Business Basics of Email Marketing

Email marketing is, unfortunately, often a neglected marketing strategy. Too many companies ignore it completely. Others send out required emails but don’t fully understand the true potential of this marketing technique or how to correctly build a strategy. In spite of this, the benefits associated with email marketing are enormous, reinforcing the idea that it needs to be a top priority for all business owners. With that in mind, let’s get started.

What exactly is email marketing?

To put it simply, any email sent to a potential or existing customer is considered a form of email marketing. The email could be a welcome letter, thank-you, an ad or announcement of a new product/service, a newsletter, a fundraising message, the list goes on. They each provide business owners with the capability to improve relationships, build customer loyalty and develop brand awareness. They also provide the opportunity to deliver current, previous and potential customers more information about your company. You could also use this opportunity to request important information about the customer that you can use to place them into the most effective categories for future marketing efforts.

Its hard to ask for more from direct marketing efforts, but email marketing delivers. Email marketing done right provides results and a high return on investment.
Benefits associated with email marketing are that it’s much less expensive than many other forms of communication, it allows businesses to reach target markets quickly, and the outcomes of these direct marketing campaigns are easy to monitor for effectiveness. The data gathered from subscribers and potential new customers can also be used to generate more tailored email categories targeting specific segments of your customer base. This allows businesses to send out personalized emails based on customer likes, dislikes, and spending habits, as well as on the information that the subscriber has requested or shown interest.

If your email marketing campaign isn’t showing these results or benefits, or if you’re interested to see how you can build a winning strategy, here are some tips on where to start:

1. Subject lines are incredibly important. Be straightforward and remember to personalize it.

   
   

2. Avoid too many hard bounces (this is when the email address no longer exists). If you’re getting a lot of these, it means that your list is old and needs to be updated.

   
   

3. Soft bounces mean that an email did not go through because the email address is temporarily unavailable. Keep these emails and try again later.

   
   

   Another important tip to remember is to avoid being labeled as spam. For example, if your spam/abuse score becomes too high, your email account WILL be canceled.

   
   

   For more information go to Mail Chimp’s guide on “How to Avoid Spam Filters” and ensure that your emails continue to be legitimate, and in customer inboxes!

   
   

   The CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 authorizes a $16,000 penalty per violation for spamming. Make sure that you get permission before you send any commercial email, require users to double opt-in, and provide a one-click unsubscribe feature.
   If you do all of this and still feel like you’re falling short of your email marketing objectives, or if you simply feel overwhelmed at the thought of managing a successful campaign, don’t hesitate to call on the professionals for help.

   
   

   At Eastmoor Digital, we have the experience and expertise needed to develop a successful email marketing campaign and get you the results you’ve been looking for!