Databases

&

Email Marketing

Why Email Marketing? Because it works!

– Email marketing generated about $42 ROI for every dollar spent

Email marketing considered the second-most effective tool for generating conversions, behind SEO and ahead of social media

Allows targeting

Is data driven

Why Email Marketing? Drives sales

It’s personal

Builds relationships, loyalty and trust

Supports sales and other channels of marketing

No postage costs!!!!!!

Where Do You Start? What do you want your email marketing to do?

How will you measure success?

What do your customers want or need from you?

What can you offer

Devise a rough schedule

Write it down

What Do I Use?

Why Use An Email Service Provider? High deliverability

– ESPs are white listed

Advanced statistics and reporting

List Management– Automatically handle subscribers and unsubscribers

Easily create and send HTML messages

Create segmented lists and personalization

Automatic CAN SPAM Compliance

Why Use An Email Service Provider? Build and disguise your subscriber list

Linked to social media

Email surveys and polls

Mobile messaging

Support and training

Relatively inexpensive

Email Strategy & Best Practices Define your purpose

Know your audience

Target your mailing

Manage your mailing list

Determine frequency

Email Strategy & Best Practices Use your brand

Write a good subject line

Think like your audience

Make an offer

Keep it short

Test...test...test

Define Your Purpose Sell product/service Newsletter Introduce new product/service Deliver information Event marketing Simply say thank you or happy birthday Build your brand

know why you are emailing

Know Your Audience Define who is most likely to respond to your email

Segment instead of mailing everyone

Build a more effective mailing list

Database – Mailing ListsMost important part of your mailing

Do you have email addresses of customers and prospects?

Opt-in lists are your most successful

How to build an opt-in mailing list – Have sign-up sheets everywhere

– Include sign-up on every email

• Most ESPs give you code that you can put on Outlook or other email program

– Build through social media

• Put the sign-up box on Facebook, Twitter, Blog, etc.

Database – Mailing ListsMost important part of your mailing

How to build an opt-in mailing list – Put a sign-up box on your web site

• Most ESPs give you code to use

– Build at events, seminars, tradeshow...anywhere you are

– Add to every email you send out

How NOT to build an opt-in mailing list – Buy email lists

– Take names from emails you get

– Use lists from associations or groups

– Use lists you have no association with

– The penalty: ESPs will suspend or put a hold on your account

Database – Mailing ListsMost important part of your mailing

Create an opt-in form– Find out what your customer/prospect wants– Ask questions to find out what they want– Let the person put themselves in the right segment– Keep it short and sweet– Confirm subscription with “thank you”

Segment your database...– Let’s you tailor your email to each target

Email Subject Lines

45.2% open an email because of the subject line!

Tips For Writing Email Subject Lines Keep to 40 characters or less

Avoid the Spam filters. Keep away from these words:– Sale

– Free

– 50% Off

– Click Here

– Call Now

– Act Now

– Order Now

– Guaranteed

– Subscribe

– Opportunity

Tips For Writing Email Subject Lines No excessive use of punctuation or caps – especially !

Know your audience. Think like them. Answer the question “What’s in it for me”

Headlines with numbers work well– “Only 4 seats left for next week’s seminar” – “A 10-point plan for marketing success” – “3 ways to relax this weekend”

Tips For Writing Email Subject Lines Use sense of urgency: "Final Chance To Grab Your

Exclusive Spot"

Make your subject line social media friendly– You want it to show up on Facebook and Twitter

Test!

Don’t Forget The “From” Line

Build a relationship

Consistency is the key

Use Your Brand

Your brand alone can get people to open up your email

Use brand in both email header, subject line and in design

Why You Should Test Great way to learn what works

Things to test...– Days of the week you mail– Times you mail– Offers– Subject lines– Designs– Email lists

Why You Should Test Use A/B split method

– Divide your list in half– Send each list one of the tests– Measure results

Your Email Design ESPs have templates you can use to customize to your

brand

Carry through your creative look and be sure it is consistent with all other marketing campaigns

Make sure your main key elements are at the top

Email width should be no more than 600-650 pixels. ESPs automatically size mailings for this

Your Email Design Keep content brief. Use teaser blurbs

Make an offer. Offers can be…– Discount– Invitation– More information/white paper– Contest– Free trial

Remember the key to email marketing success….

Send relevant, timely, targeted and valuable emails to subscribers who have asked to receive them