Email Internet Marketing Strategy

By Author: Justin Bryce
Total Articles: 35
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When promoting your business, email can be a valuable tool to assist in building trust and creating added value for your customers. Creating a list of willing and qualified clients is the first and probably the most important step. An email that contains content which is well thought out and well written will inspire action on the part of the recipient such as visiting a website or passing it along to others in a viral format. However if your emails are not focused on the interests and desires of your target market and you don't know which recipients are acting upon your email, then you are not capitalizing on the potential of your campaign.

One way to build a rock solid list is to capitalize on your current traffic. Create an �opt-in� process on your website so that those who visit you can choose to receive your information. When a customer purchases something ask him or her to join your email list. Utilize as many points of contact as possible to harness the people most interested in your product. Contact them regularly, but not obsessively. Too much email regardless of the awesome content will ...
... annoy rather than attract your customers.

Once people sign up, send a welcome message as soon as possible. This is your first impression and you want it to be a good one. Make this message simple�reminding them of the benefits of signing up and providing a link to your website. When you shop for an email service provider, find one that can automatically send a welcome message and preferable one that will allow you to customize it.

Take some time to research your customers. This will ensure that you send information that is valuable and useful. One strategy for doing this is to target your communications by interest groups or categories. Giving your customers a list from which to choose will ensure that your emails are customized to the interests of your clients. This is a simple way to research your customers� needs. Consistently providing information that customers find useful is a sure-fire way to build their trust and add value to your services. According to a recent DoubleClick study, email recipients were more likely to respond (70% more likely) to business emails that are based on their specific interests.

All email communications to your customers, including your welcoming usage, should reflect the look and feel of your company. This is just good marketing and helps ensure that your messages stand out among all the other emails your customers receive every day. Many services providers can create customized templates to match your website. Some providers include this in the cost of their services and others will charge a high price. Do some shopping around to find the best deal. This will ensure that your company�s image is consistent and recognizable.

Branding all of your email correspondence with the look and feel of your business is important. This will help your email messages stand out from all of the other emails that your audience receives on a daily basis. There are plenty of service providers out there that can create custom templates to match your website. Some of them will charge you for this service, others will roll it in to their service. Make sure to shop around to find the package that best fits your needs. Doing this will increase your branding with your customers.

A very important and often overlooked element of getting the most out of your email list to build trust and add value to your customers relates to the importance of tracking your efforts. This last step is vital to ensure that your future emails truly reflect the needs and interests of your list and that your efforts are not wasted. Most email providers have mechanisms for tracking and reporting. You will want to know how many recipients opened the message, which bounced, what links were clicked on and even who clicked on which link. This allows you to track the success of your campaign as well as shape future ones. For example, you can send a follow-up communication to those who clicked on certain links. You will know which items to play up in the future and which incentives worked.

Email has the potential to be a potent marketing tool that can build trust and create value with your customers. It can be worth your time to find an email service provider who will offer you those tools necessary to carry out an effective email campaign such as; customization, tracking and forwarding. These are tools that will enable you to offer your customers valuable information and products so that these will be the customers that become your allies in making your business successful.