subject: Boost Your Business With Email Marketing! [print this page] Boost Your Business With Email Marketing!
Email marketing is no other than, the function of sending emails to market a particular product to a group of potential customers or existing customers. It is a way of communicating with a large group of people to promote a new product or inform people of any specials which you are offering.
Email marketing however is a careful study and is not just the random targeting of people and sending them product information. Marketing research is the function which researches information about potential customers and their buying habits as well as other information about the customer. Information about the customer is gathered and entered into the companies database, the customer is then sent automatic emails with regards to any in-store specials or product promotions. Email marketing can be either geared towards businesses who will order your product in bulk or toward individual customers who will buy either one or many of your products- based on their needs.
The key points to remember when building a marketing list:
When building a database marketing plan it is important to remember that you need a good marketing strategy. You need to collect sufficient information on the customers buying habits, personal particulars and their life styles. You also need a program which can give you a statistical report of your database. And lastly, find out what motivates your customers to buy.
You need to maintain a healthy relationship with your customers be providing them with interesting information, on a regular basis. If your product is a mobile phones for example; you can regularly send them information about the latest technology or how to download music for free.
How to set up your emails in the correct way
The offer- What you have to offer to the customer has to be of value to them. Whether you are marketing a product or promoting a campaign it is important that the person reading can see what they are getting out of the email. You can either do this by offering a better deal; such as buy one get one free, or by offering a saving such as a percentage off the original price. If it is a campaign or fundraiser, you could make the person aware that their help, could be saving the life of a child, or helping a good cause. Here the person is been given an offer to add value.
Many times you will hear people speak about data bases and lists, and they really are one and the same thing. It is just a list of people who you will market the product too. We have already covered how to set up a list or database, but remember that if you are handing your marketing campaign over to another company, it is important that they know how to draw up a list properly. Ask them how they go about setting their lists.
Be creative- Marketing is the most creative function in the business world. This is where you get to use your creativity to get the message across to the recipient, with the use of colour, design, and copy. Now it is true that many emails are limited to the type of design used, however you can be very creative with the copy- keeping a few things in mind. Get your message across without using the hard sell method. Use words to get your message across in a brief and informative manner, and don't forget to tell the person what you want from them and how they can do it.
Email marketing is one of the most effective forms of marketing if done in the proper way with the proper controls, the proper research and the proper marketing strategies. Remember the key points discussed when creating your marketing data base and develop a good relationship with your customers.
