Email Marketing Tips

If you and/or your company have interest in working with web-based permission email marketing solutions, then you need to be partnered with an email marketing company that is best suited for helping you to achieve your goals. When it comes to the best email marketing services, the one that is right for you really comes down to what your needs are. If you are putting together a free email marketing newsletter to send to your clients and have never done this before, then an easy-to-use system is essential. You should also look for a strong customer service and support team to help you out, should you encounter any issues. You might also look for a email marketing company that offers educational opportunities about how to use their products.

Of course, for those who could fill out HTML email marketing templates in their sleep and are interested in web-based email marketing software to handle the large email communication needs of their company, the delivery system available is of the highest priority. Obviously, using a white-listed provider who complies with the CAN-SPAM act is important. Life should be made easy- whether you need a system that makes a double-opt in the standard for every new account or one that will pre-populate newsletters with your agents' information and upload them to their accounts for you in an enterprise situation. Before you just sign on with any old email marketing company, refresh yourself on email marketing best practices, and make a choice that will forward your business.

Even in the dead of winter, it's never too early to start some spring cleaning...of your email list, that is! If your list has become overrun with weeds, it's time to give it some new life by re-engaging inactive subscribers, or those who haven't been opening or responding to your email marketing campaigns in a while. Here are some guidelines to get your started:

• Use your email marketing software to segment your email list into active and inactive subscribers. Do this based on your desired criteria (i.e., people who haven't opened and/or interacted with your newsletter in the past six months).
• Get to know your inactive demographic. Perhaps they all have something in common. Maybe the majority of them are men and lately your content has been more geared toward women, or maybe they all belong to a certain age group. Or, perhaps they all opted in to your free email marketing newsletter in order to take advantage of coupons or a one-time special offer.
• Try different email marketing templates and formats. For example, try sending inactives a text version of your email that is simple but has specific links and call-to-action. Some people might just be overwhelmed by all the bells and whistles.
• Test different subject lines. A creative subject line could be one of your most effective re-engagement strategies, especially if you've been using the same style/tone of subject line for some time.
• Modify content. Consider packaging your content in a new or different html email marketing template for your list of inactives. Use testing strategies and analysis to uncover trends that might lead you to provide dynamic content based on specific subscriber profiles or preferences.
• Play around with day, time & frequency. If you always send at the same day and/or time of day, consider adjusting distribution times and the frequency with which you distribute to see what spurs the most response.
• Send a postcard. Retailers might consider sending inactives a postcard with a "we miss you" incentive such as free shipping or a discount. B2B marketers might offer a free webinar or white paper to re-engage and motivate inactive recipients.
• Ask subscribers to update their email preferences and profiles. Use incentives to drive them to update account information, format preferences, interests and demographics. This will help you to better target them in your email marketing newsletters.
• Survey your subscribers from time to time. What better way to find out what your recipients think than to ask them? Ask for feedback on the content of your email marketing newsletter as well as the services you offer. This may help you gain some insight into why some people no longer seem interested in your communications.
• Update active/inactive subscriber lists. As inactives begin to respond to your newsletter again, whether opening it, clicking a link, making a purchase, etc., change their list status to "active." This way you can target them a bit differently next time.

When it comes to distributing a free email marketing newsletter that is opened, read and enjoyed by its readers, there are numerous factors that one needs to take into account. Consistency, however, is not always where it should by on that list. That is likely because the desire for consistency in a readership is largely a subconscious desire. It has been demonstrated time and time again, however, that consistent delivery and appearance increases the success of email marketing campaigns.

HTML email marketing templates allow for an easy way to keep the appearance of your newsletter similar from newsletter to newsletter. A custom header creates a visual picture that readers recognize each time they open an email or see it in the preview feature. When customers can immediately recognize your email marketing newsletter amongst the rest of their mail, they are more likely to read it. The success of your email marketing solutions will be boosted by sending emails on the same day of the week around the same time.

There are certain times when people are more likely to open and read emails, and times when, no matter how appealing you've made your newsletters, they just won't be likely. Do send your emails on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Don't send your emails on Mondays or Fridays, especially early in the day on Monday or late in the day on Friday. Being consistent can work wonders, especially when you're looking for the best email marketing services you can offer. When your email is anticipated AND arrives at a time when people aren't feeling overloaded or sluggish (Mondays) or ready to be done (Fridays), it will be opened, read and enjoyed a much higher percentage of the time.

Once you've created what, in your opinion, appears to be a great email marketing newsletter, you're all set and ready to launch it out into cyberspace, right? Wrong. First, you'll need to go back and check your subject line, making sure it concisely echoes the content of your message so that recipients find it too irresistible not to open.

But, you might be thinking, a subject line is just a few words - how difficult can it be to write? You'd be surprised. If you consider enticing newspaper and magazine article headlines, they have to be intriguing enough to pull in readers who will, at the very minimum, want to skim the article. Take a few minutes to thumb through one of your favorite publications, noting the qualities of the headlines of the articles you want to read. Much like these article titles and headlines, email newsletter subject lines are the gatekeepers of your message. If you fail to get the recipient's attention with your subject line, they may never see all the great deals and amazing content your email marketing newsletter has to offer.

To compose the perfect email subject line:

• Don't just describe the email. Think about why you are writing the email and what you want to be different after the recipient has read it.
  State the message's bottom line. B2C marketers, for example, should relay a sense of urgency when it comes to special offers. Provide exact details of the offer, how long it will last, etc. B2B marketers should highlight whatever timely, newsworthy topic is featured within their email newsletter content.
• If your message requires the recipient's action (and most of them do), say so; preferably with the first word.
  If your email comprises multiple topics, consider breaking it into multiple messages or summarize a few of the main topics in one or two words, divided by commas.
• Be precise, not vague. Include detail that allows the recipient to identify what you are talking about quickly and unambiguously. Think about the who, what, when, where, why & how of your message and then phrase your subject line almost as if it were an invitation. (Because, if you think about it, it IS an invitation - to open your email and take some kind of action that you think would be of interest to the reader).
• Email subjects need to be concise and not too wordy. Leave out unnecessary words like articles, adjectives and adverbs.

We’re all human, and so we aren't immune to getting caught in a rut. This can happen with marketing as we tend to depend on the same old techniques or media to build business and increase sales. This also affects our willingness to explore new avenues of communication.

Too many marketing professionals try to rehash the old printed postcard, magazine or newspaper advertising, while completely disregarding email marketing. They are in a rut, unable to see that all of their branding and messages can be easily converted into html email marketing templates. From images to links to their website- all of this and more can be presented in an environmentally- and user-friendly format.

Sending out a free email marketing newsletter on a regular basis has many great benefits. First and most important is the cost- printing and mailing thousands of promotions has increased exponentially over the last few years, while email marketing companies have been lowering costs year after year as the technology used to distribute these has also become cheaper.

The second and almost equal to the first is that printed media can’t be tracked and analyzed. Email marketing solutions include reliable and real-time tracking for how many recipients opened, clicked links, responded to surveys, shared, and subscribed. Email marketing professionals are able to customize and make changes to their newsletter distribution schedule, modifying and presenting information and offers based on their clients' input. And as time goes on they are able to create their own tried and true email marketing best practices and watch their sales grow.

For those businesses with partners or affiliates, email marketing services can be created from the top down. Branding, sales and special offers, and other information can be shared easily, customized for each location and client base with a few keystrokes or mouse clicks. In many cases, contact information, images, and inventory changes can be automatically changed or added the moment the html email marketing template is added to each account- saving time and money, while adding interest, participation and increased sales.

So, today’s advice: Break out of your marketing rut and try something new. Take your brand and message from print to digital with email marketing newsletters; it's an easy and extremely affordable transition.