Email Marketing Service Tips: Do's & Don'ts
Choosing the right email marketing services can make or break your advertising budget. Learn a few tips and tricks as well as the do's and don'ts of this popular method to gain new clients and grow your business.
Research Applicable Advertising Laws
The CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 created regulations that you must follow. Research the law to ensure any marketing service company you use is reputable. To meet the requirements, you need to make it clear that anyone who signs up for your newsletter or email is agreeing to receive communications from your company. Have an easy-to-see unsubscribe link in every email with a reminder that the reader signed up but can leave at any time. This notice should sound friendly, telling customers that if their needs have changed, they can click the link to unsubscribe from your email marketing service.
Creating the Best Newsletter
Every good email marketing service knows that to engage readers, a company needs to offer good content. Avoid marketing services that just offer contests to get subscribers — you will only end up attracting subscribers outside your target group. Publish on a set schedule, not too often but often enough to keep consumers interested and not overwhelmed. Use simple plain text to avoid email spam filters, and put hyperlinks in the newsletter to your Web site instead of graphics. Create polls and surveys to interact with customers and to learn more about meeting their needs. Ask them what they would like to learn from you or what most concerns them about today's products. If you educate people rather than sell to them, they will trust your products or services more. Then use what you learn to implement new ideas to boost your business.
Getting People to Subscribe to Your Newsletter
Include a signup link on every page of your Web site, rather than just in a header or on the home page. Some marketing companies offer popup ads. While these can be effective, many consumers find them irritating and have popup blockers installed. Give your visitors multiple options, such as receiving a monthly newsletter or a weekly industry tip. Get quotes from multiple email marketing services to find out which will work best for your business. Use QuickBooks to help you evaluate costs and identify which service would make the most sense for your company's advertising budget.
Gaining More Subscribers
Make it easy to share your newsletter with links to social networking sites. Although recipients can forward your email to others, having a one-click option usually results in more sharing. Use email marketing services that track your emails’ clicks and shares. Use the information to see what customers find the most interesting, and then create additional content that appeals to your target market. Offer exclusive deals for subscribers, such as a percentage off your products or services, coupons or notifications of the newest items you plan to offer.
No matter what email marketing service you use to help with your advertising needs, remember to offer relevant content to create a long-term connection with your customers.