Direct Marketing Tool: Email
Email Marketing Helps Business
I was checking my spam folder the other day, curious at what garbage had accumulated, when I began to see an overwhelming pattern—almost all of the messages were selling me something. Now, this isn’t so unusual. I’m sure we’ve all been subjected to the Viagra, you’ve won the lottery in the UK, pharmacy deals, and free casino credits at some point or another.
But it struck me that in almost every subject line, I was purportedly receiving a percent off. Lucky me.
If you have been using internet in the past decade, you have undoubtedly been subject to a slew of spam emails, internet pop ups, and audio messages telling you that you’ve won an iPod or Xbox. (By the way, congratulations on being the millionth visitor).
We’ve been so conditioned to seeing and hearing advertisements about free stuff or great deals that we have begun to tune them out all together, so much so, that when a business offers a legitimate promotion, we don’t believe it. We mark it as spam and don’t give it a second thought.
Consequently, from an email marketing standpoint, it is now harder than ever for businesses to send email marketing messages and have people interested, or even believe that the deal or promotion being offered is legitimate. For one, email applications like Gmail have built-in spam filters that actually “learn” in order to curb spammers ever-changing subversive tactics. If the emails actually do hit the inbox, many people are immediately turned off by a subject line containing a promotion and have no problem hitting the delete or “mark as spam/junk” button.
The solution? A move away from promotional-based subject lines and messages. The most effective email messages have gravitated toward a dialogue-based approach, conversing with the customer on a particular subject by including relevant information, including tips, how-to guides, articles, reviews, etc. Also, many businesses have begun paying more attention to targeted lists, whilst keeping them cleaner and up to date.
Say you run a clothing store and you want to send out an email marketing message. Instead of using the subject line “15% off all jeans” you can use “10 stylish shirts to dress up a pair of jeans.” If people like what they see, encourage them to check out your website and sign up for your newsletter.
Encourage feedback on your newsletters. Ask them for their opinions on your articles, tips, and products. Include interactive elements like surveys.