Email Marketing

What you need to know before promoting your business via email

Businesses are always looking for inexpensive ways to promote and attract new customers. Direct mail is a popular choice, but it can be expensive – especially if you have a large target market. If you want to reach potential customers without breaking the bank, try email marketing.

Email marketing works like direct mail, except that you communicate via email instead of post. This saves you a lot of time and money. However, it isn't always effective, especially with the notoriety of spam and junk email.

Here are some of the pros and cons of email marketing:

Advantages

Low cost
You don't have to pay for postage and print multiple copies, as is the case with direct mail.
Fast reception
With email marketing, your messages are sent within seconds. Mailed ads can take several days.
Active messaging
Instead of waiting for people to come to your website, you bring your message directly to them.
Tracking
Most email marketing programs allow you to track user responses, compare revenues, detect bounced messages, and monitor subscribe and unsubscribe rates.
Wide reach
Majority of internet users log in to their emails daily, so you can send frequent updates.
Interactive content
Your message can include polls, surveys, forms, and links to other websites.

Disadvantages

Filters
Many users have spam filtering programs that identify bulk-mailed messages as spam and keep them in junk folders.
Blacklisting
Even if your business is completely legitimate, blacklisting services such as Spam Prevention Early Warning System (SPEWS) can easily list your IP address and identify you as a spammer.

Reminder

In order to make sure that your email marketing campaign does not go to waste, make sure never to spam. Use only permission-based tactics – all your recipients should have been fully informed that his or her email address can be used. Never purchase lists from third-party vendors or ‘harvest’ email addresses from other websites. How can you obtain a legitimate mailing list? Try offering a newsletter – you can ask people who sign up if they want to receive emails from you, and if they agree, you can start sending them promotional emails. Just make sure that they can unsubscribe from your mailing list anytime they want.




	Email Marketing What you need to know before promoting your business via email Businesses are always looking for inexpensive ways to promote and attract new customers. Direct mail is a popular choice, but it can be expensive – especially if you have a large target market. If you want to reach potential customers without breaking the bank, try email marketing. Email marketing works like direct mail, except that you communicate via email instead of post. This saves you a lot of time and money. However, it isn't always effective, especially with the notoriety of spam and junk email. Here are some of the pros and cons of email marketing: Advantages Low cost You don't have to pay for postage and print multiple copies, as is the case with direct mail. Fast reception With email marketing, your messages are sent within seconds. Mailed ads can take several days. Active messaging Instead of waiting for people to come to your website, you bring your message directly to them. Tracking Most email marketing programs allow you to track user responses, compare revenues, detect bounced messages, and monitor subscribe and unsubscribe rates. Wide reach Majority of internet users log in to their emails daily, so you can send frequent updates. Interactive content Your message can include polls, surveys, forms, and links to other websites. Disadvantages Filters Many users have spam filtering programs that identify bulk-mailed messages as spam and keep them in junk folders. Blacklisting Even if your business is completely legitimate, blacklisting services such as Spam Prevention Early Warning System (SPEWS) can easily list your IP address and identify you as a spammer. Reminder In order to make sure that your email marketing campaign does not go to waste, make sure never to spam. Use only permission-based tactics – all your recipients should have been fully informed that his or her email address can be used. Never purchase lists from third-party vendors or ‘harvest’ email addresses from other websites. How can you obtain a legitimate mailing list? Try offering a newsletter – you can ask people who sign up if they want to receive emails from you, and if they agree, you can start sending them promotional emails. Just make sure that they can unsubscribe from your mailing list anytime they want.
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