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Posts Tagged ‘Email marketing’
With all the advances of the Internet and the hype for social networking it’s easy to forget some of the original online marketing methods. Email gets a bad rap sometimes because of aggressive spammers and over-zealous product advocates who constantly attack your inbox. But in today’s economy email marketing can be extremely effective if done right – it’s cost effective, targeted, has a great reach for potential customers and current ones, and can even help establish your company as an expert in your industry.
Email marketing techniques
We all get tons of email every day, so it’s important to take a second and consider what has worked in your own inbox to pull you in. The source and reason of the email plays an important role in deciding if it gets opened or sent to the spam folder. You will have to think like a marketer and try to understand what your customers are looking for and unify that with the goals of your email campaign.
- Here are 6 email marketing strategies to keep in mind:
- Start with a strong subject line. If you can’t capture your reader’s attention in an interesting subject line then they they probably will not go any further when viewing your e-newsletter. You have just a few words to grab their attention and ensure they continue reading.
- Two most important words: Design and Content. Is your design user-friendly? Does it encourage your reader’s eye to move down the page? Does it take into account different email viewing platforms and image filters? Once you get over the visual hurdles, remember that your content is responsible for engaging people and giving them a reason to keep reading.
- Include a call-to-action. Whether you want readers to visit the website, pass on information or download a whitepaper, make sure your email has a purpose. Even consider offering a promotion to your subscribers. It shows you appreciate their readership, and will encourage them to keep reading and forward your email to their friends and family.
- Make sure the links work. This seems basic, but your audience can’t pass on your great deals and stellar product message if they can’t forward your email or connect to your website.
- Respect your readers. This one can come in many forms. It might seem easy to skip a couple of these tips to increase email list volume, but remember that finding new members is much harder than keeping current ones:
- Don’t sell their email addresses
- Don’t bomb them with emails that are not relevant to them
- Don’t assume everyone views their email the same – account for smart phones and PDAs
- Don’t make the unsubscribe process more complicated than necessary - Set goals and track results. It’s hard to see if you’ve made progress if you don’t know where you started or what you’re reaching for. You also can’t tell what works if you can’t see where your users are clicking.
We’re all familiar with traditional marketing methods – advertising on TV and radio, direct mail, personal selling – but what does online marketing mean to you? You might be familiar with the terms “pay-per-click”, or “Search Engine Optimization”, but how does just being aware of those terms benefit you? The truth is that online marketing is just as diverse as its traditional counterpart, and can be even more impactful in today’s marketplace.
All methods of online communication with your customers and potential clients fall under the umbrella of Online Marketing. Some techniques commonly used are SEO, paid advertising, banner advertising, email marketing, and even Web 2.0 strategies. To get the greatest return on your Online Marketing efforts, Media Genesis recommends combining methods and trying different approaches of online marketing. To follow the old business adage – Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.
Even though all of these new methods can draw influences from your traditional branding and marketing efforts, there are some major differences.
1. Better point of contact – Online marketing can give you better contact with your future customers in that the customer is actually searching for information, not just receiving information.
2. Measurable results – As opposed to old advertising methods, almost every aspect of online marketing can be tracked and analyzed. How many people read your email? How many visited the website? How many contacted you directly? All those questions can be answered.
3. Budget friendly – Don’t have the budget for TV Ads and direct mail flyers? SEO campaigns and email marketing can be implemented on some level for almost every budget.
Everyone knows that times are tough, but it’s important to remember that finding new customers is vital to your business. Don’t hack off your whole marketing budget just save a few bucks, but strategically mix traditional and online marketing to gain the greatest advantage over your competition.
For more information on the benefits of Online Marketing, contact Media Genesis at inquiry@mediaG.com. We’ll be glad to help determine the best solution for you.
