Until comparatively recent times email was the favourite tool of most online marketers; that is until the ‘spammers’ moved in and ruined it for everyone. Well, almost ruined it. You can still use email to great effect if you go about matters correctly. Spam (the odious practice of sending an email to thousands or even millions of people who have not requested it) is no longer tolerated. Nowadays offenders lose their local internet service provider, their websites, their email addresses, and more. Moreover, email server systems such as Yahoo! and Hotmail use highly sophisticated filters which weed out the bad boys and ban them outright.
The Controversy Surrounding Bulk Email
Don’t even think about using bulk email; just one complaint (which you will get even if you try to hide) and your server will cancel your account.
And yet some reckless fruitcakes persist in bulk emailing even though they run the gauntlet every time they do it. Why do they persist? They look at it this way: although the response rates are extremely low, they still do manage to get a trickle of orders for their products and services
–for the time being, but not for long.
There Is A Better, Legitimate Way: Opt-In Email
Opt-in email works like this. You invite people to join your email list
and you can do that in several acceptable ways.
- Through your website;
- Through subscriptions to your newsletter (which we’ll cover in the next chapter);
- Through giving away free information produce.
All three of these options can operate in tandem. When visitors enter your site you capture their attention with an internal pop-up window or a carefully worded panel requesting them to subscribe to your newsletter. To qualify they must provide you with a current email address which gives you permission to contact them in future. Equally, to receive an ebook you give away for free, visitors must once again provide you with a legitimate email address and so you get the contact, they get the freebie: simple but highly effective and legal.
Common Excuses For Not Implementing Opt-In Email
Many marketers never get around to implementing an opt-in email system because ...
‘I can’t be bothered’ – You should: take the trouble to set up your own opt-in email system without delay. Email is free and when used correctly it leads to sales. If you elect not to participate you are leaving money on the table because by far the majority of online sales do not emanate directly from websites; they come from lists; lists of people who have given you permission to contact them; lists of people who have already purchased from you.
‘I wouldn’t know how’ – It’s as simple as falling off a log when you employ the avenues listed above.
‘I couldn’t come up with content for a newsletter’-Yes, you could. You have all the necessary material to hand in the articles you have already prepared and are continuing to write for distribution purposes.
It just takes a little extra effort from you to set up and include them in your own newsletter.
‘I won’t be starting a newsletter; there are too many out there already’– Oh, yes? Newsletters come and go, that’s for sure, but the quality sheets go from strength to strength. If you don’t fancy the standard format why not come up with something different? Like ‘My Recipe for Today’, ‘My Marketing Tip for Today’ or a newsletter in the form of an ongoing daily diary of how you are developing your enterprise? What about a free online class? You could develop a 6-, 12-, 24-lesson class on your topic and have subscribers receive the next issue every week, every 2 weeks, or once a month. Then, once they complete that class, you introduce advanced classes, etc. You could also put your subscribers on an updates list for new information constantly. Put your thinking cap on and create some ideas of your own before you ditch the notion of a newsletter.
‘I don’t see the point in giving stuff away for free’- If you can’t see the point, flick forward to
Chapter 27 for enlightenment.
12 Common Email Mistakes You Must Avoid At All Costs
People make these mistakes all the time when using email and it costs them; they lose out on credibility. Don’t allow that to happen to you in your online marketing.
12 Careless Practices That Sabotage Email Marketing
Five Ways To Earn More Using EmailUse this short checklist to ensure that you are taking full advantage of the power of email and by so doing, making time your ally, not your adversary. Fast, easy, and free, the consistent use of email in the following areas will yield powerful results for you.
More Ideas On How To Use Email To Sell More
Email Makes Everything Easier And FasterIt creates a powerful commercial impression and establishes positive professional relationships. The small business entrepreneur who uses the technology effectively and appropriately will see the results of that effort reflected in the bottom line.