E-mail Marketing Is Here To Stay-00-625

E-mail marketing is quick, inexpensive — a godsend for marketers in an economy that has crunched advertising budgets. Zipping an electronic ad to your mailbox costs a marketer about 5 cents, compared with 25 cents to $3 for the postal equivalent. This kind of marketing is like your very own laboratory, just without all those pesky chemistry classes or unflattering lab coats. It is one of the most proficient marketing tools available today. It's easy, inexpensive, direct, actionable and highly effective.

It inspires customer loyalty and subsequently, increased repeat business. It is easy to track, instant, and cost effective! E-mail Marketing is one of the most cost-effective and best ways to keep your brand and products fresh in your customers' minds. By sending well-targeted opt-in e-mail communications, you can keep your customers in the loop on your products, services, events and more. Not only a great bargain for the money, it is one of the most effective website advertising methods. Email is valued by users for timely, rich and enticing information and advertisements.

This kind of promotion is seen by most web retailers as an internal operation that can be managed without outside help—55.9% of web retailers do not use a third-party e-mail service provider. Most online merchants also operate their programs with minimal staff. E-mail marketing is one of the most effective methods to capture your targeted prospects, while retaining long-time contacts. It has been compared with other forms of direct and internet marketing, identifying its key advantages. The factors that have been found to increase response rate in direct marketing and direct mail have been identified.Following exploratory qualitative research among industry experts 30 e-mail campaigns were analysed to identify factors associated with higher response rates; the following factors were found to be associated with increased response rate: subject line, e-mail length, incentive, number of images.

Permission based e-mail marketing, also known as opt-in marketing, is a direct marketing technique that requires the consent of the recipient prior to sending e-mails. It creates a highly targeted audience who receive information only on topics specifically requested. Permission marketing requires that the sender have the 'permission' of the recipient to contact them via email (or any other channel).

E-Mail marketing is the foremost channel for driving customer acquisition, retention and loyalty. It is more effective than the other advertising medias. The reason being, that it is very techno-savvy, very fast and still pretty cost effective. Needless to say, it is a way by which you promote your business and services to individuals using e-mail. Frequently, people opt-in to receive these types of e-mails so you are not spamming people with unwanted mail.

Email marketing is one of the forms of direct marketing, which is done via Internet. Emails are sent to potential customers to boost the business, and gain the trust of the customer by disclosing relevant information and help them to make good shopping decisions. It also effects increasing their sales, profits and production. With the help of marketing, a company can implement the goodwill of its customer base.

By offering to answer additional questions. By letting them know you are available to speak with them, at their convenience. By offering valuable tips to your potential customers. By giving the newsletter true value, those prospects will begin to look forward to hearing from you. Offer them a free consultation, invite them to a seminar or a private sale--whatever works for your business.

Companies, that have taken marketing out of the silo and into this type of organization, have met with great success. As Aramark, a uniform and food services firm, approached the task of merging three separate business units into one organization, the company's chairman and CEO Joe Neubauer decided to bring together the three parts around the singular focus on delivering greater value to customers. Companies can offer something compelling on their web site to entice consumers to sign up; take out adverts on billboards or buses; or place adverts in complementary e-mail newsletters. All these methods are effective ways to ensure that consumers want to be part of lists.

Customers routinely discard free e-mail accounts, and ISPs suspend such accounts after several months of inactivity. Some ISPs recycle suspended accounts into their spam-detection programs. Customized e-mails encourage customers to open, read, and click-through content. This can both encourage customer loyalty and build Web site traffic. Email lists should be held in strict privacy and in a secure environment. This will build trust and goodwill and your opt-in rate will likely go up faster than if you don’t state this policy. Email is so versatile and relatively simple to organize, as long as your data base is in good shape. A typical email campaign will deliver responses within 48 hours. Email spam is a big problem everywhere. Some people take it seriously, some others just ignore it.

Email marketing generates an immediate response. The call to action is clear: "to learn more about this service". It is by far the most cost effective way to market going into the future. It is here to stay and only getting bigger.

Offering those many avenues --and making the right decisions about the use of each one makes for a balanced and effective marketing approach. E-mail is a great channel, and it has added to the complexity of the marketing mix--but it's just that, part of the mix.

Opt-in approach has been adopted in most EU Member States, and is under consideration in some other countries. Opt-in direct e-mail is still one of the best online marketing tools, and your existing customers are your best resource. A favorite method, is the Thank You Note: An e-mail from the company's founder or CEO telling existing customers, "We know you are responsible for our success".

Affiliates can expand their reach and tap into the customer lists of similar products. Partners can provide additional value to existing products or services. Affiliate programs are popular among online businesses. Affiliates may log into their account at any time to review and assess real-time sales, traffic and commission statistics and reports.

By: Donald McPhee