Thursday 13 December 2012

The Best Email Marketing Practices

By Celia Hall


Businesses are continually embracing newer technologies in an attempt to get an advantage over their competitors. The internet is one of the areas attracting a lot of attention. Although it is not really new to the business world, it has undergone many developments that have revolutionised the way businesses and clients interact with each other. Below are some of the best email marketing practices that will help a business get and retain customers.

To continue using this method of communication successfully, there are a number of things that one needs to do. One of these things is to prepare an emailing list. This list contains the contacts of persons who have agreed to receive mails from the sender. Such emails are referred to as opt-in or permission-based. The other type comprising of mails that are sent out without permission are popularly referred to as spam.

Double opt-in emails are an effective way of getting large numbers of prospective clients. When the customer signs up through a website, blog, social media page or anywhere else on the internet, they get a conformational mail that requires them to take some action. They are usually required to click on a certain link that is an automatic subscription to the list

Before sending out the message, one should ensure that the subject is brief and to the point. The recommended length of a subject line is 50 characters including the spaces. It has to be interesting enough to catch the attention of the client even when their inbox is almost full. The content should also be concise. Very long mails are a boring read and many clients may not have time to go through them.

Timing of the email is also an important consideration. The day and time of the week at which the recipient gets the mail will determine whether or not they will read it. Monday is generally a busy day week when most people are planning their schedule for the week. Another day when mails are unlikely to be read is Friday especially in the afternoon as most are postponed to the next week. The rest of the week is generally okay.

It is important to also balance the frequency at which the mails are sent out. Sending too few may lead to loss of important clients and sending too many, on the other hand, may be annoying. The best results have been associated with bi-weekly and monthly schedules. The exact frequency, however, varies and depends on the type of business and the kind of newsletter. In the sign up form one may ask the clients to specify the frequency they are comfortable with.

It is important to segment lists so that each group of customers is served optimally. Specific campaigns can be designed to target specific groups of customers as per the segments. To successfully achieve this segmentation, one can send out brief surveys that enquire from the customers about the changes they would like to see as regards their communication with the business.

The style of writing should help the writer to connect with the writer at a personal level. There should be a human component that preferably gives the experience of the writer on the use of the service or product. The best email marketing practices ensure that a customer is treated as a human and not merely as a client.




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