email. |
| who will sell you an email list on CD-ROM or offer to | | | | Give careful attention to these three elements of an |
| send your ad out to a half-million people for $500. | | | | emailing. If your effort falls short in any one of these |
| Spamming will cause you nothing but trouble. | | | | three areas -- offer, list or creative -- you can expect |
| Find a reliable opt-in email list owner or broker. Make | | | | a poor response. |