In recent years, research has continued to demonstrate the benefits of e-mail marketing for business: low costs, high conversion rates and detailed tracking are notable features. But e-mail marketing is becoming much more than a tool for spammers and e-business. Consumers are becoming more knowledgeable about the differences between spam and permission-based emails, and more and more of them are accepting permission-based e-mail marketing as a positive replacement for direct mail.
The best news is that most people who receive permission-based e-mails open, on average, 78% of them.
Jupiter Research reports effective marketing campaigns by email can produce nine times earnings and 18 times the profits of media shipments. However, the development of an effective business email is an art and a science. Here is a list of factors, potential problems and effective solutions to consider:
1. Spam! Spam! Spam! No need for Viagra!
The average consumer receives more than 300 emails a week, 62% of which are spam. No wonder there is so much hostility towards the industry. However, spam filters, bulk folders "spam" features are helping consumers become more comfortable about the dangers of spam. While 89% of users cited spam as a major concern in 2003, that number dropped to 85% in 2004, in proportion to an increase in the use of tools to combat spam.
So as a permission-based marketing business email, what can you do? One tip is to remind your subscribers that you add to your "safe senders" list. The second and more important, the tactic is to ensure that your service provider email marketing has a good relationship with ISPs. This will ensure your marketing campaigns enter email inboxes of their subscribers, not their junk mail folders. When choosing a software marketing email, make sure that the company has strict anti-spam policies and complies with the guidelines of the Can-Spam.
2. Images and formatting: Why do my emails look broken?
Broken email campaigns are a growing concern among email marketers, especially since several companies and web-based email providers block graphics as a measure to combat spam. In fact, according to ClickZ, 40% of marketing messages delivered to email inboxes are "broken."
This was actually something that happened during beta-testing Eliteweb stages, because they had a client in the Government of Canada whose recipients were mostly e-mail programs of high security. The solution we came up with has become one of our main competitive advantages.
What it does is it publishes Eliteweb email marketing campaign just sent to safety on the web (one place the original message recipients can access, thanks to technology that automatically encrypted user authentication). The technology also ensures that you can track user behavior, even if they are reading your e-mail campaign on the secure website.
3. Personalization and relevant content:In an e-mail business, one size does not fit all.
In a recent study by DoubleClick, email users were 72% more likely to respond to business e-mail if their content is based on the interests they had specified. That number indicates the absolute importance that users can choose their own interest groups and have control over which business e-mails they receive. The most popular interest categories, the study said, are the coupons and household products.
However, the coupon is no good unless the user opens the email. Users in the study said the most compelling reason to open a business email is the name in the "From" field. So it's a good idea to make sure your company name is clearly no. Another important factor is the "subject". Users cite discount offers and news of interest as the most attractive subject lines, followed by announcements of new products and offers free shipping.
4. Click-through and conversion: Show me the money!
So the user has opened your email and read the contents. Great. But where is the sale? There is good news. On the one hand, consumers are increasingly likely to make purchases as a direct result of a business email campaign. One third of users in the DoubleClick study had purchased something, click a link in an email. Another 42% clicked on an email link for more information, and then bought the product at a later time. Second, online coupons is booming: 73% of consumers have redeemed an online coupon for a purchase online, and 59% have redeemed an online discount online.
In terms of sectors, the best are travel, hardware / software, electronics, clothing, food, housewares, gifts / flowers and sporting goods. All companies sending business emails in those categories said between 71% and 80% of beneficiaries have purchased their products because of an email campaign.
No need to worry if your company does not fit one of those industries. The overall picture for the conversion of email marketing is looking brighter every day. The average click-to-buy rate has risen by nearly 30% since 2004 and the average orders per e-mail delivered rate has increased more than 18% since last year.
5. Tracking Statistics: Who are my real consumers?
E-mail marketing is an increasingly popular tool in effective CRM, and it is time that more companies are recognizing. First, if the service provider for business email do not include detailed, real-time monitoring, you are getting a raw deal. Real-time tracking is now an industry standard and is very valuable, allowing you to see the exact moment when a user opens your campaign, click on the link and makes the purchase. The study of users can help improve your communications efforts, so each campaign performS better than the last (several providers of email services also allow you to compare the performance of your campaigns).
However, many sellers are still in the dark. According to a recent WebTrends research only 5% of traders are very confident in the extent of their online marketing efforts, while 26% admit they are "flying blind". WebTrends says the low level of trust comes from lack of knowledge regarding the measurement, which means that there is much work to do.
The e-mail marketing, a blind shot, do not get you very far away. But if your goal is correct by following these basic rules of the game, soon to reap the same results as the business major online and offline for many.
Topic: 5 Surefire Tips for Effective Email Marketing (Read 1896 times)
