Online marketing remains a very viable proposition for business today and there are quite a number of online marketing tools, techniques, and strategies. Regardless, email marketing remains the marketing strategy with the highest return on investment. As with all other marketing strategies, email marketing can only deliver best results if it is "done right". There are a number of considerations, but here are a few you might want to keep in mind. Build a Solid Email Marketing List The genesis of every email marketing campaign -- an email list of current and potential customers allows you reach out repeatedly to your prospects with targeted messages. Essentially, contacts on your e-mail list have to actually want your messages. Here are a few ways of creating and refining your email marketing list. 1. Use Opt-in forms Integrating an email opt in form on your website allows visitors to easily subscribe to your mailing list. For optimum visibility, your form would be best placed "above the fold," where visitors can see it immediately without having to scroll down. A good example here would be the sidebar or widget section of sub pages and/or landing pages. You could provide different variations of these web page opt-in forms depending on which part of the site the visitor is on. For instance, a visitor on your "About Us" might have taken action to learn more about you and your business, so you could place an opt-in form here that encourages them to get to know you even more by joining your email list. Shopping cart Another logical place for an opt-in form would be the "checkout" process on your site's shopping cart. If a customer is already willing to make a purchase on your website, chances are that they'd be interested in receiving future discounts and other messages from you. Blog comments By integrating an email opt-in box into the comments section of your blog, you will be reaching people who have already demonstrated an interest in what you have to say. Opt-in form Best practices Keep it brief -- Generally, the less information you require to opt in, the more sign-ups you'll receive. If possible, only require an email address for sign up. Freebies -- offering a bonus (coupon code, free e-book, etc) for providing your email address encourages more sign-ups. 2. Segment your email list In order for your email campaign to be effective, your email marketing content has to be relevant to your customers and prospects. To increase the effectiveness of your promotions, your email marketing messages should be tailored to specific customers. By creating email list segments -- groups of subscribers who have a certain characteristic in common -- you can ensure that only relevant messages are being sent to your customers and prospects. For example, you could create segments for subscribers who already have a purchase history with your company, or who open every single message you send; and another for prospects who have downloaded your company's brochure, ebook, chart, etc. The specific segments that work best will vary by business and industry. But by experimenting with different types of segmenting and targeting, you can make your messages more interesting and relevant to subscribers. 3. Split test opt-in forms and broadcast messages You can test different variations of your opt-in forms (positioning/placement, sign up button colors, fonts, etc) on your website and in your marketing campaigns to determine which combinations will generate the most email subscriptions. This is also helpful in improving open and click-through rates for broadcast messages -- spontaneous messages such as product launches, promotions, etc. 4. Keep your email list clean Marketing is a process, not an event and, as your marketing campaign evolves, email list subscribers who no longer open your messages will only be wasting your time and money. So, it's important to take time each month to "scrub" your list and remove people you've fallen out of touch with. You should identify and remove subscribers who haven't opened a message in a given period of time and/or subscribers who were added to your list before that "scrub" time. Keeping your email list "clean" ensures that your campaign is as effective as possible. Create Compelling content In order for your marketing messages to be effective, they have to truly engage your customers. Be original You should try as much as possible to provide original content. There is really nothing worse than stale content. Even if you "borrow" the ideas for your marketing messages elsewhere, at least make the effort to present the content based on your understanding of the information, instead of simply regurgitating the content. This also extends to images -- it's far better to use your own images (staff photos, pinterest feeds, etc) rather than stock photos. Chances are that your audience has encountered the content of your email messages elsewhere. In such a case, presenting a different view makes the content appear fresh and appealing to them. Helpful is the new viral We often make the mistake of reaching out to customers and prospects when we have something to sell, and as such, email marketing is often seen as just another opportunity to make the sales pitch. However, this should not be the case. Email messages should be used to provide helpful information and deepen your customer relationships. As customers come to rely on you as an industry expert, you will likely see a corresponding increase in sales. Research customers By surveying your customers, you gather useful insights about their needs and interests. You can set up a survey and use email to gather feedback from your customers. Simplicity pays Your main aim is to connect with your reader. There's really no point in using all the corporate jargon and buzzwords if your message isn't getting across. Simple terms are more likely to be read, so write clearly and concisely. Some marketing pros advise the use of the first person as often as possible. The same goes for your calls to action. These should be simple, concise, and straight-to-the-point. You don't want to make it difficult to tell how to access an offer. Make it shareable Incorporating social elements in your email campaigns is a great way to spread the message. You should include sharing links and buttons to make it easy for readers to share the content on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Google+. Keep your content fresh It's worthwhile to spicing things up from time to time by doing something different and/or unexpected. For example, you can send content that is slightly offbeat, shocking, humorous, etc to customers in your email list segment who haven't opened email recently.
