Basics for E-mail Marketing Success

Here are a few basic tips to guide you on the path to e-mail marketing success. You can expect higher returns on your email marketing investment if you adhere to these basic principles.

• Take a look at your e-mail marketing database list. Send your e-mail announcements only to people who know you. If they don't recognize your company name you are most likely to get your e-mail stuck in a spam filter. So, make sure all of the e-mail addresses you have on your database have opted in to receive your e-mail announcements.

• Think of your e-mail addresses as people not just as inanimate objects. Because, after all, there is a person and hopefully a customer attached to that e-mail address. So, treat that e-mail address with respect. Don't sell your e-mail addresses. Make sure you include a privacy statement on your Website and on each e-mail you send out. E-mail marketing is about building relationships.

• Segregate your e-mail contacts into various categories befitting of your particular industry or company requirements. This will help you to tailor your e-mail announcements to a targeted audience. One size doesn't fit all.

• Engage your audience. After all, this isn't a one-way conversation. Ask your readers to click on a link for more information. Make your newsletter layout, fonts, and graphic images look inviting. Draw the reader's attention to your announcement.

• Maximize your delivery rate by formatting your e-mail appropriately. If you use one of the e-mail service providers such as Constant Contact or iContact, for example, they can review your e-mail and offer suggestions for anti-spam formatting.

• Make it clear when your readers sign-up what they will be getting and how often. I send an e-mail newsletter on the 1st of each month. My readers will always know to look in their inbox on that date for the latest marketing information.

• Keep track of your responses and follow up with people who register for your e-mail announcements. I send registrants a free pen with a welcome letter in addition to the automated welcome e-mail they get from my e-mail provider. And analyze each e-mail so that you can tweak your content for the next edition.

• Archive your e-newsletters. It's a great way to get more exposure via the Web. Search engines can crawl your archived newsletters. People can review your archived newsletter to see if they want to sign up. Or, your existing customers know they can always go to that link to review an old issue. In other words, they won't have to store your e-newsletter in their inbox.

I hope these suggestions have been beneficial. Try a few and see if your next e-mail announcement or newsletter is successful.

E-mail Marketing in 2010: What's New!

E-mail marketing has just about peaked in terms of new technology. Almost everyone has an e-newsletter these days. But, what is the secret to leading the pack in terms of innovation in eMarketing? Here are a few tactics that will help you engage your customers.

• Use an auto-responder to set up an automated e-mail to customers who have recently purchased your product. Request that they complete a product review. This is a good way to increase brand loyalty and may also encourage these customers to provide valuable content for you.

• Use social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn to encourage your customers to share your e-newsletter with colleagues. Add a Share Button to your e-mails. And when a new subscribers signs up for your e-newsletter, encourage them to share your content in your Welcome e-mail message.

• If you have an e-commerce function on your Website to allow online ordering of your products, make sure you have a great Web analytics program to determine which customers may have failed to make a purchase (commonly called shopping cart abandonment). This data can then trigger an e-mail to be sent encouraging the customers to return to your site to complete their transaction.

• The age old question is when is the best time to send my e-mail? Studies have shown that customers look at their e-mails at all times of the day. Others may look when they first get up in the morning, and others may look at it later in the day. But, now there is a new technology called Send Time Optimization that can analyze recipient behavior. This will allow you to send your e-mail messages when they are most likely reviewing their e-mail.

• Mobile marketing is coming of age. Now that the technology has advanced it is an excellent way to stay in touch with your customers. Use this for timely notices especially reminders, invitations, or special notifications.

• Segment your mailing list. Don't treat all people the same regardless of their interest level. You must know where they are in the purchasing life cycle. At the very least categorize your customers into new, active, or lapsed. Through your e-mail reports you should be able determine where they are in the marketing life cycle. Find out why these people are no longer opening your e-mails.

• Your goal should be to increase the conversion rate. You want your readers to purchase product. If your conversion rates are lagging make your call to action more energetic, more appealing, or articulate it more clearly. Use landing pages wisely to focus your customers on your specific call to action.

KIWI NEWS ... Your Authoritative Guide to Great Marketing .. is now Archived

Hi everyone! We just made reading KIWI News even easier. You can now access archived issues of KIWI News, our monthly marketing e-newsletter. We've implemented this so that you can use the back issues as a reference source or check out our newsletter before you subscribe. There is no need for you to retain our e-mails. Click on the link and you'll have instant access.

If you want to subscribe click on the Subscribe Now button on the home page or on the sidebar of this blog. It's just another way to make things convenient. Here is the link to read the back issues. In a few weeks we'll have a widget on the home page of our Website so you can easily click to read the archived issues.

Let us know how you like this feature.

8 Secrets to Marketing Your Products via e-Newsletters

Why should you publish an e-newsletter?

Well, research has shown that it is a lot more cost effective and profitable to grow your business by increasing revenue and referrals from existing customers vs. chasing new prospects. If you have a good in-house customer or prospect list, think of that list as a valuable asset. And ... you need a way to stay in touch with that valuable asset.

Read the complete article on Buzzle.com.

KIWI News ... Your Authoritative Guide to Great Marketing

Here is some information about my quarterly newsletter. It is filled with marketing hints, tips, and creative ideas. KIWI News is FREE to qualified marketing professionals. Along with the quarterly issue, you get monthly e-mail alerts which discuss some of the most state-of-the-art marketing techniques.

Visit our Website for more information and/or to sign up for your FREE issue today! Or use the sign-up form on the sidebar of this blog.

Write an Effective Newsletter

Why should you add an e-newsletter to your list of marketing tactics? Well, it is a lot easier to grow your business through referrals from existing customers than to chase new prospects. If you currently have an good in-house list, then you should think of that list as a valuable asset.

• What does an e-newsletter do for you? First of all, it helps all of your customers, prospects, vendors, partners, suppliers, etc. to keep your company's name top of mind. It also provides an ongoing communication with these people. It allows you to promote your products or services. But, most of all, it develops relationships.

• Elements of a good e-newsletter: Keep it short and to the point. Divide your newsletter into small sound bites. Use bullets and short paragraphs. Add links to important information on your Website. Don't forget to add a sign up box and a forward box as well. And, don't forget to provide to provide a privacy statement. Let your customers know that you do not sell their information.

• How much time does it take to create a newsletter? Unfortunately, you can't just push a button and have an e-newsletter. It does take some thought as to content. But, insofar as the layout and creation process, there are many templates and companies that can help you with this. For a small monthly fee you can outsource the production of your e-newsletter.

Consider adding an e-newsletter to your marketing mix of tactics. It's an inexpensive way to keep your name in front of your customers. It provides credibility, shows your expertise in a specific industry, and promotes your business.