Are You Using Email Marketing? Here's How

By Jennings Ray

The email is one of the greatest inventions of the internet age. By using a simple message, anyone can communicate with anyone else in a matter of seconds. This near instant communication makes it a great marketing tool. Here is a bit of advice that will show you how to harness the power of emails for marketing purposes.

When sending a email as part of your marketing campaign, do not use a casual font. You want customers to take your product or business seriously, and they probably will not do that with an uncommon font. Pick out a font that is well known, such as Times Roman Numeral, Arial or Verdana.

When you ask people to opt-in, let them know what to expect. Tell them what you will be sending and how often you will send it. People will be more likely to sign up if they know that you are not going to flood their inboxes with wordy emails that they have no intention of reading.

Provide subscribers with a way out. Place an "unsubscribe" link in your emails or on your website to allow them to remove themselves from your list. You should also set up your list to cull itself by removing subscribers after a particular number of messages prompt no response or action from the recipient. This prevents your emails from becoming annoying to disinterested subscribers and preserves your image.

Follow up with contacts you meet at trade shows. Collect people's phone numbers when they stop by your table and call them within a couple of weeks of meeting them. Use the follow-up call to check in with your contact and ask him if he would like to receive your marketing newsletter by email.

Email marketing is a great tool for selling your product, but only if you keep sales in mind. That means that every single email should bring readers closer to buying. Share information on a brand new product, talk about how to use an older product or offer a special promotion.

[fquote] Too often businesses take a too-casual approach to their email marketing efforts, and seemingly small errors like typos end up undermining their readers' perception of their level of professionalism. [/fquote]

Give your marketing emails the same consideration that you give your site content and other marketing materials. Too often businesses take a too-casual approach to their email marketing efforts, and seemingly small errors like typos end up undermining their readers' perception of their level of professionalism. Before you add an email to your marketing rotation, ask yourself if it would inspire you to buy.

You can get lists of people interested in emails by offering a subscription option on your website. Make sure you also have this option located on your website so that they can sign up, as well.

Use the right font for the right message. Your font should be indicative of your style and email message, and not convey a message that you don't wish to send. Choose one that is simple and popular, rather than one that you think is really cool, but not everyone may have.

Make sure your email campaign matches your brand. Use the same logos, fonts, colors as well as a similar messaging style to what your readers could find on your website. This helps the receivers of your email feel comfortable with the content and makes them more likely to open it.

To ensure that your email marketing is really helping and not hindering your business, pay close attention to the spam that you once deleted from your own email account. See what kind of language you yourself respond most negatively to an alternately what kind of topics make you more likely to open a marketing email.

About the Author:

Perhaps you've considered email marketing tips before. In reality, smart email promotion is one of the one most effective methods to create relationships with customers.