Your Questions About Email Marketing Best Practices
John asks…
Marketing Experts: How do You Convert Your Direct Mail Recipients to Email?
I run a nonprofit and our main marketing asset is a direct mail list of 50,000 names – but all physical addresses. Our email list pales by comparison – and in fact pales in comparison to most of our competitors. We would LOVE to convert our snailmail list to email, but it’s a challenge. Are there best practices for getting your list off of the very expensive and time consuming direct mailings and onto email? Thanks for any suggestions.
Jere answers:
I suspect you would want to mail out an invitation to a sign up at a web site. Email is somewhat more tightly regulated than postal mail, some measures are required to remain legal and to not get blacklisted by email postmasters.
To conform to the U.S. Can-spam regulations you generally have to ask people to opt-in to your mailing list, for best deliverability rates and for help conforming to regulations one can employ an email list management services like Aweber.com, they actually prefer a “double op-in” in which users first sign up on a web site then verify their registration in an email reply. Aweber provides the email submission form that you install on your site that communicates directly with their site.
Marketers who live off email lists will often setup opt-in capture pages offering some sort of incentive like a small free ebook to get them to sign up.
You could throw in an opt-in form in the easy to type-in home page address of your existing site (rather in some lengthy inner page address they would have to transcribe off a postcard), or for better conversion from a mailed out invitation by having a short easy to type in domain name for a page optimized for maximum conversion.
Aweber is the biggest of the ‘autoresponder’ mail services designed to mail out a pre-programmed email message sequence starting day one as each user opts in, there are others like ConstantContact geared more for email blasts to the entire list at once.
Here’s a comparison of some popular email services:
http://workhomebusiness.org/autoresponder-services-review/
Ruth asks…
Do you know any bulk email service.?
I want to know some good bulk email service. i want to an effective email marketing. What is best practice when choosing an email provider.
Jere answers:
ActiveCampaign starts at just $9/mo and allows for unlimited sending and provide a world-class support. Also, their application is by far the most easiest application I’ve ever used. Another thing too is their abundance of free and professional looking templates. Another great features they have that isn’t found in most email marketing service provider is social media integration http://www.activecampaign.com/socialmedia/ and provide geo location data of your subscribers http://www.activecampaign.com/features/reporting.php
Hope this help.
Mark asks…
What is a good email marketing service that does not require opt-in? list of 38,000?
What is a good email marketing service that does not require opt-in? Its a list of 38,000. Please save the opt in best practices for someone else. I have been assigned to find this information as part of my job.
Thanks in advance
How I got my list is not the point. it is not an opt-in list. Is there a company that has an email marketing service where I can use a list that is not opt in
For instance I cannot send emails using my list through an email marketing company like constantcontact – because they require my list to be opt-in in order to use there service.
I would also like to send one email to the entire list. So 38,000 emails in one send.
Thanks
Jere answers:
Hi there,
Your question is a little vague. If people don’t opt-in, then how do you collect their emails in the first place?
But it seems you already have a list of 38,000. So what are you trying to accomplish now? Those 38,000 people have already given you their emails, so they don’t need to opt-in anymore.
If you are looking for an email autoresponder service that doesn’t require people to opt-in…I’m not sure such a thing can possibly exist. Because how will you get their email address then?
Steven asks…
Best months to email market?
Okay, I am a counselor and I recently opened a private practice. I have been trying to get some more clients and outside of the the traditional give my card to other professionals and a website, I have tried the following: targeted Facebook ad, ad in the appropriate classified section of the paper and they have not been generating too many calls or emails. I can also offer seminars for companies and I want to do some email marketing via Constant Contact or iContact.
I am THINKING (remember I am not hip with the marketing yet!) that perhaps companies may not invest in seminars in the next 3 months – as Xmas is coming up, the New Year and everyone needs to recover financially. I may be wrong.
So when would be the best months to target companies to hire me for seminars?
Jere answers:
Companies budgets don’t necessarily match up with end of year. Fiscal year and Calendar year are two different things and are seldom the same. So any time is a good time.
However, if you do not have a strong presence (i.e. Well known to the companies you are mailing to), email marketing is not a wise move at the start. Also, make sure you are using a reputable company that is going to give you advise on making it through spam blockers and company firewalls. Business emarketing is NOT the same as consumer emarketing.
I would suggest that you stick with targeted postal mailings until you get your brand out there. Get the postcard/piece into their hands, not the email (sitting right next to the delete button). Or get your phone call through to the right person. Call a company like Acxiom to get a list of the proper companies that may need your services. Then send that list to a company like Vista Print or Postcard Mania to have it printed and mailed. Easy, inexpensive, targeted and right to their desk instead of off in email limbo.
David asks…
Is there any law, CAN-SPAM or other, that forbids any method of finding email addresses for marketing?
As long as your email follows the rules – include an opt-out, clearly identify as an ad, include real address, etc. – does it matter if you, for example, use a search engine to find potential customers’ email addresses?
Having them opt-in is considered “best practice” but not legally required, correct?
Oh, I forgot – I’m looking for facts, not opinions. So please include a link with your answer.
FYI, I did google it. And found plenty of general info and nothing that definitively answers the question. So I’m asking here.
Jere answers:
Correct! CAN-SPAM act does not talk about the opt-in requirement. However if you are identifying your message as an “ad”, you can legally spam people. But the biggest problem is that if the recipients decide not to unsubscribe and hit the spam button instead, their ISPs will “ban” you from sending further email to them and that means any subscriber at that ISP. They will use your IP address, domain name, message body etc. To identify your messages. If your product name is in the message body or your domain name, you can say goodbye to email marketing for good.
Powered by Yahoo! Answers