A cost effective and powerful marketing tool

19374261 Marketing your company during good times is hard enough. But marketing your company while trying to manage expenses can really be tough. So what’s a marketer with one hand tied behind their back to do?

One powerful and cost-effective strategy that generates consistent results is strategic email marketing.  When done right, it can generate huge ROI percentages within a reasonable budget.

The following are just some of the strategies to keep in mind when developing email campaigns:

  • Get to the point—You only have 2–3 seconds to catch their attention. Always provide relevant information that your target wants and avoid the “fluff.”
  • Keep it short—No more than 15–20 percent of the copy you would include in a traditional printed direct mail letter.
  • Be conversational—Your email should be an extension of your brand. If your brand is formal, write in a formal style. If your brand is casual, make it casual.
  • Use bullets and lists—Emails are unique in that the reader wants the info fast. Instead of long sentences, try bullets or lists to convey your points. This is a vehicle of “sound bytes.”
  • Choose your topics carefully—Always make the information timely and culturally relevant to your target.
  • Use proven layout strategies—Typically, email readers like to scan first and then go back and read. So make sure that you break up your copy with bullet points, illustrations, photos, or graphs. And make sure to have plenty of “white” space.
  • It’s not about you—Be sure to spend less time selling your products/services and more time providing useful information to your readers. The more useful your information, the more response you will generate.

If you haven’t done so already, consider adding a strategic email campaign to your arsenal of marketing weapons. It can be a very powerful and cost-efficient strategy that generates impressive returns.

Thanks to my friends at Gumas Advertising for these tips!

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14 comments on “A cost effective and powerful marketing tool

  1. Karin H. says:

    Hi Drew

    To be honest I’m missing the most important item in your list for a successful email campaign: make it anticipated! I.e. use Permission Marketing tools like AWeber.
    See here http://tinyurl.com/cfxjra for a Q&A on the guide I’m preparing for Small Businesses in this regard.

    Karin H. (Keep It Simple Sweetheart, specially in business)

  2. Engago team says:

    Email marketing becomes SPAM.
    It seems all companies hope to be saved by email marketing.
    However in order to reach out to new potential customers companies need new email addresses.
    Thus they all will start spamming.

    If you could only address to those companies that have shown interest by having visited your website, then your email marketing would be much more effective.

  3. Great advice. Sometimes a well placed email can do more good then a multi-million dollar campaign ever could. It’s all about getting the right eyeballs behind the message and if you do it in a conversational tone all the better.

  4. Hi Drew,

    I am a big proponent of email when used correctly. I would add a couple of things to your list. First, make sure your email list is segmented and send a targeted, highly relevant email to each segment. Second, your subject line can be even more important than the email content because it is what will get them to open your email. I like to be a little edgy to get noticed. MarketingProfs does a great job at this. One my favorites that I have used at my company, ReachForce, is “ROI, Up Yours”. I have gotten a few complaints but an overwhelming amount of positive feedback and attention not to mention very high open rates and click-throughs.

    Thanks for the great post.

  5. Hi Drew,

    What I like about your post is that it’s a reminder not to forget that e-mail can be a powerful tool. The challenge is that you’re still competing for attention in a space where so many people are doing this wrong.

    I have never used e-newsletters because I think that reaching out with a personal, individualized touch has always been a better fit for me. But whether you are crafting an e-newsletter or a single-recipient e-mails, these are great tips for getting noticed for the right reasons.

    Best,
    Daria

  6. I agree everything needs to be be permission based. Spam is not an email campaign. If they dont opt in then you are not only invisible you are interrupting.

    I think e-newsletters are great or ezines, white papers or ebooks. Just make sure they are targeted and sent to people who want them and will anticipate getting them and will be wondering when the next one is coming.

    Chad Rothschild

  7. Karin,

    Can you tell us why you think anticipation is an important element of e-mail marketing?

    Drew

  8. Engago,

    Yes, e-mail marketing can be SPAM. But it doesn’t have to be. Using permission-based e-mails is an excellent way to avoid that problem.

    Drew

  9. Stuart,

    Ultimately, marketing is about getting the right message to the right people — no doubt about that. And sometimes e-mail marketing is the right tactic to get that done.

    I agree!

    Drew

  10. Leigh Anne,

    Excellent additions to the list — thank you!

    Drew

  11. Lewis,

    I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at the ROI/new clients that your e-newsletter delivers eventually. We started ours in 1999 and sometimes people are on the list for 2-4 years (literally) before they’re in a position to hire us.

    But, boy are we top of mind by then!

    Drew

  12. Daria,

    I agree, the personal touch is ideal. At MMG, we’ve found that a combination of personal touches and the regular “drip” marketing of an e-newsletter is an excellent blend.

    Drew

  13. Karin H. says:

    Hi Drew

    Well, are you looking forward to be interrupted with information from someone you don’t know or receiving information from someone who promised information?

    (That’s the short version 😉 The longer version is an old blog post of mine: http://www.thekissbusiness.co.uk/2006/11/shall_i_wrap_it.html

    Karin H

  14. Karin,

    Ahhh, I wasn’t sure what you meant by anticipation. Without a doubt, having a relationship of some kind first makes the e-mail a much more welcome arrival!

    Drew

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