Email is no longer a "stand alone" program for marketing. Years ago, when email was the new kid on the block, it was easy to use email as a marketing tool just by itself. Most businesses weren't using email to market and when they did, it stood out and was typically read.
Nowadays, our inboxes are flooded with emails from both people we want to hear from and those we don't. People have become disillusioned with email and it no longer has the sparkle it had even three years ago.
Now that everyone has caught on to the ease and cost effectiveness of using email marketing, it has become a monster; not only for the spammers, but those of us who want to legitimately use permission-based email for marketing.
Email has now gotten a bad name and if a business wants to continue using email to market, it needs to rethink its approach to using this tool.
Know Your Customer
The most effective email campaigns are ones that are set up to target a specific audience. Don't make the email message broad; make it specific to the audience you are trying to reach. It's better to create six different email campaigns for six different audiences rather than lumping everyone together into one campaign.
Another technique is to think about where you might find your audience and go to them. Datran Media's Sean O'Neal says, "Reach audiences where they are. If consumers use social networks to learn about products, but most often purchase after a reminder e-mail, structure campaigns to support this scenario."
Integrate Other Channels
Rather than using an email campaign by itself, consider combining it with another marketing technique such as direct mail. A 2007 Jupiter Research study found "email campaigns improved 74% for marketers who integrated off-line direct marketing. Overall, e-mails are four times more effective when targeted and integrated with other data.
According to Scott Olrich, CMO at email service provider Responsys, "The goal of an e-mail campaign should determine which channels are used in conjunction with it. Segmentation helps marketers deliver personalized information, while testing can inform decisions about channel mix as well as content."
Use Postcards with Email
A simple way to integrate direct mail with email is to create a postcard campaign to drive traffic to a website landing page.
"According to a 2007 Ipsos US survey, 67% of the online population is driven by offline messages to perform online searches for more information on a company, service or product. Thirty-nine percent of those respondents then make a purchase."
If you don't have a list for your direct mail campaign, consider renting a list from a reputable company such as infousa.com. Choose your target audience carefully and make sure the message on the postcard is not a sales pitch. The idea is not to try to sell them with the postcard; the idea is to peak their interest to go to the website.
Once at the website, make it easy for them to give you their email address by giving them some type of promotion, special report or gift in exchange for their information. This way, you are creating your own permission based opt-in list. Now you can continue to legitimately follow-up with them by a series of email auto responders.
Although it is possible to purchase email lists, I don't recommend it. If someone doesn't know you, the email is most likely to be deleted before it is even read. The odds are much better with direct mail. According to a USPS 2006 study, 80% of people read or scan their direct mail.
Conclusion
Rather than a sales tool, think of email marketing as an opportunity to increase customer satisfaction and build a trusting relationship with both your customers and your potential customers.
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