Access the Inbox

MARKE TING by Jeff Wuorio @ccess the inbox I Create an e-mail marketing campaign that will draw in new clients and expand your business saac Business Services relies heavily on e-mail—not just to communicate with clients but also to keep the company thriving. Cheryl Isaac, president of the Columbus, Ohio, business development firm, is constantly gathering e-mail addresses from current and potential customers. “When people come to my seminars, I make sure their contact information includes an e-mail address,” she says. “I also get addresses from business cards, consultations and wherever else I can find them. As a result, I have a list of people receptive to hearing about company updates and events.” Today, e-mail marketing is crucial to Isaac’s success. “I really rely on it for getting the word out about my workshops,” she says. When done right, such marketing can be very effective. According to a survey on e-mail marketing trends by Epsilon Data Management, a marketing services firm, 84% of consumers reported clicking on relevant offers, and 73% bought a product from the vendor online. As significant, 86% of survey respondents made an in-store purchase after receiving e-mail from the vendor. Still, to successfully market your business via e-mail, you must do much more than simply send out random messages en masse and trust luck to make your content stick with an audience. An effective strategy includes a targeted list of contacts, strong content and an attractive presentation. In other words, you must carefully plan your campaign and give it ongoing attention. 10 BUSINESS VISION WINTER 09 MARKE TING Build the List The first step for any business owner is to create an e-mail list. Here, you have a few options—and a few caveats to mind. Many experts caution that you should never buy an e-mail list. For one thing, you’ll likely end up wasting precious marketing dollars for names of people who have no interest in your product or service. You might also incur fines of as much as $11,000 or even imprisonment if you are convicted of distributing spam or unsolicited messages. Instead, it’s essential for you to obtain explicit permission. One way to accomplish that is to offer an “opt in” feature on a Website that invites visitors to sign up to receive e-mails. Or follow Isaac’s lead and gather e-mail addresses during meetings and conferences. Save business cards and even feel free to ask customers outright if they are willing to be added to your e-mail list, provided that permission is straightforward. Be sure to give instructions on how to opt out of any e-mail distribution list. Also, craft a privacy policy for your e-mails (with legal help if needed). Another option is to delegate the job to an outside e-mail marketing firm that can take on a variety of chores, from building the e-mail list to shaping and monitoring the campaign. Whether you should employ such a company depends on the amount of time you can devote to the process as well as how important a successful e-mail campaign might be to the development of your business. “Growing small businesses often outsource accounting rather than handle it 09 in prospects’ inboxes). “When they document their delivery rates, determine whether they simply estimate figures or get the figures audited by an outside firm,” adds Jordan Ayan, author of The Practical Guide to Email Marketing and CEO of the Lisle, Illinois, e-mail marketing firm SubscriberMail. Don’t Get Lost in the Junk Folder Stay away from phrases that are popular with spammers, such as “free,” “special offer” or “click here.” Consider Your Content Although a targeted e-mail list is important, the substance of your e-mail is equally essential. You must decide what you want to accomplish. “Do you want to increase sales, drive traffic to your Website or boost your visibility?” Jenkins asks. “The answer will help determine the marketing message you send.” Let recipients know up front what they can expect in the e-mails and offer something of genuine value. Depending on your goals, that can mean anything from news about sales and specials to a regularly published newsletter or blog. In addition to information, discounts and other perks, make certain your message contains a call to action. This can take on various forms, including clicking on a link for information, visiting a Website, downloading documents or signing up for a special deal or offer. Experts agree that a key component is the wording of the e-mail subject line. Even if a potential customer has signed on to receive e-mails, a confusing subject line can doom yours to the trash. To attract attention, make it interesting but clear. Ayan suggests sending out test messages with various subject lines to a select audience and measuring your responses. Try to avoid attachments, which are rarely opened and can clog up inboxes. 1 Don’t use the dollar sign ($) or any overthe-top punctuation (for example, !!!) in your subject line. 2 3 Get on whitelists, which are lists of allowed e-mail addresses compiled by most Internet providers. in-house, and e-mail marketing is no different in being a highly specialized and frequently changing area,” says Simms Jenkins, author of The Truth About Email Marketing and CEO of the Atlanta e-mail marketing firm BrightWave Marketing. If you’re short on time and eager for professional help, obtain referrals from other business owners who have set up successful campaigns. Ask the companies to discuss prior programs in detail and to offer specific examples; in particular, make certain you know delivery rates (the percentage of e-mails that actually end up WINTER As you determine the content of your campaign, also strategize about the frequency of your communications. Try e-mailing twice a month to maintain effectiveness without becoming an annoyance. A regular schedule is vital to the e-mail marketing effort at Magmic Games, an Ottawa, Ontario, provider of games for cell phones and other portable devices. “We e-mail every other Thursday morning, and we always offer samples of two new games and other information such as a coupon code or a discount incentive,” 12 BUSINESS VISION “ Although a targeted e-mail list is important, the substance of your e-mail is equally essential. You must decide what you want to accomplish for your business and frame the e-mail’s content around that goal. says McKay Smith, Magmic’s vice president of consumer marketing. “We never e-mail more frequently than twice a month, unless something special demands it.” and marketing tracking systems make this manageable. “One of the beauties of e-mail marketing is that it’s so easily testable,” Ayan says. Many services even make detailed reports and other data available just a few hours after the e-mail messages are sent. Study the results carefully and change your look or your message as needed before you launch your next campaign. What defines success will vary from one business to another. But studies indicate that e-mail can be a powerful tool for marketing your business effectively if it’s pursued with the right address list, valuable content and an attractive layout. “E-mail is great, but it’s not easy,” Jenkins says. “The trick is spending time and effort to craft a strategy that lets you accomplish your goals.” WINTER ” Get the Look Even with a targeted, receptive audience and excellent content, an e-mail will not go far without a visually appealing layout. To make matters more challenging for business owners, recipients receive e-mails on computers with a number of different operating platforms, cell phones and a variety of other portable communications devices. Unique filters and settings can further determine which images make it to potential customers unscathed and which get scrambled or disappear completely. To be safe, create a straightforward design that emphasizes text and utilizes simple graphics that are likely to appear on any number of platforms. If, however, images are an important part of your overall marketing message, be certain to test e-mails to check how they will look on various applications. Once your e-mail marketing campaign is up and running, it’s important to monitor results closely. Fortunately, e-mail software 09 Merchant Ser vices Build a better payment-processing solution that allows you to stay competitive. Key Merchant Services helps you deliver flexible and innovative solutions. See page B16 of the Tool Kit or call 1-888-KEY4BIZ to learn more. 13 BUSINESS VISION PREVIOUS SPREAD: BODEN/LEDINGHAM/MASTERFILE; THIS PAGE: GREGOR SCHUSTER/STONE/GETTY IMAGES