7 Success Secrets for Profitable Email Marketing Part 1

As you know, Email Marketing is a fast, inexpensive, and effective way to target and address your various audiences, especially when compared to direct mail, outbound call centres, and other traditional marketing channels. So why do so many businesses struggle to get their email marketing to bring in new prospects and customers?

 

Over the next few weeks I will be revealing the secrets to my Email Marketing success which will help you to improve the effectiveness and profitability of your email marketing.

 

Success Secret No. 1: Build a list

 

Be selective about who is added to your list or you’ll create more work for yourself.

 

If you want to build an email list of existing customers, be sure to obtain their permission first instead of adding their names without telling them. Give your customers a number of compelling reasons that makes them want to be on your email list.

 

For example, offer them an additional three-month warranty on a product in exchange for receiving product updates by email. Or perhaps offer a 10% discount voucher off future training courses in return for receiving event details and promotional offers. Alternatively offer a free copy of your latest independent industry report, which you’ll gladly deliver as an emailed PDF.

 

Be sure to build a list of qualified names out of which a certain percentage will turn into prospects. Out of those prospects, a certain percentage should turn into customers.

 

By insisting on a high quality email database, you will avoid wasting time, resources, and money following up on useless contacts.

 

To further qualify new contacts, many companies and email publications require individuals to confirm their initial request to get onto an email list by replying to a confirmation email. This is called “double opt-in”, and it can slow your acquisition rate by 50% or more, but typically makes for a much more qualified and responsive email list.

 

Asking a new contact to take a single action to get onto your email list is called “single opt-in”. This approach grows your list faster than double opt-in, though the list may not be as responsive and as rich with qualified prospects.

 

DO’S

 

• Collect email addresses from registration cards, point-of-sale, customer service teams, and competitions. For prospecting purposes, gather email addresses from your website, online special reports and white papers offered, from visitors to your trade show stand and from sales calls. In all cases, give people an expectation of the value they will receive in return for handing over their email address to you.

 

• Post a privacy notice on your registration page on your website. People are understandably suspicious of many sites they come across on the Internet so it’s best to address their concerns up front.

 

• If possible, show prospective subscribers a sample of what they are signing up for on your website.

 

• Keep your registration page simple by asking for minimal information. You can always get more information later using surveys and incentives once an individual is added to your email list.

 

DON’TS

 

• Don’t make it difficult for people to stop hearing from you by email. Make it easy for a person to leave (“opt-out”) of any or all email communications.   For example, people may still wish to receive your product updates but not your company news. If it’s difficult to be removed from your email marketing list, recipients can complain to their ISP or self-appointed spam police, who in turn can have you blacklisted. Being blacklisted means the recipient’s ISP will automatically filter out any inbound email containing your name or email address.

 

If you feel your email marketing could be more profitable, I invite you to send
a selection of your current emails for a free review. To apply
email sally@common-sense-marketing.com with subject line
‘Free Email Review’ and she will contact you.