PA Internet Marketing Blog:

Successful Strategies for Email Marketing

In 2007 and 2008, your company should be using email marketing! “Every time we send out a newsletter we not only get an increase in sales, but we also get a massive increase in website visits, comments on our blog, etc - this helps us to build our brand and also increases the stickiness of our web site, which causes more people to return!”

In this recent survey from MarketingSherpa, responders overwhelmingly felt that email marketing was the strongest marketing tactic with the best return on investment. In 2007 over 89% of survey respondents claimed that they focused on email as an acquisition vehicle. It’s fast, cost-effective, and can cut down the sales cycle by as much as 40%. In this article I’ll illustrate an easy email marketing strategy and give advice on the best times send email.

Your newsletter, email special, or other solicitation should become a necessary procedure in your business. In order to have a successful email campaign, you need to know what your audience wants, and fulfill that need.

First you need to make sure the subject of your email is relevant to your audience:

  • Include a survey in your email which allows them to choose what your next newsletter topic will be.
  • Personalize each email.
  • Segment your email list (if it is large enough) by interests or preferences
  • Mail only to recipients who have clicked through to your website in the last year.
  • The subject line is the most important because 69% of all spam reported is based on the subject line alone, without the email even being opened.
  • Create the subject line using the following principles:

1. Use the recipient’s name in the subject line.
2. Include your Company Name or Brand.
3. Include the offer in Subject line.
4. Include time limit of the offer.
Example: “Jim –Save 25% on Brand X widgets until December 31!”

Continually add onto your email list by collecting emails:

  • At point of purchase
  • During sales calls,
  • From your call center
  • And by encouraging recipients to share emails

Next, you need to test your email on a variety of email software like Microsoft Live Mail, Hot Mail, Yahoo, Google Mail, and the new Outlook 2007. Remember that most people do not have images turned on for reading their email. So never send an email which is totally graphic. Your email should have all relevant information in text, so that the recipient can read it, and then decide to view the graphics.

Make sure you display all important information on an email “above the fold” or before people have to scroll down to read more.

Next you need to make sure you have a good email reputation. Now, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) block spam using IP Addresses and spam reports. Make sure that you have a good email reputation, and your emails will not be blocked. Here are some tips to protect your email reputation:

  • Obtain permission before sending an email
  • Make sure the email is relevant to the person receiving it
  • Make sure the person receiving the email can read the font
  • Make sure your list does not have a bounce rate over 10,000
  • Measure your email reputation here: http://www.senderscore.org

When is the Best Time to send email?
In general, the best day to send email is Tuesday, because the open rate is highest. Thursday is the busiest email delivery day. Friday morning is all right, but by the afternoon and over the weekend, the open rate drops significantly.

Test These Parts of Your emails

  • Subject Line – test the parts within it.
  • Personalization – Subject line and content within the email
  • Your List segments - Active vs. Non-Active
  • Specials and Offers
  • The appearance of coupons
  • Best part of Day or Best part of Week to send mail.

The following three websites have wonderful information about email marketing strategies:

By following this simple email strategy, you will realize excellent cost effective marketing which will work for years to come.