subject: Win The Internet Marketing Game With Email Marketing Software [print this page] Next to Search Engine Marketing (SEM), email marketing is the 2nd most effective internet marketing technique. This method involves direct sending of electronic mail, newsletters and new offers to the recipient's email address. The goal is to attract new customers and to generate new purchases from old buyers. Mail advertising is advantageous because people no longer have to visit your website to see your message; you bring the message to them. However, even if marketing by email is less complicated than SEM, you still need email marketing software to ensure the success of your business.
Software for Database Marketing
Through time the list of your recipients will grow longer. Naturally, they will get harder to manage. This is especially because each recipient has his/her own mailing preference. For example, some will want to receive weekly newsletters while others want to receive it once a month. There are good programs that can help you send emails at the right time by using your database.
A kind of database marketing is "Drip Marketing." It is a strategy in advertising where the software automatically sends ads to prospects and clients at a preset schedule. The emails don't flood your customers all at once because the ads are "dripped" little by little. The origin of the name is the agricultural term "drip irrigation," where crops are watered without human intervention.
Email marketing software for database marketing also works for social media. Wall posts and personal messages (PMs) can be generated by the software for Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites. Therefore, you can advertise even if you are away from the computer. This is also effective because half of internet users check their mail and social network inboxes every day.
Software for Following Ant-Spamming Laws
It is also important for your email marketing software to have anti-spamming utilities. There are laws in the US that protect recipients from advertising spams. One law in particular is the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003. Violation of this act authorizes a 16,000 dollar penalty for each spammed recipient. With the right software, you can automatically prevent spam ads due to filtering and mail-sending scheduling.
In designing your email ads, you must always provide options for recipients to accept or deny future ads. And if they subscribe to your online newsletter, they must be given the option to unsubscribe. The law also states that termination of subscription must be easy, like providing them with one-click unsubscribe buttons.
Choosing a Software
The basic and most essential function of email marketing software is to send bulk email to a mailing list of old customers and prospects. However, the software must also be capable of features which regulate unsolicited email. It should be capable of storing and managing contacts, delivery and failure reports and other database features. Free mail marketing programs are available in the web, ready for download. If you are in a small to medium scale business, freeware may work for you. But if you have a large database of recipients, it is recommended to use commercial software. Paid software provides more management features, which allow easier tracking of return of investment.
