There is no doubt about it e-mail marketing can be the most effective form of promotion for small through to big business. Queue up one e-mail to your list of contacts and from just that one e-mail watch sales fly in!
That may be the ultimate vision for using e-mail marketing, but there are several cardinal rules to consider when sending e-mails, e-zines, and e-newsletters to market products and services.
Ideally you want to find the sweet spot between providing useful and beneficial information while at the same time promoting your services and products without coming across as pushy or worse, demanding!
We also all know too well what having a full in-box is like. Most of us also have experienced when many of those e-mails are marketing pieces and promotions. As such there is also a sweet spot that we can aim for between marketing too much and not marketing enough.
Here are The 6 Cardinal Rules for Finding the Sweet Spot in E-mail Marketing:
1. Only send e-mails to individuals who have asked to received your mass e-mails!
The absolute worst thing one can do is pick up and gain a ton of cards at a networking event and then start sending those individuals your mass e-mails without their consent. Not only is this considered spamming, it is also pushy and one of the best ways to turn off those individuals who may have actually been prospects!
2. Minimize promotions and do not send more than one or maximum two e-mails per week (with two being the exception not the rule).
Regardless of the number of times that you have heard you need to be in front of your prospects before they purchase from you, do not overload your prospects with e-mails. Take time to build trust and a rapport with your prospects as bombarding them with e-mails is like hitting them over the head to work with or buy from you. This will only work against you and turn them away! Instead focus on content - Supply your prospects, customers, clients, and patients with great value and you will significantly increase your potential for sales! A simple formula for sending e-mails and promotions is for every one e-mail you send that is informational and helpful, you can send one promotional e-mail and at least a good week apart. If for example you send weekly e-mails, you can make one or two of those promotional or include a promotional section at the end of each e-mail. If you send two e-mails per month on a bi-weekly basis, you can send out one promotional e-mail every other week.
3. Help your audience rather than making your e-mails about you!
Your readers don't care about you, they joined your list because they believe that you will help THEM! Rather than sharing what you did on the weekend, or worse, focusing on your struggles and challenges, provide tips, strategies, helpful links, new and interesting technologies, and ideas that will help them in some way to improve and enhance their lives, careers, relationships, productivity, etc.
4. Use automation software to organize and send out your e-mails.
Rather than placing everyone’s e-mail or name in the To: line, use automated software that you can use to track opening rates, click through statistics, and other helpful information. Most of these programs cost less than thirty dollars per month and are fairly simple to set up.
5. Be consistent! Or, if you prefer stay regular!!
My opening rates took a major nosedive when my weekly e-newsletter became a “here and there” item. Initially I was experiencing opening rates of over 125%, while the average is somewhere around 30%. After 8 months of inconsistency, that opening rate fell to about 55%!
6. Track your statistics and adjust accordingly.
Notice the trends in your statistics and find out why they are the way they are. Seek to enhance your opening and click-through rates. Find out how you can offer greater service to your contacts and clients!
If you apply these six cardinal rules in your e-mail marketing campaigns, you should notice significant and positive results. Ideally, your prospects will thank you and hopefully you be overwhelmed in a good way by a solid list of happy contacts who become clients!
© Copyright 2010 Joshua Zuchter. All rights reserved.
Joshua Zuchter is an international business coach and life coach, speaker, and trainer. His e-newsletter Be-Inspired is full of powerful and inspiring tips, techniques and tools for change and for achieving life success. His website is
www.joshuazuchter.com and he is based in Toronto, Canada.
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