Email marketing is not a new concept. People have been sending emails out to blind copy recipients for years by adding the email addresses to the BCC field in an email. Gone are those days though thanks to spam and junk email. Now there are spam filters, firewalls, and consumer distrust, not to mention a filter to send unwanted emails to the junk folder without ever seeing it. So how do we market using email now? Thanks to E-mail service providers (ESPs) you can now get help with your email strategy. You can search for ESPs in various niches by searching email markeing solutions in Google, Yahoo! or MSN. One ESP I like to use is Constant Contact (www.constantcontact.com). They have over 199 templates for different types of riches with a flat fee of $15 a month. Simple to use and includes unlimited free support and online training.
Using email service provides can help with a professional look for your business as well. The best part is ESPs are required to incorporate current email laws for customers to comply with keeping your email marketing strategy legal. They have put in place items like privacy statements and unsubscribe links to keep you and your business compliant.
Here are some dos and donts to email marketing:
1. Dont include you subscribers first name in the subject line of your emails. It has been overdone and most consumers now consider this spam mail.
2. Dont put a lot of punctuation and symbols such as doll@r $ign$. This will only get your email filtered out to the spam or junk folder quicker.
3. Do make sure you have permission to email the consumer. You can get the facts and regulations with your ESP.
4. Do make sure that your emails subject line isnt misleading. If you say there is a video, there had better be one.
5. Do offer value to the consumer. Whether it be training or a related story that encourages and uplifts the consumer. This will almost guarantee your email will be welcomed and opened every time you send it.