Most likely, if you are reading this article, you are someone that has recently begun their own email marketing campaign, and are looking for a little guidance on how to achieve some better results. Yes, you are in the right place! This article is meant for those who have recently made the very wise choice of starting an email marketing strategy to improve their business's sales and online presence. An email campaign is simply a revolutionary tool in business marketing, and anybody that thinks that they are going to succeed in a business endeavor without an email campaign is either delusional or in a very small, luxury market. What you need to understand as the recently-anointed head of an email marketing strategy is that you have a lot of responsibility on your shoulders. However, the bright side is that it's not that incredibly difficult to fulfill your responsibilities-assuming that you have a relatively decent moral compass and a little business acumen. The responsibility lies in the fact that you have one of the most powerful marketing tools known to mankind in your hands, and you need to use it carefully; the ease lies in the fact that sending emails is a simple task, and thanks to today's email marketing software, a lot of aspects of your campaign can be automated. Speaking of responsibilities, if you are running an email campaign, then you have people's private information in your possession: do not abuse this power. The downfall of nine out of ten email marketers is due to the misuse of personal data. This includes acquiring your mailing list illicitly as well as passing along confidential info to other parties. You need to develop trust with your customers, and this is not accomplished through cheating and stealing. And though it may be comforting to think that the laws governing email (yes, there actually are laws regarding the internet!) are difficult to enforce, and seldom are actually implemented, it's not only the law that's out to shut down your illegal activities-it's your ISP, too, and you do not want to make them angry. Consequently, you will appreciate the necessity for strictly permission-based mailing lists. Next on the list of responsibilities comes having a little business acumen: that means that you need to doing things intelligently! Don't send boring, quasi-illegible gunk to your contacts' inboxes, and don't send anything to people who don't care at all about what it is you have to offer. Refine your craft a bit, with an editor or directly copywriter, and hone in your audience. That relates to the opt-in nature of your campaign in the first place. Lastly, you need to understand how and why people use their email accounts. Remember that most email providers offer preview panes for incoming mail, and therefore you need to exploit those first few lines of your email-and the subject, of course. Then, remember that an email account is used to maintain correspondence, so don't go sending out offers you don't intend to honor, promises you don't intend to fulfill, and don't forget to keep in touch with the people that, luckily for you, have chosen to reply to your emails. Sounds easy, right? No worries, with a little practice, these things will become second nature to you. As long as you keep it legit and ethical, you're likely to find good results.
Monday, February 09, 2009
You and Your Email Marketing Campaign
