Email Marketing Tips
by Neil Durrant Director, www.cashback.co.uk

There`s a fair degree of controversy surrounding the email marketing business both in the public domain and amongst expert online marketers. Some argue that unsolicited emails or mailing list marketing just isn`t relevant, that the consumer will treat any attempts as spam or they`ll just get filtered out by mail service junk filters. Others suggest that there are far more effective methods of online marketing and that the scatter-gun email approach isn`t worth the time, money or effort it takes to pull off. However, there are still plenty who are convinced that a well planned and executed email marketing campaign is one of the most effective tools currently available in digital marketing available, reaching a specific audience quickly and with a lasting impact, converting into proven sales. The truth is that this final opinion is the most accurate, provided you adhere to some basic tips and legal constraints that should see you on your way to making money from email marketing in no time.

Personal and Personality

The first and perhaps the most obvious tip for writing what will be a successful email to drive a marketing campaign is to make sure you address the recipient by name. Not only will the ensure that the email has the personal touch and stop the recipient feeling like an unloved random, but it will also begin to build that all important relationship between the customer and you, the salesperson. The increase in conversion rates by applying this simple rule are simply incredible.

Linking and Conversion

In order to make any money, you will of course need to include a link or an ad within the email, but it`s important that you don`t go over the top. Many studies have shown that the more professional and the less cluttered you make the email, the more click throughs you are going to achieve. This means you`ll need to resist the temptation to include a banner or an animated link as this will put off a large proportion of your audience. Plain, concise and interesting text and content are the proven ways of succeeding with an email marketing campaign.

The Subject Line

This is the be all and end all of many email marketing campaigns. You must be careful to avoid getting snared in spam filters, which means avoiding using pound or dollar signs in the subject as well as keeping away from too much salesy language such as `deal` and `free`. However, you must also immediately grab the attention of the reader otherwise you`ll quickly ruin your money making opportunity. That`s why spending a great deal of time picking the right subject line for your email marketing campaign is essential. Again, personalisation is vital - try to include the subject`s name or perhaps their website name in the subject line if it is a commercial business-to-business communication.

Legalities

Legal constraints as to unsolicited email vary widely from country to country and indeed state to state if you are marketing in the USA. Make sure that you understand and adhere to the provisions of any such legislation which commonly excludes you for sending unsolicited email to individuals or unincorporated entities unless they have expressly opted into receiving communications from your business. You will also be expected to handle any opt-out requests promptly and courteously.

Mail Domains

It is a near certainty that any unsolicited email will result in spam reporting and complaints to your ISP or hosting provider. Even if you believe that you have adhered to legislation and best practice, some of the recipients may not agree with you. It therefore makes sense to either use a specialist third party mailing provider or to use a separately hosted domain and mail server to handle the communication and to minimise the chances of problems with your primary host and ISP. Clearly the domain you use should be correctly set up to receive replies and to ensure that it doesn`t fall foul of spam traps and the like as a result of poor mail configuration. It should also be a domain that clearly relates to your business and main domain name to ensure the highest level of acceptance and confidence in your recipients.

There are a great many more complexities, tips and techniques in running an effective mailing campaign. Why not make contact with us here at htmail.com for additional information.

November 2009

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