subject: Lead Generation Through Emails [print this page] Emails work for your business in more ways than you can think of. BPO firms have used emails for lead generation. Emails are used by the outbound call center agents to promote the products/services they want to sell. However, the scope for optimization is wide open.
The idea that email marketing is hit hard by the blocks placed by ISPs and email service providers is true but only to a very small extent. By proper use of best practices, email marketing can take your business to those levels you want them to be at. Business process outsourcing firms have to think again to look at emails in a fresh way to generate revenue.
Email is not a faster way of faxing! You can do so much more with emails, be it design or content. BPO firms have to start thinking from scratch here. Your client sure needs the lead generation to reap benefits. The customers need to be informed of the products/services as well. But your call center employees can do that in a more interesting way!
There are a ton of customers out there who are not interested in your line of products/services. But the very fact that they are okay with a newsletter in their inbox clearly states that they are willing to be seduced by your marketing ploys. Your outbound call center agents have to realize this.
Creating the demand is a very important part of advertising. The same can be said about emails. A well-designed email surely entices the receiver to read it. A good copy takes it a step further. The BPO managers have to make sure that receivers can get back to your inbound call center agents easily. Plug in phone numbers and email addresses at convenient locations on the email.
Do some research to find out how readers scan their emails. Place your hyperlinks judiciously. Set yourself click-through and open rate targets to optimize the cost of sending out emails. Lead generation can only happen if your email is good enough to make people click on the links you have provided.
How about touching base with existing customers? It's true that they are using your products/services already. But your BPO firm can tap them once in a while to check if they are happy with what you have sold them. This works great from a branding perspective.
When customers are satisfied with the after-sale service provided by the call center agents, they refer the client company to their friends and family. The word of mouth saves your telemarketing team plenty of efforts! They become unofficial marketing members of your team and their words of recommendation does better lead generation than what you can get by paying.
As for the ISPs blocking you, why not follow the rules? Caution your BPO guys to send emails to only those who subscribe. Use telemarketing devices to get people to subscribe before you offer them an email. Use a double opt-in method to make things very correct.
If you find yourself white-listed, maintain that. Offer records to the ISPs to validate your claims as a genuine email sender. The hardest part is dealing with readers who want to unsubscribe. You will always have attrition. Take it in your stride and stop mailing them once they opt out.
