Internet Tip of the Week: Seven Rules of Email – Email-Marketing
Internet Tip of the Week: Seven Rules of Email
Now there is no law that says you have to follow these rules, but if you are in business on the Web, you should definitely pay attention.Rule #1 - Turn off your CAPS LOCK - Some people seem to feel that if they write their E-mail in ALL CAPS it will be more effective.
Quite the opposite is the case. CAPS should be used only for emphasis. Many people consider the use of ALL CAPS as being the equivalent of shouting and do take offense at it.Rule #2 - Never send multiple E-mails without using Blind Carbon Copies (BCC). If every E-mail address you sent it to is displayed, you are making the spammers job a lot easier when they harvest addresses. But you have to address it to someone, even if using BCC, so remember, there are a lot of "kooks" in this world who will persecute anyone they can identify.When using BCC, never send the note to someone on your mailing list. If you have a second ID use that, or send the note to yourself with copies to everyone on your list. That way, if someone decides to "vent" it will come back to you and not someone on your list. It also gives you a permanent record of the E-mails you sent to your mailing list. If you don't have a second ID#, you can get one easily at Juno, Hotmail, etc.Rule #3 - Are you sure your E-mail was actually sent to your mailing list? One easy way to be sure it was, is to include your E-mail address in your file of names you send it to. A good method is to include your address at the very end of the list. If you get your copy, you can be sure everyone else did as well.Rule #4 - Don't Bore Them to Death - Advertising by E-mail is a cheap and effective way to get your message out to people, and most people don't mind getting an E-mail if it is short and to the point, but don't spam and send to people you don't already have a relationship with. Also, don't try to sell them your product or services with your first mailing. Try to pique their curiosity instead and have them either reply to your E-mail or visit your Web Site.Rule #5 - Honor Removes - if someone asks to be removed from your mailing list, do it immediately and send them a courtesy note advising them it has been done. Keeping people on your mailing list that don't want to receive your information is not only bad form, but can cost you your ISP if a complaint is lodged against you.And NEVER forge headers so they can't respond to you by E-mail.
This is the favorite trick of the scamsters who don't want you to respond to their E-mail, and give you a number to call or a form to fill out instead.Rule #6 - Be sure that you are not sending the same person multiple E-mails. This is a definite sign of spam and most people will simply delete them.Rule #7 - I still get E-mails with no text and the message they wish me to read is an attachment to the E-mail. It is immediately deleted as it could very well contain a virus - even from someone you know. Some ISP's have a top limit to the amount of text they will display, and anything larger is automatically converted to an attachment. Many people will not go through this exercise, so you should ensure that your E-mail message can be read by all the people it is sent to, without them having to open an attachment.Did you know that subscribers to Bob Osgoodby's Free Ezine the "Tip of the Day" get a Free Ad for their Business at his Web Site? Great Business and Computer Tips ? Monday. Wednesday. and Friday. Instructions on how to place an ad are in the Newsletter.Subscribe at: http://adv-marketing.com/business/subscribe2.htm.
The Magic Of Email – Email-Marketing
The Magic Of Email
These days email is taken for granted and used perhaps
without fully appreciating its power.For example, recently I had some concerns about whether
or not my newsletter was being properly delivered through
the automated service that I use.I decided to send a note to my subscribers and ask them
to simply reply to let me know that they received my
message which was sent through the same automated system.Very soon I began to receive hundreds of replies from all
over the world to let me know my message was getting
through. I replied to each one personally to express my
gratitude for their reply and for my appreciation of the
ease of communication through the World Wide Web.The messages I received were not limited to simple replies
to let me know that my newsletter was being received. I
began to receive the most wonderful testimonials of
gratitude!Subscribers wrote to tell me that my newsletter makes a
difference in their lives - and that they forward it to
friends they care about.I began several profound email exchanges with subscribers
who told me that something they read in my newsletter
had been a turning point for them after years of not
knowing that they could live life differently.Imagine how I felt to learn that one simple thing I
shared could make such a difference in someone's life!I was overjoyed!Email is a powerful tool and it can be used to do good
in the world. The next time you send an email, know
that you could just be putting a smile on someone's face
or communicating with someone who needs to to be touched
by something that you say.Just think! If I had not sent that one little email, I
may never have known I was making a difference in a big
way!May your email make a difference in someone's life today!Copyright 2005 Linda Miller is a Spiritual Entrepreneur
whose quest is to empower others to deliberately create
true abundance and prosperity while contributing to
increasing the consciousness of the world. This article
may be distributed freely, provided that this resource
box is included in its entirety.http://www.SpiritualEntrepreneurToday.com
http://www.MyDivineDirection.comThis article may be shared in print or electronically,
provided the resource box at the end is included. A
courtesy copy of your publication will be appreciated.Copyright 2005 Linda Miller
Add Email To Your Marketing Mix – Email-Marketing
Add Email To Your Marketing Mix
If you are serious about adding email to your marketing mix, you should take email seriously enough to develop a plan for it. Too many organizations launch a half-baked email program and then are disappointed when it doesn't live up to expectations.The plan does not have to be as long as War And Peace, but it must include a few key elements so that you can develop a focused, targeted, measurable program that gets results. At a minimum, here are the elements that Hoover ink recommends:* Objectives* Audience Definition* Key Messages* Format* Tactics* Timeline* Budget* MeasurementFirst, determine what is it that you want the email program to achieve from marketing and communications perspectives. Is this a newsletter designed for relationship management purposes, or is it a sales-oriented vehicle? Are you trying to build awareness, generate leads, increase web traffic, encourage loyalty, or close sales?Next, you need to define audiences. Who are you trying to reach? What do you know about them from demographic and psychographic perspectives? Are you addressing multiple audiences? If so, do you need to segment your audiences and develop emails with different messages? How will each audience profit from our communications.Now, what is it you want to say to each audience? What's the nature of the content? Will this include just editorial information or will it also contain some sales-oriented material?Closely tied to messages is your format. Are you producing a newsletter with a lot of editorial material, or does it contain just brief snippets of information? Is it an announcement list, a discussion list, or just commercial messages? Think about your audiences as you develop the most appropriate format.Your tactics section lays out tasks and who is responsible for them. What technology do you need? Do you have in-house email capabilities or should you use an application such as nTarget? How will you build and manage your list? How will you acquire new subscribers? Who will create content, design and distribute the email?After you answer those questions, it's time to turn to your timeline. Develop a schedule for having your technology in place, building your list, creating content, designing and distributing the email. Determine if this will be a one-time mailing, or if it will recur on a weekly or monthly basis.Your budget may help you answer many of the questions above. Small budgets may mean you complete a lot of the work in-house.Finally, it's time to establish criteria for measuring the program. An awareness program may call for some baseline research so you'll know how you are doing. A relationship management program may measure customer retention. Increased click-through from your email to your website is also a measurable element. Sales-oriented programs might measure total sales from email, or incremental sales increases with individual customers.No matter what your objective in using email, spend a little time cooking up a plan so your results won't be half-baked.Harry Hoover is managing principal of Hoover ink PR, http://www.hoover-ink.com. He has 26 years of experience in crafting and delivering bottom line messages that ensure success for serious businesses like Brent Dees Financial Planning, Duke Energy, Levolor, North Carolina Tourism, Ty Boyd Executive Learning Systems, VELUX and Verbatim.