If you ask me now what sort of online marketing a business must do first when to tries to tackle an online market, I WOULD NOT choose email marketing as the first move. I would definitely first go to Social Networks and Media as that is definitely where a lot of the buzz is in online marketing.
However, if you have already gone around the online marketing methods out there, and would like to try lead generation through email marketing, then I have here some important reminders for you. It is not the most glamorous of marketing methods, but it DOES GET RESULTS, if only YOU DO IT RIGHT. Many newcomers fail in this endeavor because they do it incorrectly and become purveyors of spam, which is the greatest danger here. This guide will give you the common pitfalls of email marketing so that you also do not go down that path. We give you the essential tips to do it correctly from the start.
1. The value distribution mindset (NOT SPAM!) – First up, you should pay attention to your mindset. In email marketing, make sure that you are not thinking of SPAMMING your potential audience. It is not about mass emails to get those leads. It is about giving out Value to people. This “value distribution mindset” is important because it gives focus to what your readers receive.
So plan on giving them something of REAL value. Give them a guide, a primer, an entertaining book, video or sound clip. In this way, they will look forward to getting your emails. They will not blacklist your email address, and perhaps even mark them as important enough for a value filter. Make sure you go into email marketing with this mindset and you are sure to succeed for a long time doing it.
2. The opt-in method (NOT EMAIL HARVESTING) – Another important concept to consider is how you get those email addresses. The best and most HONEST way of getting them is through an “opt in” method. This means the people themselves opt to give out their email address. This is the best and most legitimate way of getting their contact information, since they are the ones who allow the marketing mails to be sent to them.
On the flipside, NEVER EVER get into the habit of harvesting emails from forwarded chain emails, or even buying them from seedy email list sales websites. While there is still a chance you can get leads from them, in most cases, those lists are either inactive or will just ignore unsolicited emails altogether.
That is why it is better for you to setup a landing page that will hook readers into opting-in via their email address. Just offer a freebie, a chance to win in a raffle or some such promotion so entice them. The better value of the offer, the more email addresses you can get and market to.
3. Practical spaced mailing (NOT EMAIL FLOODS) – One of the biggest mistakes in email marketing is the tendency to flood the emailing list. Some newcomers think that it is okay to flood their lists just because it really costs nothing at all.
However, being “too eager” to email is one of the most sure fire ways to get blacklisted as spam in a person’s inbox. You should always remember to pace your emails correctly. Never flood them. Allow several days for each important marketing email and vary the span of each. This should remove the “spammy” behavior of your email marketing campaigns, giving them a real, value driven pattern.
4. Thematic and Consistent Content (NOT ECLECTIC MARKETING) – One other big mistake in email marketing is the randomness or eclectic pattern when it comes to the content. Others that are new to email marketing tend to add in other content that is unrelated to the original content that the audience of the emailing list wants. They sometimes add other brands to the marketing spiel, or worse completely give out something totally of topic. This won’t bide well as people will feel betrayed when they get content that they “did not sign up for”.
To prevent this from happening, make sure that you actually plan out your content for your email marketing campaign. Turn it into a series of value content that people understand as one topic or coherent steps. This will remove the confusion from your email campaigns, helping it become more accepted in viewer’s inboxes.
5. Exciting and Relevant Content (NOT SPUN or REHASHED) – Next, when it comes to the CONTENT of the emails themselves, remember that it should be exciting and relevant. It should be exciting in the sense that it is friendly and filled with value that people will find useful or entertaining. It should also be relevant with regards to the prevailing cultural issues, trends and even colloquialisms. Basically, it should have a modern voice that people will enjoy and relate to.
Never use spun content from those text spinners and if possible, do not just copy or paraphrase from other email marketing materials. You do not want readers to get stale and rehashed marketing content. It is best to always be natural, always be personal with its contents. So make sure you write the content yourself for email marketing.
6. Personal Touches (NO GENERIC MESSAGES) – Delving deeper into the content, a major trend that you must learn about email marketing is that personal touches actually generate more leads and sales than generic marketing messages. More particularly, using the first name of the recipient in the subject and first line of the email is vital. This gives the message a more personal impact and readers usually pay attention.
This is opposed to the use of generic “dear sir or madam” messages that is now usually to boring or to commercialized for people to bother to read. So personal touch is crucial. You will want to use special mailing service managers to manage this kind of dynamic content though.
7. Targeting Vs. Mass Emails – When it comes to sending emails, the usual error in other beginner campaigns, is that they just do mass emails to a mass email list. While that is ok, and it will work, sometimes, it pays to be more targeted. Some of your specific marketing emails may work for a specific demographic more than others. By using targeted email marketing content to the right people, you can increase your conversions in email marketing. All your efforts are more likely to pay off because of it.
