Emails Are Necessary For Every Online Business

By: Justin Bryce


The advances in technology over the last twenty years have drastically changed the marketing mix. These days almost everyone has an email account and many companies have successfully channeled this as yet another opportunity for reaching their customers. When thoughtfully integrated into your marketing plan, email is a valuable tool.

Without an email list there is no email campaign. Find ways to solicit the email addresses of your customers at each touch point. Include a line asking for email whenever you ask for customer information such as on business reply cards, direct mail and in telemarketing efforts. You should place opt-ins in prominent spots on your web site. The more your customers and prospects voluntarily give you their emails, the better since these are people who have told you that they want to hear from you.

Email affords the opportunity to dialog with your customers, whereas traditional marketing is a one way communication. Sticking with the tried and true means that you miss an important chance to start that conversation and solicit feedback. Try sending quizzes and surveys to find out the impressions and motivations of your customers. Track who follows links to other promotions. This can provide crucial information to inform your more traditional marketing methods.

These days many customers purchase items from their local retail store after researching it on line. With some creativity you can use this dynamic to track the success of your marketing efforts in other media. Distribute discount codes and printable coupons through email and track the rate at which they are redeemed and where. This is a valuable method of determining the success of different approaches. It can also tell you which market segments responded to which approach. This kind of knowledge lets you allocate your marketing efforts in areas with the most potential.

Whereas your overall strategy may be more generalized, email allows for a high level of customization in your marketing efforts. You can use this customization capability to highlight specific offers. For example, using your customers� profiles, you can point out specific offers in catalogs or on your web site. Use the customization possibilities to more sharply focus different aspects of your campaign on specific market segments. Use each marketing channel to target an individual throughout the customer cycle in order to bolster brand loyalty.

If you are going to use email for marketing, it is crucial that you fully incorporate it into your overall marketing campaign. It should have the same look and feel as your other marketing efforts and should play a specific role. If email is handled by another department or just added on, then you run the risk of looking sloppy and confusing your customers. Determine the timing of email messages related to the larger campaign. Should it hit simultaneously with your print and television ads? Perhaps you can use it as a sneak peek for more loyal customers. Maybe it can be a wrap up to a successful campaign. If planned well, the email component of your marketing efforts can become a crucial piece.

Email can add a dynamic element to your marketing efforts. It can bring parts of your campaign into sharper focus for different segments of the market. This kind of targeting is possible because of the superior customization inherent in email. Just make sure that you thoroughly integrate it into the larger effort and is not just an afterthought. Those who have subscribed to your list want to hear from you, take advantage of this fact to track your efforts in other areas.


Learn how to write Emails That Sell and make the most of your Email Marketing with Justin Bryce. Justin is the founder of Emails That Sell and has made $3,457 with just one email. Learn more at: www.emailsthatsell.com