The Challenges of Email Marketing
If you were around several years ago, you'll probably remember
that everyone was marketing via email -- and with good reason,
too: most messages were delivered, and thus email marketing
was considered a powerful, "cheap" way to promote
a business.
It's harder these days. All the junk mail that flows
through to our mailboxes makes it harder and harder to get
legitimate email delivered to the recipient, let alone
actually read.
And if it does get through? Hey, people are busy and fed
up with spam.... who can blame them if they hit the delete
key (whether on purpose or by accident)?
Without fail, all of the businesses I've spoken with who
market their wares via email have seen a marked decline in the
profitability of their email campaigns over the last couple of
years... and it's only getting worse.
I know some people will argue that there are numerous services
that check your email messages for "trigger words". If
you're not familiar with them, the idea behind them is that they
look for words or phrases commonly used in spam. Every time it
encounters one, it assigns a certain "point value" to
it. Emails that score over a specific threshold are considered
too "spammy" to make it through email filters. The
author of the email can then tweak his message until the spam
checker indicates that it's clean enough to get through most
filters.
To be perfectly frank, I don't have much faith in these things.
I'm subscribed to a couple dozen newsletters. Several of them even
place a statement saying that their newsletters have been checked
and found "clean" -- yet they regularly end up in my
Trash bin.
It's a tough job, probably an impossible job, to try to
figure out all the various email filters. White-listing
(specifying email addresses whose messages should be allowed
to get through) is becoming more practical - and even necessary
- than is black-listing (specifying email addresses that
should be blocked).
And of course, even if your message does get through to
the recipient, there's no guarantee he's going to read it.
So what can you do to help your messages get through
to the intended recipient?
- Use double opt-in. That is, make sure your list
management software sends out a verification email to ensure
that the recipient really wants to be subscribed to your list.
One of the biggest complaints about double opt-in is that
businesses lose subscribers because they don't bother with
the verification process.
First of all, this isn't necessarily true -- it
wasn't for me, anyways. Test it out and see for yourself.
Secondly: double opt-in allows for a much cleaner list.
Not only do you eliminate mistyped addresses, but you also
help to ensure that the subscribers you have are those who
really want to be there. That translates into fewer hassles
and potentially higher profitability, since they're
presumably more interested in what you have to offer.
Even if double opt-in does result in a slower-growing
list, so what? It's better to have a responsive list
than a big one.
Single opt-in allows for mistakes (mistyped addresses);
malicious subscriptions (don't know why someone would want to
enter other people's addresses, but it happens); and a higher
risk of spam complaints. Are you willing to take the risk?
Make sure your chosen list management software at least
gives you the option to use double opt-in, even if you're
not convinced you want to right away. The one I use is
ListMailPro. It
gives you unlimited lists, unlimited subscribers, and a
handy scheduling capability. Plus the verification email
(if you use double opt-in) is an easy "one-click"
step for the recipient.
- Ask subscribers to "white-list" you.
Ok, depending on your audience, your subscribers might not
understand this request. But it doesn't hurt to mention it,
eg. "This newsletter will be coming from the email
address, newsletter@yourdomain.com. If you are using
email filters, please allow this address into your email
inbox."
- Consider posting on the web. Lots of publishers
these days will send a very brief email notification that
a special offer / newsletter / (or whatever they're sending)
is on the web, and provide the URL. Others will send a full
email message, then follow up a couple of days later with a
brief email letting readers know where to find the message
online. Sometimes this short email will get through to
people whose filters may have gobbled up the initial
message.
Traditional "real world" marketing is gaining
favour with businesses who used to rely heavily on email. I
know several business owners who have turned back to the good
'ol stuffing-envelopes-with-brochures method. And there really
are benefits to going the offline route. For example:
- You have the opportunity to use various colours, textures,
smell, materials, tangible bonuses or gifts... lots of stuff
you don't get to do in an email (or that's harder to do via email).
- It's tangible -- something people keep around. I know
that sometimes an ad in the mail "sort of" catches my
attention, but not enough to hold it for the moment. So I toss
the flyer / postcard / business card on the counter (or pin it
on my mess of a fridge with a magnet). Then, days, weeks, or
even months later, I see it -- and sometimes even act on it.
- It's harder to ignore. An eye-catching postcard,
for instance, is easy to skim even while you sort through the
day's mail. An email, on the other hand, may not even make it
through the filters -- and if does, it's likely to be buried
amongst loads of junk mail.
Offline marketing methods include brochures, postcards,
business cards, flyers, advertisements in trade magazines or
other publications, attendance at a trade show, publicity
(print media, radio, or TV), or partnering with local businesses.
Bill Myers book, "301 Direct Mail Tips, Techniques, and
Secrets" has lots of useful tips. You should be able to
find a copy somewhere by using Google. I got mine -- a printed
copy -- off of eBay.
The point isn't to turn you off email marketing -- or try to
make you stick to it. Obviously you want to go where your audience
is, and market to them the way they prefer. If only a small
percentage of your audience hangs around the 'net, then going
offline is probably going to yield better results for you anyways.
If the vast majority of your audience are devoted internet junkies,
then cyberspace is where you may want to concentrate your marketing
efforts.
This article may be reprinted on your website or in your
opt-in newsletter, provided that it is reprinted in its entirety
and without modification, and the following resource box is left
intact:
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Angela operates the Online Business Basics
website, which offers free marketing tips and articles for beginners to
the 'net. Visit www.onlinebusinessbasics.com
for more tips on how to effectively market your business on a limited
budget.
Originally published September, 2004
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