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Increase Your Returns With Opt-in Email Advertising
The amount of marketing that takes place online is increasing
exponentially, leaving marketers scrambling for ways to get
noticed. Email marketing has become a sophisticated field,
consumers are getting more savvy, and regulations are starting
to govern what you can and cannot do. The days of buying a list
of a million email addresses and blanketing the Internet are
over. "Spam" never was very effective, and it's even less so
now. Click-through rates for unsolicited email are abysmally
low, you are likely to receive angry responses from consumers,
your ISP may shut you down if too many people complain, and you
may even be subject to fines under the "CAN-SPAM" Act. The most
successful email marketers are now using opt-in email
advertising techniques.
Opt-in email marketing, also known as permission-based
marketing, involves sending your message to recipients which
have expressly stated a desire to receive information about
products or services related to your particular offer. In many
cases, consumers agree to receive advertisements related to
something that interests them, in exchange for something of
value, such as a discount, free gift, or informational
newsletter.
There are two ways to go about permission-based marketing; you
can build your own opt-in list, or you can purchase one. Either
way is effective. Targeted, opt-in email messages receive
response rates of anywhere between five to 15 percent, while
conventional banner ads usually yield only about one percent.
Spam yields only a tiny fraction of a percent. Internet
entrepreneurs who use personalized messages always get better
results.
Alternately, you can create your own opt-in list. The most
obvious place to start is with your existing customers. Offer
them a discount on future purchases in exchange for agreeing to
receive your promotional messages. Also, create something of
value to draw in new customers. For example, suppose you sell
rare coins on the Internet. Create a well-written weekly
newsletter that coin collectors will enjoy reading. Offer free
subscriptions for anyone who agrees to receive your promotional
email marketing messages. Don't stop there, though. Consider
every point where there is customer interaction as an
opportunity to sign up a new member to your list. Provide an
opportunity to opt-in with customer orders. If you have a
brick-and-mortar store, ask for email addresses at the point of
checkout.
Growing your own opt-in email list will take longer, but your
results will be excellent. Some marketers optimize their results
by using both techniques. Creating your own opt-in list does
require a bit of technology. If you have a very small list, you
can start out simply by adding each subsequent subscriber to the
"BCC" list on your email client, but this will get cumbersome as
your list grows. You will want to eventually invest in an email
list management program. This is a piece of software that helps
you to manage your email list, and it will include features such
as the ability to handle bouncebacks, automate the subscribe and
unsubscribe function, and personalize each message. The software
should also have a tracking and reporting function, to allow you
to keep track of your success rates and other important metrics.
If you choose to buy an opt-in list, there are many quality
vendors that you can work with. Do a little research ahead of
time, and find out how they acquire their email addresses: do
they offer an informational newsletter or something of value in
exchange for permission to receive ads? Ask about frequency--an
overworked opt-in list is just as useless as a spam list. You
will do better with a list that is highly targeted. Find a list
vendor who can provide you with email addresses of people who
have indicated interest specifically in what you have to offer.
The list may cost a little more, but your returns will pay off
in the end.
About the author:
Matt Bacak became "#1 Best Selling Author" in just a few short
hours. Recent Entrepreneur Magazine's e-Biz radio show host is
turning Authors, Speakers, and Experts into Overnight Success
Stories. Discover The Secrets To Unleash The Powerful Promoter
In You! Sign up for Matt Bacak's Promoting Tips Ezine ($100
value) just visit his website at http://www.powerfulpromoter.com
or http://promotingtips.com
Matt Bacak
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