An Introduction to Email Marketing
Direct mail has been frequently utilized by marketers and advertisers who hope to reach their audience directly. In decades past, this marketing strategy entailed sending piles of physical mailings, but today, email marketing has revolutionized how easily (and affordably) companies can reach their customers.
By email marketing, we aren't referring to "SPAM" or "junk mail," but rather useful email messages that are sent to your existing customers or ones that have expressed an interest in your products or services. Email marketing can include "soft" or "hard" sells, but often provide useful information in the advertising material as well.
How to Use Email Marketing Effectively
Email marketing is the most successful when messages are sent only to individuals who have requested information, or those who have already done business with your company.
The best way to create email lists of potential clients is through an email auto-responder. An email auto-responder is used when potential customers fill out a form on your company's website, and an email with more information is automatically sent to them. One of the benefits of using an email auto-responder is that there is very little work needed on your part. Once you create the email auto-responder, it is virtually hands-free.
Build Customer Loyalty through Email Marketing
Forget what you've heard about "SPAM" or "junk mail" - email marketing is a fantastic way to build customer loyalty. Email marketing is an especially effective method of building continued customer support when used to provide special discounts or coupons. Most people throw away physical direct mailers; however, it is much easier to "file away" a virtual coupon. Thus, companies are far more likely to be successful using email marketing than physical direct mail.
The Cost Savings Benefits of Email Marketing
Email marketing is far cheaper than old-fashioned direct mailers; furthermore, it is far more eco-friendly. "Snail mail" is costly, and many of the materials sent end up unread and in the trash.
With email marketing, there are virtually no expenses and absolutely no risk of physical waste. And just because you are sacrificing physical materials does not mean that you need to sacrifice flair or visual appeal. HTML-rich email marketing letters enable you to reach your customers with the same style that you may have used in previous physical materials.
Where to Start Your Email Marketing Campaign
Even if you have not compiled a list of email addresses via your website, you can still jump on the email marketing bandwagon immediately through an email search. If you already have a list of customers' names and physical addresses, you can use this information to compile a list of email addresses through a third party service. These "email appends" are very accurate and enable you to begin sending email marketing materials immediately.
In this digital day and age, there is no reason to still use eco-unfriendly physical "snail mail" marketing techniques; rather, you may now watch your business boom through email marketing.