More than likely you’ve been targeted by email marketing in the form of spam at some point. By utilizing email marketing, companies can use email messages to market their products or services to both current customers and potential customers. If email marketing is something you think could be useful to your business, keep reading for great ideas.
Send a nice note on your subscribers’ birthdays. Add a field to your sign up form that lets subscribers enter their birthday if they want to so that you can send them automated greetings. This easy step can make customers feel good, particularly if there’s a discount or promotion included with their greeting.
Use “Alt” tags on the images you use in your email communications. What these tags do is come in place of images that don’t load or aren’t allowed to load for some reason. The tag should appropriately describe the missing image. Make sure these are used on your links, as well.
If you want to cover all your bases when marketing through email, be sure to use multi-part messages. These are emails that include both HTML and plain text content, so that they will display appropriately no matter which option the recipient favors. This is worth the little extra effort so that you can avoid losing plain text subscribers who would find little use for an HTML-only list.
It is vital to gain permission from everyone you are going to email before you send any out. No one likes to be bothered with unwelcome solicitations cluttering up their inbox. If you send emails that are unwanted, it can hurt you. Starting by doing things properly can make your efforts appreciated by your readers.
Never email a customer without getting their permission first! When you send out unsolicited emails, you risk receiving mass amounts of complaints and becoming known as a spammer. This will result in unread emails and wasted marketing dollars. Recipients of unwanted emails have the option of refusing future email messages; additionally, if you are considered a spammer, penalties may apply.
One good way to drive business and offer your customer’s something is by including a coupon with your mailings. Put a link on it that informs them that they can view it by simply clicking on the provided link. You could end the email by telling them to watch for your future emails, which may also contain deals.
Make your logo and brand colors a visible part of your emails. The people on your list already recognize the logo, design and colors from visiting your website. Consistent style and design between your emails and your website will reduce the odds that subscribers will delete your emails.
Keep an eye on your competitors’ email marketing programs. If you join their email list, track them with ease. By observing their campaigns, you can create even better campaigns. Look for patterns in the strategies that your competitors use and create a standout strategy that is different and offers something your customer needs. Also, if they have promotions going on, make your own promotions better.
As you build your email contact list, do so naturally. Steer clear of purchasing or renting lists as you may find the list is made up of people not as relevant to your needs as you’d like. Make the list from your real contacts and clients, as well as any networking that you have done. Your list will remain relevant, while your business and profits grow.
Try to keep your email subject line below 60 characters total. A lot of email clients will shorten anything that is longer than 60 characters. Some others can’t display beyond this length. More importantly, 60 characters usually provides your subscribers with more than enough information to decide whether they want to read your message or delete it.
Subscription information should be used to make each customers experience easier. If a customer is filling out an order form linked from an opt-in email, automatically fill in the information you already know about the customer. This will save the customer some typing and may increase the likelihood of a purchase.
If you have the information, make a celebration of your subscriber birthdays. Set up your system to automatically send out a big ‘Happy Birthday’ email to subscribers on their special day. If feasible, give them some type of discount or special offer, and be certain that it is accompanied by friendly language that expresses their value to your firm.
An organic list can be a powerful tool for email marketing business strategy. You should not send out emails to customers on purchased email lists who are not interested in your products. Instead, build your list using email addresses of people who have shown an interest in your products or services.
Set a schedule for your newsletters and stick to it. You will want to send out newsletters consistently on the same day each week. Try to target a specific time as well. Your subscribers expect the emails to come with the same routine you promised, and look out for it when you said they would come.
Your emails should not just be about a sales pitch. Send out a useful newsletter with information that will interest your customers. Filling your emails with only sales pitches will eventually result in annoyed customers and a lot of people unsubscribing from your email list. Though the ultimate purpose of the newsletter format is to make sales, it is important to offer customers something more than just blatant selling tactics.
Carefully select the best time to send your messages, based on the needs of your readers. Of course, newsletters with a business focus should be mailed out toward the middle of the work week. Try mailing leisure of family oriented newsletters on the weekend.
Email marketing remains a very common practice. It is a simple and effective way of reaching potential customers. Use this technique correctly to establish a good relationship with your customers and get their interest.
