Emails are one of the best ways to communicate with others. They are quicker than postal mail, more efficient, serve many purposes, and completely free to send. Did you know that emails can even be used for marketing? With the simple click of a mouse, an email can be used as a marketing tool. In the following article, you will learn how to use emails for that specific purpose.
Develop a consistent format and schedule for your marketing emails. By doing this, your customers will learn when and what to expect. Find a professional template that suits your business and used it every time. Alert your customers to the most relevant information at the beginning of the email.
Steer clear of renting or purchasing lists to pad your email marketing database. Not only do you not know if the emails you have purchased are truly your target market, but the lists can actually hurt your deliver-ability rates and ultimately your reputation. As much as possible, build your list organically.
If you have a client who has a birthday, make sure that you send a follow up email that includes a happy birthday message on it. Include a request on the email that tells this person to go to a particular place. The ending can include a link that tells him or her that it is possible to become a subscriber by clicking on it.
When you ask people to opt-in, let them know what to expect. Tell them what you will be sending and how often you will send it. People will be more likely to sign up if they know that you are not going to flood their inboxes with wordy emails that they have no intention of reading.
Give customers the choice of getting a plain text version of your email marketing materials or a rich text version. Customers can choose the option they prefer when they sign up for your newsletter. Plain text versions don’t include graphics, so customers with slower connections or overactive spam filters might appreciate this option.
Beware of including attachments to your email marketing! Mass emails with attachments are instantly suspected as spam by most spam filters. As well, these days many types of computer malware and viruses are carried in email attachments, and people are aware of this. Your email is in jeopardy of being immediately deleted when they see an attachment without even being read.
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!
Use active and passive feedback to build your brand, and diversify your email marketing tactics. Active feedback is rather obvious: ask for opinions and suggestions from your readers. Passive feedback is much more subtle and not noticeable to the reader. You can use whatever tools and software you have available to determine what links are getting clicked on the most.
A great way to build an email list is to give visitors a conduit through which to register for your future mailings. This can be done on your website by making a link that subscribes to your newsletter.
Before sending any promotional emails to customers or potential customers, be sure to get their permission for contact. Email is a powerful tool, and consumers hate when it is misused. Any email contact that isn’t initiated by the consumer feels to them like spam. Your customers must agree to receive additional emails from you, even if they have made purchases in the past.
Offer a bonus, such as a coupon, discount code, or other freebie, in exchange for signing up for your email mailing list. People love receiving free things. An email address is low in value to the customer but high in value to you as a business. People will gladly trade their contact information in exchange for a 10% discount off their next purchase.
Once you have the format of your email marketing messages set up, you should check it on multiple email clients. In the same way that different browsers can display web pages differently, a strange email client may show your message in an unexpected fashion. Make use of all of the popular free email clients and ensure that your message is going to appear properly on them.
If you are following up with your customers, you can send a follow-up email to them that includes a warning. Attach a line in your message that allows them to sign up. The closing postscript can include a phrase that this can be a very low investment on their part.
There is nothing wrong with composing your marketing emails in HTML, but you may find it rewarding to give it a break from time to time. A simple message composed in plain text will be taken as a little more intimate and a little less formal by your subscribers. If you exercise moderation, sending plain text emails can encourage loyalty and draw your readers closer to you.
One way to demonstrate your respect for your email subscribers is to ask them to confirm their subscription after a certain amount of time. They will appreciate it if you ask them, after six to nine months, if they still want to receive your emails. You can even use the occasion to remind them of the value you have provided for them over the past months.
In conclusion, emails are a great communication tool. There are many advantages to using emails, such as speed, efficiency, and cost. In addition to a communication tool, emails can me used as a marketing tool as well. All you have to do is remember the information from above and you can use emails for marketing.
