EMAIL MARKETING

The appeal of communicating with prospective customers and existing customers through email is considerable, not least the speed with which campaigns can be initiated and executed, the relatively low costs associated with electronic communications, the personal nature of the communication and the interactivity of the channel (targets can immediately follow-up and make contact through the Internet and Email).

There are many systems and agencies in the email marketing field that will provide sophisticated services such as detailed tracking reports of opens, clicks and purchases, automated bounce and unsubscribe management, dynamic content and segmentation tools, HTML email template editing, email-a-friend options for viral marketing etc.

However there has been a marked decline in the profitability of email campaigns in recent years. Email anti-spam filters have become much more effective, to the extent that they often automatically junk legitimate emails!

Even if an email gets through there is no guarantee the recipient will read it, especially if the email you have sent is image heavy. Remember that many people have images switched off in their email system (or “Personal Information Manager” as they are now being called) so your email full of images may appear as a blank page of crosses to the recipient.

Also people are increasingly using preview facilities to see emails before opening them, which means that they only see the top part of the email in their preview window, if you have not utilised this space with engaging text they will not be inclined to open the email.

Sending email to people who have not requested it is illegal and undesirable. If you have email addresses from people who have opted-in to receiving email from you (or organisations like yours) then it is important to maximise the effectiveness of your email by avoiding some of the pitfalls described above.

It may be tempting to send “all singing, all dancing” email shots but the chances are that few recipients will ever see the email as sent. Email was never designed for this anyway. Your website and the Internet is the place for giving the fireworks display, email is the method for sending the invitation!

Consider your own email habits. What email do you read? Most emails you read comprise text only and you read them because they are from friends or colleagues or because you are immediately engaged by the words and subject matter at the beginning of the email.

So, as with your website, good email copy is key. A catchy heading, a short description of the information or news and a link to a web page is the best approach.

Make sure the web page is engaging, use pictures and multimedia with good copy if you like, but other than conveying the message effectively the clear advantages of having people click through to a web page are that you have then got them to your website and you can then draw them into your “world”, tracking their visit, soliciting information form them etc.

You might also consider sending a newsletter as an attachment to a simple email. The newsletter can be in pdf or word form, readily accessible and in a pre-set style with plenty of scope for creative design.

If you do not have a good source of email addresses for appropriate target markets that have given permission to be contacted consider advertising with established subscription email newsletters that have a proven readership. By placing information and a link to your website in an established newsletter you may achieve a better response and you can then capture data from those who visit your site and email them directly in future.

You do not have to use sophisticated email systems to run basic email shots. Your content management system may offer bulk email functionality (especially if it has membership/networking functionality) but if not then you can simply collect emails in a spreadsheet and then copy them across into a new email in the “Bcc:” area. (It is important not to use “To:” or “Cc:” for your bulk emails as this will reveal all the email addresses you are using to everyone on the mailing list.)

Then address the email to an email address for your organisation such as news@yournamehere.com. Complete the message and click “Send”. Having included at least one link in the email to a web page on your website you will be able to track the response rate. If this proves successful you can consider further investment in this method of promotion and perhaps upgrade to a sophisticated email system and/or use an agency.

[This section is currently being updated - please check back soon.]