The average person spends more time every day reading his email than he spends doing anything else on the web. As a matter of fact, his email often distracts him from the other tasks he needs to accomplish. With this in mind, it’s safe to say that email marketing is a very powerful tool.

Today I want to share a few best practices you should keep in mind as you develop your email marketing campaign. They’ll help you to get through to your potential clients more effectively.

Make sure your email isn’t spam.

Everyone has some sort of spam protection software included in their email accounts these days. Your job is to learn about spam filters and the things they identify as spam so that you can avoid having your email sent straight to the junk box. For example, using the words “Free” or “Discount” in your subject line might get you flagged.

Personalise your emails.

Address your subscribers as individuals – not as generic groups. A person who feels like he’s being addressed as a single person is more likely to respond to you than someone who feels like he’s a nameless face in a crowd. It’s easy to slip some simple code into your email template so that the names in your address book pull through.

Make it easy to unsubscribe.

As silly as this sounds, making it easy to unsubscribe from an email list is paramount. The easier it is for a person to unsubscribe the less likely they will be to mark your email as spam or file a complaint with a better business bureau. The unsubscribe link should immediately take your subscriber to a page where they can opt out – no questions asked – no additional email confirmations necessary.

Send emails on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Tuesday and Wednesday are notorious for being the best days to send emails if you expect a high response rate. On these days people are already over the last weekend and they’re not yet planning for the next one. They’re open to communication and, in some cases, are looking for something to do.

Be consistent.

Be consistent in both your communication frequency and the look of your newsletter. If you promise to email your clients once per week – do it. No more, no less. People appreciate things that they can grow to expect and are sometimes resistant to change. Don’t change the format of your newsletter or email unless you’re absolutely sure it’s going to be viewed as an upgrade.

In the time it took me to write this post I received 5 emails, 3 of which are email newsletters that I’ve subscribed to. They arrive regularly each week and always offer tons of valuable information. Would I consider your email to be just as valuable?

Good luck setting up your email marketing campaign.

Sean

Sales Expert - Marketing Consultant – Motivational Speaker

How to Build an E-mail List

When I first started out in business I was impressed at the effectiveness of e-mail marketing, but I soon realized that even the best laid out plan will be ineffective if there isn’t a list of e-mail addresses to use in the campaign. Sadly, it isn’t a matter of simply compiling a list of all of the e-mail addresses you can find. I quickly learned that putting together an effective e-mail list takes a good bit of quality time and effort.

It is important to remain professional and ethical when compiling a list of names for your marketing list. There are dozens of companies who pride themselves on tricking potential clients into joining because those people don’t realize that they have to opt out in order to not be included. These companies will follow one of two main methods, both of which are sneaky but likely things you have seen before:

• Their forms will have a list of documents and newsletters and you’ll have to check the box if you do NOT want to receive them. Most people think they have to check boxes to opt-in, so they usually misread the fine print.
• They’ll have a checkbox asking if you want to opt in, but it will be pre-filled and you’ll have to notice and uncheck the box to stay off the list.

This is NOT an effective way of building an e-mail marketing list. You want clients who are interested in what you have to say, and you’ll only be wasting your breath if you end up compiling a list of people who are going to be frustrated at seeing your “junk mail” in their inboxes everyday.

There are a few simple things you can do to effectively build your e-mail list to include people who want to hear what you have to say:

• Ask politely. This may seem silly but it’s the easiest thing to do. “Would you like to sign up for my e-mail list? I send an educational newsletter once a month – no spam!”
• If you are using offline forms, include a box that needs to be checked on your regular forms or leave a signup sheet in a high-traffic area of your store or office.
• Place a signup box on your website and/or include an unchecked box on your order page so that your clients have the option of receiving even more of your FREE and valuable information!

List building will take some time and effort, but if you ask for e-mail addresses the right way you’ll get better results and eventually have access to a relatively large targeted niche group. Now that’s marketing!

Happy Marketing!

Sean

Sean McPheat

Marketing Consultant - Internet Marketing Consultant - Sales Expert

Where to Find E-mail Marketing Software

Email marketing is an incredibly powerful method of promoting your products or services. You can’t go wrong, in most cases, because most of your prospects will voluntarily sign up to receive your e-mails. Your challenge is finding an e-mail marketing software program that will allow you to easily and effectively market your campaign.

There are hundreds of different e-mail marketing software programs to choose from. You’ll want to start by deciding whether or not you want an online or offline software program. There are a few considerable differences you’ll need to think about.

Offline programs need to be installed on your computer and can only be used if you are logged onto that machine. On the upside, you have complete control over the way your program is set up and you can choose the email server you use to send messages. Unfortunately, you’re going to pay hundreds of pounds for an offline program and it takes a lot of time to set them up.

Online programs are either installed on your web server or on the company’s server and can be accessed from anywhere you are able to log onto the Internet. The software company has preprogrammed the software and you simply need to enter your lists, schedule your emails, and check your reports to confirm which emails are effective and which are not. The only drawbacks are that you have no control of what server you used and you may have to put up with occasional downtime if the company experiences any sort of technical difficulty.

So where can you find a good email marketing program? I recommend doing a little bit of research and comparing features to determine which are best for your individual needs. Start by doing an Internet search and compiling a list of services that look like they’ll work for you. Then visit a few online forums and ask other users what they think of each one. A particular e-mail marketing program may be the most popular, or the least expensive, but that doesn’t mean it will be right for you.

If you’re stuck and don’t know where to start, I recommend searching for and checking out a few of these popular programs:

• Constant Contact
• Vertical Response
• Elite Email
• Send Studio
• EXP Elite

These e-mail programs represent only a small handful, and I offer them not as recommendations for use, but as a guide to help you get started.

What programs do you use now and would you recommend them to others?

Happy Marketing!

Sean

Sean McPheat

Marketing Consultant - Internet Marketing Consultant - Sales Expert

Using E-mail Marketing to Build Relationships

We’ve been discussing e-mail marketing and how to get your physical campaign started, but we haven’t really taken a close look at why you need to establish an effective strategy. Simply put, e-mail allows business owners to build strong relationships with those who are interested in their niche. These relationships will keep you at the top of a prospective client’s list of people to contact when he does finally decide he needs a product or service like yours.

First of all, in order to build a relationship your reader will need to know who you are. This aspect includes everything from the way your name appears in the “from” box to the way you identify yourself within the e-mail. Always use a simple name, such as the name of your company in the “from” box, but use your real name (or an alias that looks like a real name) within the context of your e-mail.

You’ll also want to make sure the relationships you are building are real. The best way to do this is to have your subscribers opt-in with either a double opt-in form or duplicate e-mail box. A double opt-in form will require your subscriber to type his e-mail address into a box, which will then prompt an e-mail with a link that must be clicked in order to confirm the subscription. A duplicate e-mail box will force your subscriber to type his e-mail address two times, ensuring that he isn’t typing it by accident because he thinks he is on another form. Both methods weed out accidental subscriptions, enabling you to focus on those who are truly interested in what you have to offer.

Respecting your subscribers is important as well. Your readers will trust you if you promise not to sell or give away their e-mail addresses – and then actually refrain from doing so. Avoid overwhelming your readers as well. Stick to whatever e-mail frequency you originally promised and your subscribers will keep reading.

Let your readers know who you are. Just because your newsletter is educational in nature does not mean you have to hide what you do for a living. Include a brief biography about yourself at the bottom of each message with a link to one or two websites you’d like them to visit. The more they trust you, the more likely they are to click-through. Eventually, this method will help you build trusting business relationships and expand your client base.

Like I said before, e-mail marketing is hard work, but it’s incredibly effective. You’ll be astounded at how simple the process can really be. Once you get used to your e-mail software program and establish a regular sending frequency, the subscribers will start rolling in.

Have a hot e-mail marketing tip you’d like to share? Sound off in the comments – we’d love to hear what you have to say.

Happy Marketing!

Sean

Sean McPheat – Sales Guru & Marketing Expert