subject: Profit from your List in 5 Easy Steps [print this page] Profit from your List in 5 Easy Steps Profit from your List in 5 Easy Steps
From regular snail-mail (postal services) to e-mails (electronic mails), the paradigm shift in technology has only resulted in creation of newer avenues in business. Not surprisingly, this was also seen as a potential business, promotion and marketing tool and it was not long before e-mails were used as promotional strategies. In fact, such was the scene earlier that e-mails were primarily seen as a promotional tool because of the fact that very few people had internet connection and fewer used e-mails. Now, the scenario is entirely different with e-mail list building becoming one of the strong marketing tools.
After successfully building your mail list, here is what you can do to ensure profits:
Step 1: Personalize
Face the fact we like to read personalized mails, even if it is a promotional offer! After the list building exercise, concentrate on personalizing your mail so that the reader feels that they are communicating directly with you and not going through some bland' in-your-face' promotion.
Step 2: Use HTML Sparingly
Modern email users have this option of either seeing the whole HTML page (including the pictures), or just the written text (the text in the picture won't be displayed then). Having to wade through excess emails, people often ignore mails that have a HTML tag' to them. Avoid such mails and stick to the conventional text and image (attachment) mails.
Step 3: Short Mails
With everything becoming faster, including instant meals why do think that anyone will be interested in reading lengthy mails? They simply, won't. Therefore you have to be at your creative best when drafting a mail for your mail-list. Keep it short and simple and see to it that it conveys whatever you want to say, without being too much in-the-face'.
Step 4: Evaluation and Re-evaluation
Evaluation and re-evaluation is the best way to ensure that no unwanted material goes with your mail so that the built-in filters in the mail program send your mail to the spam boxes. Remember, a lot of the mails are spam. Experts even peg the figures of spam at more than 60% of the total mails generated at a time. That is insanely huge considering the number of mail users and the average rate of mails/user figures! To make sure that your mail reaches the desired target, remove all hints of any spam' that you feel is in your mail. For example, shady e-mail addresses, fake accounts and fake identities are a major block for spam filters. If you can know how a spam filter works, nothing better than that! Re-evaluation will help to attain the perfect' features of your mail.
Step 5: Specificity
As explained earlier, the world is getting smaller (not by geographical dimensions) but when communication systems are considered. You can practically reach any part of the world in seconds and know everything about that place! That translates to people have less time in their hands; due to the information overload they want less information that conveys more. That basically means stick to your agenda and be SPECIFIC.
