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