Email Marketing

Email marketing should always play an integral part of an emarketing communications plan and, if used correctly, can be exceptionally powerful in acquiring, retaining and educating customers and prospects as well as developing long-term profitable relationships with their customer base.

Uses of email marketing

People often only think of newsletters when they think of email marketing and certainly this is an excellent use of the technology, in distributing information of interest to current and future clients alike.

However there area variety of other uses of email marketing which are equally valid and make up a full set of campaigns, though it is important not to send too many emails and over burden the list members.

Benefits of email marketing

Email marketing needs to be used correctly and judiciously to be successful, but then offer enormous benefits over other direct marketing methods. The principal benefits are:

i) Targeted and Personalised
Email is the embodiment of One to One Marketing and is uniquely suited to sending personalised messages to targeted groups or niche markets. Unlike printed material, using an email campaign gives you total control over the process and also flexibility in both the approach and the offering.

ii) Speed of Response
An email marketing campaign allows a very fast reaction time both in setting up the initial campaign and for follow up activities. Since the recipients can respond quickly as well, this allows the sender to see what is proving successful, build on that and so generate even higher response levels. All in real time!

iii) Increased response rate
Most direct marketing experts agree that email generally creates much higher levels of response than other direct marketing options, particularly with opt-in lists. One key reason is that if you read a compelling offer in an email you can respond immediately by following a link to an order page or a page with additional information.

iv) Trackable and measurable results
An email marketing campaign can provide results which are trackable in real time, giving you immediate feedback while your campaign is still in progress. This means you can respond immediately to opportunities which arise, adapt your campaign if required and track the ROI precisely.

v) Cost Effective
Email marketing eliminates the expense of graphic design, printing, postage, handling and so on which is required in traditional direct marketing. As importantly, with the correct management of your email list, the cost benefits and ROI increase over time with the closer relationships being built.

Legal points to remember

With such powerful benefits, it is unsurprising that more and more businesses are employing email marketing as a central part of their business development activities, both in B2B and B2C markets. However, at a time when SPAM and privacy of personal information are often in the news, it is important to ensure that any email campaign conforms to both legal and ethical requirements and does not compromise its position with its potential customers.

It is important then to ensure that any email list used (your own or rented) consists only of opt-in addresses and that the email message sent contains key contact elements such as a link to your Privacy policy and a contact number together with the ability to unsubscribe from your list. Ensuring these elements are in place will create a more trusting environment in which to communicate your message.

For further information of the wide range of potential uses of email marketing and the benefits it could bring to your business, check the email marketing and email list management services that we provide. Alternatively contact us with any questions you may have or complete our Call Back form and we will contact you at your convenience.