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The electronic version of direct mail. This form of marketing has been around
since the dawn of the commercial internet and has since been abused by
many spam networks offering common junk mail. However, opt-in E-mail
marketing is still as viable as ever.
Opt-in mail is sending E-mails to prospects who have supplied their E-mail
address to you by signing up to something you provide. Once you have this
list you can then send out E-mails selling your product or service.
The best way to obtain E-mails is by providing something of quality if the
person signs-up with their E-mail. Newsletters for example can only be sent
via E-mail, so people who wish to receive them must subscribe.The best way to attract sign-ups to this is to provide high quality newslettersoffering something of serious benefit to the reader. For example a marketing
newsletter could provide weekly tips and articles on how to increase sales.
An alternative is to directly provide something of benefit via E-mail. This could
be a special report, article or plan, the more valuable and beneficial it is, the
more chance it has of gaining interest. There are many E-mail marketing
solutions such as Constant Contact which provides a powerful interface to
work with for a very low cost. For a long-term E-mail campaign with a regular
send-out, services such as this will be a requirement.
Once you have your E-mails the next step is to deliver the sales message. The
letter can be just like any other long copy message which is mentioned earlier
on in this booklet. However try to keep the E-mail short, concise and to the
point with an attention grabbing headline.
Most mailing software has a system of message codes in which a specific code
in the master E-mail is replaced with a unique contact detail when each E-mail
is sent out. So for example if the first name is used (which you collect along
with the E-mail) then each E-mail can be personally addressed to the E-mail
holders name.
Using this feature and keeping the message natural is vital for this kind of
marketing. Write your E-mails like you are talking to a friend and keep it
personal, like you’ve sent the E-mail to that person only.
Tests have shown that regular contact with your mailing list helps people
remember you better, drives a stronger sales message and improves your
conversion rate. Sending one E-mail out every 1-2 weeks is a fair figure to
work by, but testing is required for individual circumstances by measuring
unsubscribers. Every 1-2 weeks try and E-mail your list with some kind of
offer.
It is vital that you should also send quality content to keep people subscribed.
Every now and again send some interesting news, tips or an article. If you
don’t include good content like this then limit your offer E-mails to once every
3-6 weeks.
It also legal requirement by law to give subscribers the clear option to
unsubscribe. Make sure you place an unsubscribe link in every E-mail and
abide to your countries spam laws.
Contributor - Except taken from the Free Ultimate Marketing Handbook - SCD Marketing
www.scdmarketing.co.uk |
