Email Marketing

What Is Email Marketing?:

Email Marketing is a form of marketing via emails, it is that simple.

Most businesses use emails to communicate with existing customers to build stronger customer loyalty and help promote new products, special offers and other promotions.

Email Marketing is a cost effective way of advertising in comparison to usual direct mail campaigns, as email doesn't cost a single penny. An email is delivered immediately and can create an instant call for action via links that are included in your emails.

However, many businesses try to run email marketing campaigns but sadly fail to succeed.  They fail, simply because they either try running them through their personal email account (which are not set up to conduct such campaigns) or they do not understand the process and protocol of 'eMail Marketing'.

When starting an email marketing campaign, you need to be sure that you do not become accused of spamming.  There are certain guidelines that you need to follow with regards to 'spamming' and the last thing you want, is for your business to be black listed. 

Sending out unsolicited emails in bulk can often be regarded as spamming.  Therefore, it is always a good idea and the safest practice to get the person you are sending the email to to give you permission to send them emails.

You can achieve this by setting up what is known as an 'Opt In' list.  An 'Opt In' list is basically a mailing list which people have subscribed to, on the understanding that they will receive emails from you. It may be a newsletter, special offer mailing list, freebie list etc.....

There are many different types of programmes and software available that protect you from spamming but one of the best 'Email Marketing' solutions available is GetResponse - which you can try FREE.

Introduction To eMail Marketing And Opt In Lists

Your mailing list is king.  Think about it, any business that has a list of customers that have already bought from them or a list of people that have joined their mailing list to hear more about their products and services, have a very powerful marketing tool.

If a customer has bought from you before, it is pretty safe to say they would buy from you again, so long as they were happy with the product and service they had purchased in the past.  If somebody has joined your mailing list to hear more about what you have to offer, it is pretty safe to say that they will buy from you in the future, so long as the price is right and you can provide them with what they are looking.

This puts you and your business in a very strong position.

With regards to existing customers, you need to ensure they continue to buy from you and with the potential customer, you need to ensure they make that first purchase and then continue to buy from you.  This is where 'eMail Marketing' comes into its own.

For example:

Let's say that an existing customer who has already bought a product from you, is on your mailing list.  By using eMail Marketing, you can contact them in seconds with any new offer, promotion or freebie that you wish to promote and they will be happy to receive your email.

Unlike using direct mail through the post, this does not cost a single penny  to do!

Now, the key to eMail Marketing is to make your emails look and sound like they have been written for the individual whom is receiving the email and that is addressed personally to them. Even if you are sending the very same email to thousands of other customers on the list at the same time, it is possible to personalise the email to the individual.

Many businesses fail with eMail Marketing because they try to use their personal email accounts, which are not designed to send bulk emails.  I am sure you have received an email in the past, whether it was from a friend or a company that has at the top, a huge list of email addresses of all the other people that the email has been sent out to.  Not only is this bad for security purposes, it does not feel personal.

Using  programmes such as GetResponse, allow you to send bulk email that are personalised to each individual on your mailing list and look as though the email has only been sent to them. 

Building your mailing list is also a key part of your website.  Having an 'Opt In' list will not only safe guard you from spamming but it will also make your list more responsive to offers, simply because the people on the list have 'Opted In' to hear from you.

Here are three quick and easy ways to build a profitable opt-in list.

1) Get your customers to trust you and your products first.  Offer FREE information to your customer such a tips, advice or a small course.  This will not only gain trust but it will also make you a respected expert in your field.

The bottom line is simple.  Once you gain the trust of your visitors, they will be more inclined to purchase from you.

2) Find a product or service that people want and need. Although it may not be your forte, if you provide a service and product that you have researched and learned about well, you can carry it on forward.

While it is true that it is best to sell something that you have an interest in, there are not many people who have the same interest as you if you decide to sell something that is not entirely popular or profitable. Do your research well and you will see the profits come in. Also, provide your subscribers with promotional material that they could actually use and distribute themselves.

3) Make friends with other opt-in list users. This can be very beneficial, especially if it is someone who has already launched a successful opt-in list. These are people that have the experience in this venture and experience is still the best teacher. While there are many articles available for you on the Internet, there is nothing like getting a first hand account from someone you trust.

Experienced opt-in list users will be able to tell you what to do and what not to do because they have gone through it. While different situations occur for different people, the general concept can still be very helpful. There are many things to avoid and these people will be able to tell you which ones.

Building a profitable opt-in list does not just happen overnight.  Opt-in lists are built from scratch, as your list grows, you should also maintain the quality of your list. Keep it organised and manageable. Get or hire help if needs be, just make sure that your subscribers are happy and satisfied and they will be willing to buy from you.

 For more information about Opt In Lists, please click here.  

4 Crucial Things You Need To Do To Build your List


Online marketing may have developed a sudden surge these past few years but many in the know how, have felt its rise even from way back then. As more Internet based businesses are set up, the need to develop new marketing skills and knowledge based on this new medium have arisen. More and more marketing strategies are being discovered and developed to cope with the changing face of the business world.

The demand for online marketing tips and strategies has drastically increased over the last couple of years and a new form of business has been born, 'Internet Marketing Strategies'. While there are many companies that are all too eager to help your web site and business build a clientele, for a fee, there are also many ways that can spread the word about your web sites content in a more cost free way. One of them is 'Opt-in' email marketing, also known as permission marketing.

Opt-in marketing requires the permission of a willing customer to subscribe to your marketing materials, materials that take form in newsletters, catalogues and promotional mailings via e-mail. The more opt-in marketing mail is sent, the more chances there are to bag sales and more sales. To do this, you must build a list of all those people who want to subscribe to your opt-in marketing list.

From your list, you will get your targeted customers, this is a good list since they have already shown an interest in your business, product and what you sell.

These are the people who have liked what they have seen on your web site and have decided they want to see more and maybe even purchase what ever product or service your company and web site has to offer.

As stated earlier, building a list does not happen overnight, it takes a bit of patience but can open your web site and your business up to a whole new world of a target market. Take the effort to take your business to a new level, if increased traffic and good profits are what you want and an opt-in list will do wonders for your business achieving this.

There are many sources and articles on the Internet available for everyone to read about building a list. Sometimes they may be a little confusing, simply because there are so many different ways. Different groups of people will have different approaches to building an opt-in list but no matter how diverse many methods are or may seem, there are always some crucial things you need to do to build your list. Here are four of them:

1) Put up a good form on your site that immediately follows the end of your content.

Creating a good form for subscribing to an opt-in list is not hard to do. Just write a short piece highlighting the benefits your visitor will receive when they sign up and then prompt them to use the form to do so.  The form should have a space for your visitor to insert their name and email address.  Once the visitor has subscribed, they will automatically be added to your list and as more people sign up, your list will be growing.

2) As mentioned in the first tip, make your homepage very, very impressive. You need to have well written articles and descriptions of your site. Depending on what your site is about, you need to capture your web site visitor’s interest.  Make your web site useful and very easy to use. Do not expect everyone to be tech savvy and make your web site user friendly, keep it simple but informative.

3) Provide good service and products. A returning customer is more likely to bring in more business, as a satisfied customer will always recommend you to other people.  Word of mouth and recommendations alone can pull in more business than an expensive ad. As your clientele roster grows, so will your list. With more members on the list, the more people will get to know about what new products you have to offer.

4) Keep a clean and private list. Never lose the trust your customers have entrusted you. If you provide the e-mail addresses of your list to other third parties and then your list gets spammed, many will probably unsubscribe to you. Remember, a good reputation will drive in more traffic and subscribers as well as strengthen the loyalty of your customers.

4 Ways To Get Your Opt In Subscribers To Trust You Quickly


While the rest of the world have developed many barriers and protections to keep their e-mail accounts spam-free, there are also those that subscribe to mailing lists that promote their products, services and their web site. This is mainly because these subscribes want to know more about what these web sites are offering, that can be beneficial for them. They expect to be kept posted on all the latest information about the subjects they are interested in and what new products are on the market.


• Getting the trust of your clientele shouldn’t be so hard, especially if you do have a legitimate business. Getting your customers trust should be based upon your expertise. People rely on other people who know what they are talking about. Gather all the knowledge and information about your business and provide quality information that your reader can use.

• Show your clients that you know what you are talking about. Provide them with helpful hints and guidelines that pertain to what you are selling. You don’t have to be a big corporation to make use of an opt-in list. If your customers see you as someone who knows what he/she is doing and saying, they will begin to trust you very quickly.

• Be true to your customers, if you want to hype up your products and services, provide guarantees. The more satisfied your customers are, the bigger probability there is that they will recommend you. Generally, people will trust someone they know, when that someone then  recommends you to somebody else, that's the best form of advertising you can receive.

• Provide them with an option to leave your mailing list. Show them that you are not there to trap them. Keep a clean list that would enable them to unsubscribe anytime they want. Elaborate your subscription form by providing information on how to unsubscribe from the list. Guarantee them that they can unsubscribe  when ever they want to. Many are wary that they may be stuck for life and would have to abandon their email accounts when they get pestered with spam.

Remember that when you get the trust of your clients don’t lose that trust because if you do anything with their email addresses like sell them or give them to third paties, you will lose many members of your list as well as potential members. The quickest way to gain the trust of your subscribers is when you are recommended by someone they trust.

How To Grab Your Readers Attention With Your Subject


An opt-in list allows you to provide newsletters to your subscribers with their consent. When people sign up, they know that they will be receiving updates and news from your web site and the industry your represent via an e-mail. However, that doesn’t mean that all of those who subscribe will actually read them at all. Many lists have been built due to an attachment with free software or from a promotional discount or offer. Some are not really interested in receiving e-mails from companies and just treat them as waste of cyberspace and delete or trash them without so mush as opening the e-mail and scanning them.

Although writing and send your emails is relatively easy, getting people to open your emails is not. You don’t want to waste all your time and effort used in producing the newsletters, you want people to read them and find them beneficial. You want your readers to take action and purchased your products or services.

One of the numerous ways you can tempt or persuade your subscriber is by providing a well thought out and well written subject line. The subject of an email is what is often referred to when a person or a recipient of an email decides whether he or she wants to open or read an e-mail. The subject line could easily be regarded as one of the most important aspect of your promotional e-mail.

Your subject line must be short and concise. It should provide a summary for the content of the e-mail so that the recipient will have basic knowledge of the content. This is really vital in grabbing the attention of your readers and subscribers. You want your subject line to instantly grab the attention of your subscriber and get them to be intrigued enough to open  your mail. Remember, it is not necessarily true that a subscriber will open your email.

A good subject line must always be tickling the curiosity of your recipient. It must literally force the recipient to open the mail. A certain emotion must be ignited and get them to open the mail. It is essential to use specific words to get the reaction you need. Keep in mind that the recipient or subscriber spends only a few seconds looking over each subject line of the e-mails he/she receives. You must grab your reader’s attention immediately.

There are many forms you can use for your subject line You can provide a subject line that says your e-mail contains content that teaches them tips and methods on certain topics. An example of this is using keywords and keyword phrases such as, “How to” , “tips”, “Guides to”.

You can also put your subject line as a question. These may include questions like, “Are you sick and tired of your job?” Or “Is your boss always on your case?” Try to stay on the topic that pertains to your web site so that you’ll know that your subscribers have signed up because they are interested in that topic. This form of subject line is very effective because they reach out to your recipients emotions. When they have read the question on your subject, their mind starts answering the question already.

You can also use a subject line that commands your reader. Statements such as “Act now and get this once in a lifetime opportunity”, or “Double, triple and even quadruple what you are earning in one year”. This type of subject line, deals with the benefits your company provides with your product and services.

You may also use breaking news as your subject line to intrigue your subscriber. For example, if you deal with car engine parts, you can write in your subject line, “Announcing the new engine that uses no petrol, It runs on water”. This creates curiosity with the reader and will lead them to open the email and read on.

How To Get Your Subscribers Begging For More


Just as an experiment, a friend of mine subscribe to ten different opt-in e-mail marketing lists to see which ones were effective. He tried to find out which opt-in marketing strategies grabbed a person into begging for more. Some would send emails in a very simple fashion, some would be very outlandish while there were some that would just lie in between. The differences could easily be noticed and some had grasped the idea of an effective opt-in marketing strategy. He dubbed them effective because he felt like he just couldn’t wait to go their site and learn more, the more persuasive ones even got him halfway to reaching for his wallet and to his credit card before he realised this was only for an experiment.

Many companies and web sites present their promotional materials in a wide variety of concepts. Each has their own distinctive style and designs but more than the outline and the presentation, the content and the articles are what keeps the attention of your potential customer locked on to your opt-in marketing medium. Creativity is the key here.

From talking to many satisfied opt-in list subscribers and forums, I have learned what is essential in opt-in marketing and what makes the subscribers beg for more instead of lining up to unsubscribe.

Keep your promotional materials light, creative and original. Many people are stressed out as it is. Getting a stuffy business proposal rather than a light hearted e-mail, may just agitate them more. A warm friendly smile or banter is always more welcome than a serious business meeting or proposal. While you do want your customers to take you and your products and services seriously, you also want to show them that you know how to have fun.

Splash some colour in your emails as well as provide some photos and articles that can be related to you but show good news or good light hearted images as well. Provide a newsletter or promotional materials that will keep them in a light mood. Make your materials eye catching and grabbing that they wont be able to take their eyes of them. Spark their interests.

Have good content and article, even if it means investing in an experienced and professional copy writer to write them for you. An effective copy writer should be able to build trust between you and your customers. They should be able to establish your credibility in what they write. It must be informative but not too stuffy. Let go of the professional jargons and “talk“to your recipients.

A good article and content should be able to outline the benefits of your product and services and why the reader needs what you are offering. Do not look to overeager and too persuasive. Your email should be able to entertain as well as lead them to buying from you.

Your promotional materials should be clear. Don’t leave people guessing. You should lead them to you and not vice versa. Explain to them what they need to do in a manner that won’t be confusing. Try to anticipate what your target client needs. Do your research and gather as much information as you can, many web sites will be able to help you with that.

Provide clear and crisp images of what you are offering. If the people know what you have for them, they are more likely to beg for more. For example, if you are selling a car, provide them photos but only enough to encourage them to go to your web site for more information.


5 Things To Consider When Publishing A Newsletter


Providing a newsletter for your opt-in list subscribers provides many benefits in terms of driving traffic into your web site as well as boosting the sales and profits of your web site and company.

This is a marketing ploy that will not hugely dent your marketing budget and will not require many hours in developing this project.

With a newsletter, you can inform the public about your company and products as well as services. You can keep them posted and updated about what’s going-on with your company as well as many of your promotions and offerings. With these, you keep on reminding your subscribers that you are still here and are willing to offer them good deals and services.

Newsletters also allow you to impress your subscribers. It can show your expertise and knowledge about the topic at hand and the many benefits you can offer them. When you impress people, they will become potential customers and another great thing is that they can recommend you to their friends, colleagues and family. All of them could very well be customers in the future.

Here are five things to consider when publishing a newsletter.

1) Make sure that the content of your newsletter pertains to and is closely associated with your business or the theme of your web site. 

For example; If you have a web site that sells auto car parts, your newsletter must contain articles or content that pertain to cars, auto parts etc. You may also include content about your company and your staff. Remember that subscribers to your list are there because they are interested in what your web site/company has to offer. If they sign up for an opt-in list or for a newsletter this means that they want to be updated for that certain theme or subject. Be sure that when you publish your newsletter you are providing for the need of the subscriber as well as their interests.

2) Ensure that you have well written, information riddled and content rich articles. Your articles will be the body of your newsletter and they should be able to excite your readers as well as provide information. Articles should be well written and checked for errors such as spelling and grammatical errors for it to look professional and believable. The trust of your subscribers to you and your newsletter is at stake here.

3) Fact-check your articles. Make sure that you provide true facts and figures so that your reputation as an expert and the knowledgeable you hold in that field is not questioned. If you lose the trust of your subscribers, it may persuade them to unsubscribe to your newsletter. You will lose many potential sales this way.

4) Provide fresh and new articles that can provide new information to your subscribers. If you publish stale and old news in your newsletter, there is a tendency that people or your subscribers already have read and know about them. This will lose their interest in your newsletter and they wont get to read what is most important, your ads. They may not open or read any of your future newsletters,

5) Never use copyrighted materials such as photos and articles. This is outright plagiarism, you may get into a lot of trouble for this. You can lose your business and get sued over copyright infringement. If you do not have the time to write your own articles, there are many willing and able professional article writers that can do it for you for a reasonable fee. All your investment in writing and publishing articles will be well worth it when you see your list build up and your traffic increasing.

3 Things To Avoid When Emailing Your List


When you decide to build an opt-in list, it is not just a matter of sending your subscribers your promotional newsletters or catalogues. There are many things to consider in avoiding many complications. While there are so many ways you can make people subscribe to your list, there are also some things you must do to avoid subscribers from wanting to unsubscribe from your list.

Aside from that, you also want to avoid any problems with the law and your Internet service provider or ISP. There are now many laws and rules that are applied to help protect the privacy of the Internet users from spamming and unwanted mails. With the popularity of the electronic mail as a medium for marketing because of the low cost, many company’s have seized the opportunity and have flooded many people’s e-mail accounts with promotional mail.

However, with an opt-in list, you avoid this annoyance because people subscribe to the list; They want to receive the newsletters and promotional materials. They have consented to being on the list by subscribing themselves, just don’t forget to put an unsubscribe feature everytime in your opt-in list so that you avoid any confusion. There may be times when an email account was provided when the real owner didn’t want to subscribe.

It is essential that you keep your list clean and manageable. Arrange it by using the many tools and technologies available for your opt-in list such as GetResponse. Do not worry; your investment in this marketing strategy is well worth it with all the coverage you will get which will likely be converted into sales then to profit.

Keep yourself and your business out of trouble and potential run-ins with the law and the Internet service providers. Keep your operation legit and clean. Your reputation as a legitimate businessman and a legitimate site depends on you being a straight and true marketing strategist. As a tip, here are three things to avoid when emailing your list.

1) Take notice of your unsuccessful email. These are the e-mails that bounce. Bounced emails, also known as undeliverable messages, are those messages that, for whatever reason, were not successfully received by the intended recipient.

There are bounces that happen or occur because the server was busy at that time but can still be delivered another time. There are also bounces because the inbox of the recipient is full at that time. There are those bounce messages that are simply undeliverable. The reason for this is that it may be an invalid email address, a misspelled email address or an email address that was abandoned and erased.

Manage your list by putting markings on those that bounce. Erase an email account from your list so that you have accurate statistics and records as to how many are actually receiving your mail. You may also want to check the spellings of your email addresses in your list. One common mistake is when an N instead of an M is placed in the .com area.

2) Always provide an unsubscribe feature in your site and an unsubscribe link in your mails. When someone in your list files a request to be unsubscribed, always take that request seriously. If you don’t take them off your list and you then keep sending them your e-mails, you are now sending them spam mail.

When you are reported as a spammer, you and your business can get into a lot of trouble. You can be reported to the authorities and maybe blacklisted by many Internet service providers. You will lose a lot of subscribers this way and many more in potential subscribers.

3) Do not provide pornographic or shocking and disturbing content in your newsletters. It is hard to decipher the age of the recipient and many complaints may stem from these. Controversial issues also are to be avoided to not be branded by your subscribers. Stick to the nature of your site and business.

Always remember these tips in this article so that you can have a healthy relationship with your subscribers as well as be kept within the boundaries of what is allowed in sending mails to an opt-in list.

7 Ways To Make Money Using Nothing More Than Your List

An opt-in list can be quite crucial to any web site or Internet based company.

Building a list is crucial, other than marketing your wares and your services, an opt-in list can also be used to earn extra profit. Not all lists can be used though. It would be good to first build a successful list with a huge number of subscribers. The more subscribers you have, the more money you can make. Here are seven ways to make money using nothing more than your list.

1) Place advertisements. There are many corporations who will be willing to pay you to put their banners and ads on a list with many subscribers. Selling or renting out lists is not a good idea so rather than doing that, many companies would just rather place ads with lists that have a huge subscriber base. Your newsletter could be placed with many ads and each one spells money.

2) Have affiliations with other companies that have at least a semblance or relation to what your site is about. Here other companies will provide links and brief descriptions of what they offer, products and services. With every click made on the link that directs or leads a subscriber from your list to their site, the company will pay you a commission for each sale. This is know as P4P or pay for performance.

3) Joint Venture with other companies by recommending their products and asking for a small percentage of sales that are generated  through your list.

4) You may also get products from other sites on a consignment basis and sell them to your list via your newsletter. Place descriptions, articles and photos of the product in your newsletter. There will be those who will buy from you and when that happens, you can order the product from the other site and sell it to your buyer.

5) Sell e-books or a compilations of your articles to your list. Manuals and how-to articles are in great demand. Many people will be willing to pay money to gain knowledge about a certain topic and subject. With your existing list trusting your expertise in that area, an e-book could be offered, sold or used as an incentive.

6) Create a network out of your list. Get people to invite more people to view your web site and subscribe to your list. The larger your list is, the more people will be able to click on your links and affiliate links as well as make your advertisement rates higher.

7) Subscribers are willing to pay for information if they know that it can be trusted and relied upon. Use your list to get more and more people to subscribe to you as well as browse your web site. Lastly, you can use your list to earn money by making them your partners. Your list will be the bloodline of your growth and increase.