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The Right Way To Use Email For Marketing
by: surepro
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There is only one 'right' way to use email lists for marketing purposes and that is to use it with a list of prospects who
have contacted you first. This is what is called an Opt-In list. What it means is the consumers have opted to include their
email address in a mailing list which means that your mails are not considered spam because they were 'opted' for. Here's why.
Your contacts will not complain about receiving valuable information from you. They welcome the opportunity to receive
many different types of emails such as:
* last minute' reminders
* special offers
* hot information about new products
* news 'from the very hub' of their industry
* product/website updates
* even links to affiliate 'like' sites
Here are some more key tips to keep in mind when trying to build your own email hot list.
1. Capture Addresses
You can only email your customers if you have their addresses, so start collecting them now. Make sure there is a
prominent place for an email address on all customer response forms you use both online and offline. It helps when you
use software that is designed to hold multiple email hot lists so that you will only have to input the information once.
2. Use ASCII Text Only
Keep it simple. Include lots of white space in your messages. Use headlines and sub-headlines. Don't overuse words that
are in all capital letter. Make it easy for the readers to scan and to read.
3. Use Wide Margins
Limit yourself to 55/60 characters or less per line because it is simply more attractive to the reader and it helps you to
point out anything that you want to draw attention to.
4. Deliver Your Most Important Information First
Key benefits and sales points must be communicated in the first screen people read because many readers do not read an
entire email whether they opted in for it or not. If you save the good stuff for the end of the email or try to capture a
reader's attention by leading into it, you will do nothing except lose business. Think about it; would you want to have to
hunt around for the best part?
5. Make The Subject Line Your Headline Too
This is what people are going to see first. If your headline is strong, crisp, and compelling, they'll open your email.
Concentrate on this all-important element. For example, if you are offering a free gift with purchase, your subject line
could read "FREE gift for you!" I don't know about you, but this would get my attention if it is from a web source that I
signed up for.
6. The Shorter the Better
Unlike other kinds of sales writing where long copy outsells short copy, the standard for email sales letters are different.
Think about the way you sort through email, especially when you have a backlog of messages. The time you spend online
is generally short. Respond to this new business medium by keeping your emails just as short.
7. Test
Keep a good record of your responses by testing one element of your email at a time. Start with the subject line. Test
headlines, body copy, layout, and the PS. at the end. Successful marketing copy is always tested, one element at a time
to make sure those things are running smoothly and to get rid of the stuff that is not working.
Today the largest companies online including Apple, Microsoft, Google, Yahoo! and many, many more are using acceptable
and responsible commercial email. If they can do it, YOU can do it too.
Start building your opt-in email lists today!. I would suggest that you keep it simple to begin with, and build a growing
text file of email addresses. But ultimately you will want to personalize your messages, because it substantially increases
your response. Gather as much information as you can when people contact you, such as the readers name and apply it
to the email, but at a minimum capture their name and email address. In time, this list will become highly profitable for
you. The list is the most important aspect of any successful email marketing campaign.
8. Use Autoresponders
When you are contacting your clients through emails that require a reply from the reader or a sign up or order form etc.
you should be sure to include an autoresponder that will let your client know that their email was received. You can find
many different types of software that will do this for you. If for no other reason; than so that you can free up some of
your time.
NOTE: Refer back to pages 34 to 38 for the best autoresponder software and service options..
Writing an Autoresponder Message that Gets Results!
The autoresponder is fast becoming the hardest worker of Internet marketing. With the autoresponder, you can deliver
your sales message or other information to all of your clients very quickly. And you can deliver it 24 hours a day to any
Internet email user in the world. This must sound awesome right? But you might be wondering how you can create an
autoresponder message that gets real results.
Here are some methods of power communication that will give you the success that you crave. I know this because I
have used them. It is great for emails, letters, mailbot copy, World Wide Web content, ads and more.
1. Focus on the reader, not yourself
Your message should be about the customer's needs and how your product will fulfill those needs, not about how
wonderful you are and how great your product is because in the end it is all just your own opinions and it turns people
right off.
Don't focus on yourself and your life too much. Take a look at my first few paragraphs above. How many times did I talk
about "you" and "your" as opposed to "I" and "me"?
2. Make it personal.
As with any sales letter, you have to write your autoresponder message as if you were having a one-to-one conversation.
Pretend you're sitting down to talk to a friend. Allow your message be friendly, animated and informal. You can even use
some slang if it's appropriate.
3. Be sure to Emphasize the benefits.
Rather than thinking of yourself as selling a product or a service, think of yourself as providing real services to your
clients. If you want to know what the benefits to these services really are here is what you should be asking yourself.
"What does the customer get out of my product?"
The answer should be something like "more time," "more money," "more fun," "an easier life," "better health," or "greater
safety."
Benefits and features are two different things. Feature are: "This computer has a Pentium 4 processor." A benefit is more
like this: "Lightning-fast Pentium 4 processor means you get more work done in less time."
4. Include a "Call to Action" in your response
You need to know exactly what you want the reader to do after reading your message and then tell them to do it. Ask
yourself these questions:
What do you want? Do you want a reply by email? A visit to your Web site? An order called in to your toll-free number?
Let the user know what responses you want, and let them know in a compelling, urgent, benefits-oriented way. Include
complete contact information, and triple-check it for accuracy.
5. Offer useful information.
One good autoresponder strategy is to offer a free report that offers useful information but including a sales message and
an "advertorial" approach.
For an example, distribute a report, "10 Tips for Selling on the Internet and the Web." Tell the user how to order your
book on the subject etc. you can even include an order form. Readers will not resent your pitch because they got so
much value from the report.
6. Use correct spelling, grammar and punctuation.
You tell the world whether you're a professional or an amateur by the quality of your marketing communications. Take the
time to edit your autoresponder message for errors. If you're terrible at grammar etc. get someone who can edit it for
you.
7. Create a better layout to make it easier to read.
Since a mailbot message is delivered in plain ASCII text, your design capabilities are going to be very limited. Here are a
few tricks you can use to make your message a bit more readable:
* For a headline, use ALL-CAPS and insert a blank line before and after it.
* Use short paragraphs, say 5-7 lines at the most (100 words).
* Set out all of your material in bulleted lists its easier to read.
* Use "white space with catchy headlines" to center important material and call attention to it, like the following does:
Now available:
Solid strategies for "Affiliate Marketing"!
Send any message to ken@profitdot.net
Warning: Don't get fancy with your script fonts because not all computers are the same.
8. Don't Break the law.
False advertising is still illegal, even if you're on the Internet. In many countries, pyramid schemes (MLM) and chain letters
are illegal. You should assume that all tax and licensing laws in your town, state, province, country and so forth still
apply. If you're not sure about something, check.
9. Read feedback people send to your autoresponder.
A good autoresponder system will send you a copy of the request every time someone sends for your report. With most
systems, the user doesn't have to type anything in the body of their message when they send in the request; however,
they usually do. By reading the message and replying to the user personally, you may increase your chances of selling to
that person because it shows that you are listening.
If you create a strong, well-written, persuasive message, your autoresponder can help you increase your sales and fulfil
any and all of the goals of your email marketing effort, which will certainly make it a whole lot more worth while.
About the Author
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