Increase your income using e-mail marketing


Tips for Successful Emailing

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



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