Email is a huge part of our daily lives. At work, at home, or on your blackberry in the car, it seems there is no place that you are completely out of touch. Considering the level of access that email has into our personal and professional lives, it is not surprising to find that this medium has grown in popularity over the past decade. Companies are working to find ways to incorporate email into their larger integrated marketing plans.
Email has several distinct advantages to other direct mail advertising forms. For instance, it can be tracked more efficiently than perhaps any other form of marketing. A mass email campaign run with some functional software like that provided by Durham, NC’s Bronto can provide valuable information about the response to the campaign, including the delivery rate, open rate, click-through rate, etc. Email can also touch difficult to reach customer at a time that is convenient to them. In addition, email advertising can support other portions of an integrated marketing campaign by increasing brand recognition and top of mind awareness.
In order to effectively communicate with the public using the email as a medium, it is important to understand some best practices that will allow your organization to implement a successful email campaign. While the list below is not comprehensive, it offers some thought on how to best use the medium.
The List - The list is critically important for an email marketing campaign. A company must know who they are targeting, period, to be effective. It is important for response rates to be judged. Email marketing software is very valuable because it allows for list management and the purging of names from a list that are not responsive.
Carefully Craft your message - It is important for email marketers to realize that in most cases they are an extension of a larger marketing initiative. Marketing emails should stay consistent with a brand message.
Get customers to opt-in- Many customers will opt-in to receive occasional updates about a product or service they are familiar with. It may take time and effort to build a quality list, but, in the long run email can be used as a valuable connection between you and your target customers.
Don’t overdo it - Limit your messaging to once a week or once every few weeks. Limiting exposure will result in more effective messaging over time.
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Thank you for the post. It gives great tips about how to run successful email marketing campaigns. In general, a successful email marketing campaign consists of 3 elements: opt-in list of subscribers, good email newsletter including an opt-out link and a good program to manage bounces and unsubscribe requests.