The Effective Campaign

*Special Labor day Edition*

Posting this here, because I messed up and missed one of the posts on this series. Please forgive me and enjoy.

So if you have been keeping up with this mini series on email marketing, I hope that I have stressed the importance of using effective email in your marketing campaigns.

 

So, are you interested in using email marketing to enhance the traffic and sales of your website yet?

 

 

It can be a confusing process if you don’t know where to start I know…Trust me, oh how I know.

 

You will need to establish your goals before you send the first email. What are you hoping to accomplish?

 

Make sure these goals are clear and realistic. This will help you measure the success of the email marketing campaign. This is a great way to learn what works and what doesn’t for future email marketing campaigns.

 

While your particular goals will vary, some common ones include:

• Increasing sales
• Getting more traffic to the website
• Improve awareness of your company and what products or services you offer
• Building a solid relationship with your customers.

 

As you start measuring the success of your email marketing campaign, make sure you are comparing the data only against your own information not that of the industry.

 

For example, you want to ask yourself, did your sales increase by 10% and traffic to your site increase by 25% after your last email marketing campaign rather than asking what the rate of sales and traffic increased by for the entire industry you are in. Just because sales in the industry increased, doesn’t mean that your campaign was good.

 

Don’t be discouraged if your first email marketing campaign doesn’t do as well as you hoped, especially if you are a new business. It takes time to build trust with consumers.

 

Make sure you use your original email address when you send out the emails. This will help it get past the spam filters.

 

Always make time to ensure that your email listings are current and remove any requests to opt out quickly and efficiently to respect the consumer’s privacy as well as obey the law.

 

You will be wasting your time emailing to incorrect addresses or those who don’t want your materials. Never change the first part of a person’s email address even if the mail is undeliverable. However it is a good idea to look for misspellings in the email service provider name such as ‘Yahoo’ being ‘Yaho’ or ‘Hotmail’ being ‘Hotmall’.

 

Some businesses like to use an email-marketing template. Don’t get too comfortable with a successful marketing campaign though!

 

This is because customers become bored easily with the same format. You need to keep their interest by mixing things up a bit in future email marketing campaigns. Opt in email marketing software such as listwire, mailchimp and Awebber collects email addresses from your website. This is a great method that is simple for getting you a database started, plus they help you out with setting up the legal tidbits that you now have to include in your email marketing.

 

As your database grows you can choose to send your future email marketing campaigns to everyone on the list or just a select target group based on their purchasing history.

 

You will need to design your email marketing campaign very well.

 

It needs to be attractive to hold the attention of the consumer long enough for them to decide it is worth reading. You don’t want your efforts to be mistaken for common spam or junk mail right?

 

Make sure all the content is spelled correctly. Keep the text short and to the point. Readers who open your email may choose to delete it or save it to read later if it looks too lengthy. You want them to open it, be captivated, and read it.

 

The first sentences need to identify your company and what you are offering while not sounding like an advertisement. Place the important information first. Then the reader is likely to keep reading. Give them a sense of urgency for responding by clearly stating the day the promotional offers expire, the price changes, event is over, etc.

 

Email marketing is an effective tool if you take the time to use it properly. While this means you will have lots of opportunity to market your business, it also means there is going to be a great deal of competition trying to get consumers to look at their business as well. You will have to be creative and work hard to develop effective email marketing campaigns that will be attractive, informative, and encourages the consumer to take action.

 

If you haven’t started on your email marketing campaigns yet, go for it.

As with many of the topics I post about, I try to include something that helps my readers move forward. Since the topic of this series was email marketing I thought this was a great resource. Just click here to learn about an awesome and effective way to keep on top of your email campaigns. It's easy and affordable.

The E-Mail Marketing Consultant

I hope that you see by now that email marketing is an effective way to get your business fresh in the mind of a customer. The content of your marketing campaign is very important.

 

Per the request of some of my readers, I will attempt to give more information in this post about email marketing consultants to help you make a more educated decision on whether to get help with your campaigns or not. Not everyone needs consultant help.

 

As with any other form of marketing, you are competing with many other businesses for the same attention of the consumer. It has to appeal to them and encourage them to go to your website and make a purchase.

 

The concept is simple but the process is much harder. It can be very time consuming. If you are struggling with your email marketing processes or simply don’t have the time to commit to the process, this is where you would consider hiring an email-marketing consultant.

 

What exactly is an email-marketing consultant? This is generally a freelancer who has skills in the area of developing effective email marketing campaigns.

 

There are businesses that employ several email-marketing consultants as well. They will help you create effective promotions, specials, and newsletters for your business.

 

The amount of time you use an email-marketing consultant will depend on how much you plan to send emails to your customers.

 

These consultants are very familiar with the email marketing process as well as what consumers respond well to. They know the market trends and many other aspects that are part of the formula.

 

Since email marketing is such an important part of the entire marketing concept today, take the time to investigate the consultant you plan to use. If they are part of a company then check them out with the Better Business Bureau. You will find out about any issues and complaints filed against the company by other consumers.

 

Check the internet for reviews about the company or individual as well. It is important to ask the email-marketing consultant exactly what they will be providing for you.

 

Ask for references and information on previous projects they have worked with. Most email-marketing consultants have a portfolio.

 

Putting the wrong person in charge of your email marketing can damage the relationship you currently have with your customers. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself changing email marketing consultants down the road once your business has grown and the objectives of the company have changed.

 

Sometimes the relationship can continue long term but if your company heads in a different direction then some changes in marketing and creativity may be in order.

 

An email-marketing consultant should be willing to listen to the goals of your business. They need to be aware of exactly what you want to accomplish.

 

Keep in mind they may need to make changes to your plan based on the best marketing practices but they should be willing to discuss the changes with you as well as why they are needed.

 

If the consultant isn’t willing to talk with you about the goals of your business or isn’t easily reached then don’t work with them. They may not be effective or they may have too many projects taking place to do yours justice.

 

Any agreement with you and an email-marketing consultant need to be clearly placed in writing for both parties to sign.

 

It may take a marketing campaign or two for you to start seeing the effects. You should see a small increase in traffic to your website as well as sells, but don’t expect to see a huge difference overnight regardless of the product or service you are offering.

 

Your email-marketing consultant should go over this information with you as well. A consultant knows the process and market trends enough to give you a realistic forecast of what to expect. They can also help you analyze data from online analytics that can be used to make your next email marketing campaign more effective.

 

Email marketing is a valuable concept that allows you to reach volumes of customers quickly, effectively, and inexpensively.

 

The process can be difficult and time consuming. An email-marketing consultant can help you meet your email marketing campaign goals while allowing you to use your time to operate other aspects of your business.

What to Know

Email Marketing Laws (Important)

 

Ok, I try not to make my posts too dry, but when it comes to the legal bits, it is difficult, so please note that this is information that you do need to know if you are going to engage in email marketing.

 

Email marketing is a very effective way or reaching your target market. It is less expensive than other types of marketing while allowing you to reach large volumes of consumers.

 

Are you aware of the various email-marketing laws that are in effect throughout the United States and other countries?

 

It is important that you take the time to educate yourself on this topic before you create your first email marketing campaign. 36 of the 50 states have privacy laws in place regarding email-marketing tactics. There are also laws in Europe, Australia, and Asia. It is a good idea to have an attorney who specializes in these laws to assist you with your email marketing campaigns if you plan on this being a major part of your marketing. If you are a small business planning to go about it on your own, it is very important that you are aware of how these laws affect you.

 

The CAN-SPAM Act was implemented in the United States to protect the privacy of consumers on January 1st of 2004. CAN-SPAM is short for Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act (nice that marketing was plugged in there with porn huh?). The act prevents the use of misleading to and from headers in the email.

 

• Marketers are required to include their physical address in the email.
• There must be an opt-out link in every email that gives the consumer the ability to reach the marketer and tell them they no longer want to receive information from them.
• The sender of the email must work to remove this email address from their database within 10 business days.
• Any email that contains sexual content must be clearly labeled and identified before the recipient opens it.
• Marketers have to get permission from the consumer in order to sell their email address.

 

Regulators of the internet are getting harder on marketers who violate these laws. They are imposing huge fines. In some cases the sender of these marketing emails can be sentenced to jail for a maximum of five years.

 

The harsher regulations are to protect the users of the internet and email services who felt their privacy was being violated as their email continued to be bogged down with hundreds of solicitation emails that were randomly sent without any target market in mind. As the use of email marketing continues to grow, expect the regulations to be further enforced.

 

In addition, the consumer may sue businesses that continue to send such materials to them after they have requested to be removed from the database mailing list.

 

As a business owner, this can be scary. The law protects you as well though. You will not be liable if a spammer has used your business as a cover for their endeavors. You are also not liable if a virus is found in your email marketing campaign as long as you did not place it there or know it was in place prior to sending out the emails.

 

The Coalition Against Unsolicited Emails is a non-profit advocate organization to help consumers know their rights, to stop unfair email marketing practices, and to provide businesses with answers to their questions before they engage in such activities. They also work closely with members of Congress to get laws passed that will be in the best interest of both consumers and businesses. Their website is a great place to get information.

 

I hope that none of this scares you off from doing email marketing. Email marketing is a great opportunity to keep your business in the mind of consumers as well as it encourages them to make new purchases.

 

It is important that you follow the laws and regulations that have been put in place to protect consumers from unfair email marketing practices.

 

While most businesses do all they can to follow these law, too many others don’t. Others simply aren’t educated in these laws so they break them without intending to or realizing they have.

 

The internet is a great place to get additional information of fair email marketing practices as well as the laws for each country. Keep a good eye out for any changes in these laws. There are not any pending issues in the legislation at this time.

 

 

The History of Email Marketing

Most of us jump on our work and personal computers several times each day to check our email. It has become an effective method of communication for work, personal relationships, and marketing. You may have noticed you get more emails encouraging you to purchase items than ever before. This is because email marketing has come one of the most popular methods of reaching consumers who make purchases online.

 

Email come into existence in the 1990’s as the internet was starting to become more popular. Businesses quickly found this was a great way to reach customers and clients. It was also less expensive than mailing out advertisements to homes. By 1995 the number of email advertisements sent out that year was more than the number sent out by regular mail. Businesses spend a great deal of money creating email marketing campaigns that won’t be confused with spam.

 

In fact, email marketing hit a huge roadblock when spam filters became so popular. Many email marketing campaigns had to be revamped as the filters were wiping them out. Businesses were losing money on the marketing campaigns and not getting any results. However savvy computer programmers and businesses soon learned that effective email marketing titles and headlines as well as using their real email address helped get the emails past the various spam filters.

 

Shopping online has become a part of life.

 

The internet was once used for research, entertainment and work related functions. The idea of shopping online has become very convenient in our society. After all, it allows you to compare prices in a flash. Most of us are too busy to run from store to store.

 

Shopping online has given those in remote locations the chance to get all the gadgets out there they desire. It is only logical that consumers are paying more attention to email marketing since this is the method they are using to do a large portion of their shopping. Email marketing has become mainstream. Almost every website gives the consumer the opportunity to give their email address and consent to being solicited with email advertising.

 

On the other side of the coin are those who hate getting their email filled up with email marketing ploys. This is why every email sent from a business has to include a link that gives the consumer the opportunity to opt out. Businesses have to respect this choice made by the consumer to remove themselves from the mailing list. This was the result of legislation stepping in when the idea of email marketing started flooding every email address out there. There are rules and laws in place now to protect consumers against having their privacy invaded. The penalty for violating these laws includes expensive fines and even the possibility of jail time.

 

However, with the acceptance of email marketing by consumers comes their demands for effective advertising that meets their needs. Getting the email to the consumer is only half of the battle. The information you send them has to grab their attention and entice them to take the link to your website and make a purchase. Your email should be a teaser that is going to make the consumer curious enough to go directly to your website at that very moment. There is a lot of competition out there and businesses have to come up with wittier and smarter email marketing campaigns to keep their consumers interested.

 

Contrary to some online marketers, email marketing is not dead and will continue to evolve as those sending email campaigns find innovative ways to capture the attention of the consumer while getting ahead of their competition.

 

Don’t expect email marketing to be replaced any time soon.

 

Millions are spent each year on email marketing. With that volume comes more responsibility on the end of the businesses that use it. Not only do they have to follow the laws and regulations set, they have to respect the consumer as well as appeal to them. Businesses know that email marketing is on the rise so they have no choice but to participate in it or be blown away by the competition.

 

Easily Create Email Marketing Campaigns

How do you develop an effective email marketing campaign?

 

What you send to your customers is very important. If it isn’t well designed or professional looking the results could be damaging to your business instead of beneficial.

 

The first part of the email marketing campaign needs to include your goals.

 

What do you expect to achieve from your email marketing campaign?

 

Who do you want to reach?

 

You should also decide what type of marketing you are going to do. Will it be random discounts and promotions, seasonal, or will you be sending a regular newsletter?

 

Next you will need to do some research. Do you know the email marketing laws? What are the current market trends? How are you going to make your email marketing campaign more appealing than that of the competition? You have to have these goals clearly defined and outlined. Otherwise your will just spin your wheels while developing your email marketing campaign.

 

Since the goals of every business are very different, the strategies they use in email marketing will also be very different. While this gives each business the ability to be creative a unique in developing their marketing campaign, it also makes it difficult because there are no clear-cut, cookie cutter answers.

 

If you aren’t skilled in developing email marketing campaigns you may need to purchase some type of email marketing software or hire an email-marketing consultant.

 

How well do you know your customer? I hope well because this is a very important part of developing an effective email marketing campaign. You have to be able to address your key audience by providing them with relevant information. If they aren’t interested in what you have to say then it doesn’t matter how many emails you manage to send out.

 

Dot Your I’s and Cross Your T’s

 

Once you have decided on your email marketing campaign you may think you are ready to hit the send button, but hold on just a little bit longer. Make sure everything in the email is spelled correctly and grammatically correct. Nothing looks more unprofessional than an email marketing campaign will errors.

 

They will stick out like a sore thumb. Remember to test the effectiveness of the email on the various email service providers as they all have variations. You will be disappointed to discover that subscribers to a particular service weren’t able to open your email for it to read properly.

 

Subject Lines Are the Beginning of the Email

 

Make sure the subject line of your email is clear and effective. This will help your email marketing campaign to get past the various spam filters and virus protectors. Many researchers of email marketing believe the subject line will make or break the reader’s decision to open your email. Make sure you personalize the email and address it to the consumer rather than a broad introduction. You will want to attach a clear expiration date to your email marketing promotion. Nothing motivates the consumer than having a deadline. They don’t want to miss out on the opportunity to take advantage of what you are offering.

 

Email marketing is a great opportunity for you to communicate with your customers and to promote your business. It is very important that you take the time to set your goals and to know the market before you develop your email marketing campaign.

 

This will ensure it is successful. While you want your email marketing strategy to be unique and creative you need to keep the wants and needs of the customer in mind. You can choose to develop your email marketing strategy on your own, using software, or by hiring a consultant. Getting your email to the consumer is only half of the battle.

 

As always, here’s to your success and to building your legacy.