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Using E-Mail for More Sales
Q: Using e-mail seems like an inexpensive way to market my products and services. What’s the best way to do that?
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A. Your Web site visitors may be willing to provide an e-mail address if they think they can trade it for useable information. That can be extremely valuable, because e-mail is a natural tool for promoting our businesses. It is relatively inexpensive, its delivery can be timed, and it can be edited right up to the last seconds before hitting the “send” button.
But there are some drawbacks, too. Your e-mail will be deleted by any receiver who thinks it is spam, or it may be ferreted out before being delivered if the receiving e-mail server determines it is spam. Further, Web users easily change e-mail addresses, so your e-mail might be delivered to cyberspace – or simply bounce back to you.
However, there are ways of overcoming those drawbacks to make e-mail work for you.
Value of Your Promise
Your customers/clients are interested in either your expertise or your products. If you offer them something that can be delivered by e-mail and may save them time or money, then they will willingly give you a valid e-mail address. Promise them something important enough, like a coupon or a usable business tip so they will value your e-mail enough to make sure they receive it – and open it.
No Spam Please!
Another concern of your customers/clients is that you will give their personal information to someone else. This fear is well founded; when e-mail was first identified as an effective marketing tool, gathering e-mail addresses and selling them was a good way to make money. The result was an onslaught of spam e-mail, and the subsequent reluctance of Web users to share their addresses. No wonder!
To overcome that hesitation, promise them you will not share their personal information, and then keep that promise. Further, promise not to violate the use of their personal information by contacting them too often. You can do this by managing their expectations when they sign up to receive e-mail from you. Tell them exactly how you plan to use their information, e.g. you will send them a coupon once a month, or your will forward a weekly repair tip. Your usage statement should tell them what to expect, and how often to expect it.
Managing the Mailing
Finally, consider how to manage the actual mailing process. If your list has fewer than 200 e-mail addresses, you might be able to mail them yourself without help of specific e-mail management software. Use your own e-mail address in the “TO” field, and put all other e-mail addresses in the BCC (blind copy) field so your customers won’t see each other’s e-mail addresses. Be advised that most servers now filter out any e-mails sent to more than 10-20 addresses, so keep your numbers small.
At the end of each marketing e-mail, be sure to include “opt-out” instructions. Someone may want to be removed from your list, and it’s imperative you provide that option. Tell them to return the e-mail with “REMOVE” in the subject line, and then make sure you really do take them off your list.
For larger lists, you’ll need to find software to help you
manage the process. There are some excellent programs that will
help you manage the opting-in and –out processes, which are
recognized by servers so your e-mail won’t get deleted.
Link to a list of
them here.
© 2005 Trisha Torrey
Trisha Torrey, owner of IntegriMark Communications and author of http://411, has been helping businesses score on the Web since the mid-1990s. From large corporations, to non-profit organizations, to individual entrepreneurs, her advice, planning and development services have helped raise the Web marketing bar while keeping a keen eye on the bottom line.
Email questions to her at: questions@http-411.com .
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