Email marketing is a powerful tool in today’s tech oriented, internet-based world. It can be used to interact with a customer base to increase profits, as well as gain new customers. As powerful as the tool is, it can be easily misused. There is a very thin line between email marketing and spam. Luckily, the following article will help you use email marketing without spamming unnecessarily.
To make sure your emails don’t turn people off, always seek permission before sending them out. Include a subscription button on your site, and encourage regular customers to have their friends sign up as well. If you’d like to give people some extra encouragement to subscribe, you could feature subscriber only deals.
Always seek permission before sending marketing emails to potential customers. Sending unsolicited emails will quickly have you labeled a spammer. Getting permission to send your messages doesn’t have to be hard; offer something valuable to your customers in exchange for the ability to email them, such as a discount, coupon, or other sign-up incentive.
Let your readers choose the layout of your content. Any messages with images, graphics and JavaScript is likely to get eaten by software filters and never seen by human eyes. Send out basic text or rich text format including a link to your website, and the option of an HTML version for those that want it.
Give different options to your customers for an effective campaign. Tell the subscribers you have how many messages they’re going to get and when to expect them. Also let them know what kind of information you’re going to need from them. When your customers feel that they are somewhat in control of the process, they will be much more satisfied.
Find out who your competitors are and sign up to their emails. You will be able to see what content, they are sending to their subscribers and figure out what aspects to use and which to stay away from. Just be sure not to steal their content, as this could constitute plagiarism.
Make sure you are working off of a clean list. This keeps the time you spend directed towards targeted customers. Targeting the wrong customers will not help you, and a clean list can get you to more of the right customers much faster. Clean up your list, and get to the right customers!
Set up some expectations for your recipients when they sign up for your email campaign. Once they sign up, they should receive an immediate confirmation email that highlights what they can receive from signing up. This can help you build great customers relationships and help you avoid complaints from the recipients not being aware of what they were receiving.
Balance when you send emails. Sending them too frequently can come across as spam and may cause you to lose readers. Not emailing frequent enough can make the recipients feel like they’ve wasted time signing up for emails that they’re not getting enough of. Remember your goals and audience so you can pick a happy medium for your campaign’s frequency.
One way to keep your email readers engaged is to ask them questions. These should not be rhetorical questions, either. Provide a feedback channel they can use to send you answers. You could ask for direct replies via email, or send your readers to your social networking pages. However you arrange it, asking for two-way communication is a great way to cultivate loyalty in your subscribers.
Emphasize the benefits of your product or service whenever possible. Subscribers will want to know what’s in it for them, so tell them–in the subject line, in your links, and in your content. Your subscribers will be much more interested in your message if they feel that it can help them in some way.
You might want to send a follow-up email to your clients that includes a caution if your products or services supply is running low. You could include a link that tells them to click here and begin. The ending postscript could tell them to act now before your supply runs out.
Constantly refine your email list. Keep it well-protected and make sure that every address that is listed is a good one. Just, one bad one can completely sabotage your campaign and possibly your business. Go down your list and question why that address is there and what it means to your campaign. You can get better results from your campaign this way.
Make certain that the ‘from’ field of your e-mails displays your name or your business in a manner that is easily recognizable. Many people determine whether they are going to read an e-mail based on the ‘from’ field. A lot of people are also wary of opening e-mails that are sent from places that they do not readily recognize due to the fact that e-mails can contain viruses.
Make your emails focus on your audience, not yourself. Your customers are the ones that make your campaign a hit or a failure Be a great resource to them and try to do what you can to include feedback from them. This can be with polls, comments, etc. Getting them engaged may help you build beneficial relationships for your business’s future.
Be honest and upfront when your readers subscribe. Let them know how often to expect emails from you, and what type of information will be contained in them. It is important to be truthful here, you don’t want your customers to be annoyed if they end up with more emails from you than they expected.
As stated before, in a world dominated by the internet, email marketing is a powerful tool. Though it can be used for good purposes, such as interacting with potential and current customers, it can be misused as well, taking on the form of spam. When you use email marketing, keep this article in mind and your messages won’t end up in your recipient’s spam folder.
