If you dont know it yet, you will probably learn over time, that email marketing is probably THE most effective way of marketing online. That is, IF you do it the right way.
Heres a couple of hints and tips that have worked for me:
I have a habit of signing up for safelists that offer free pro memberships | | to the first so-so many members. I find that smaller safelists are most responsive. Once they reach around 1000 members or so, the actual opening and reading of mails seems to die off.
Think about what would make YOU open an email. What would grab YOUR attention Try to make the subject both interesting and captivating, with just a touch of urgency.
Make sure your subject line isnt misleading. Thats such a huge turn-off to most marketers. They open a mail with a great subject line, and find that it bears absolutely NO relevance to the mail itself. Not only will they most likely delete the mail right away, but theyll probably remember who sent it, and never open mails from that person again.
Remember, if youre going to use safelists for your email marketing, get a seperate email address for all the mail youll get from other members.
I probably have about 10 so-called "junkmail" accounts, where I get all my safelist mails. I go through my mails every day, and yes, I do delete a lot of them right away.
Sometimes though, something catches my eye, and I take a closer look. If the subject lines are interesting, I open them ALL. I find its a GREAT way of keeping on top of whats happening in the world of internet marketing.
Now, if safelists are just NOT your cup of tea, you need to work out how to create a warm market, for your own personal use.
The best way of doing this, is by building your very own contact list. Whether you want to publish an ezine, or just create a mailing list is up to you, but make sure you do it properly. I personally find my contacts through chat. I go to as many chatrooms as I can find, and make sure my profile is up-to-date and lets people know that Im an online marketer.
That way, if people are interested in learning more about me, theyve at least got a starting point, and from there, its pretty easy to get them to allow you to add them to your mailing list.
Dont harvest email addresses, itll only end up in tears. Dont buy mailing lists, no matter how cheap you can get them. Most of the lists that are for sale are made up of harvested email addresses. Harvested emails are by no means "opt-in" and you can be pretty sure youll end up getting a spam complaint. Its a surefire way of losing your isp, webhost or even both. Pure SPAM is the biggest no-no out there.
No matter which way you decide to go, its going to be hard, mostly because of all the spam filters that are now in place. ISPs are really cracking down on spammers. So much so, that even legitimate emails are getting f |
| | way of losing your isp, webhost or even both. Pure SPAM is the biggest no-no out there.
No matter which way you decide to go, its going to be hard, mostly because of all the spam filters that are now in place. ISPs are really cracking down on spammers. So much so, that even legitimate emails are getting filtered out.
Ive gathered together a few sites that I find very helpful when Im writing my ezine, and sending mails to safelists etc. Its quite amazing to see what actually sets spam filters off. Take some time to go through it all. Bookmark the sites. If youve ever wondered if your mail is getting through, you can easily check, just by looking for the trigger words.
Here are a few sites/articles that show you some of the words that are considered to be spam triggers:
http://www.iprofitsystems.com/articles/spamfilters.html
http://www.wilsonweb.com/wmt8/spamfilter_phrases.htm
http://www.internetbasedmoms.com/ezine_killer.htm
http://office.microsoft.com/Assistance/9798/newfilters.aspx
This one I absolutely love. Its real fast, gives you a quick review of your mail onsite, and sends you an email with more information. I use it every time I send out a "marketing" email of any kind.Its most definitely one of the best "spam" checkers Ive found. http://www.lyris.com/contentchecker/
Email marketing can be a lot of hard work, especially as, according to the averages, people need to see your offer AT LEAST 7 times before they "bite". Be consistent, get your mails out there, but also be responsible. The last thing on earth anybody wants, is to be accused of spam. Spam accusations can hurt both you AND the website/product/program youre promoting.
Dont be afraid to add a little "personal" touch to your emails, just dont go totally overboard by telling people the ins and outs of your life...hehehe
Above all, enjoy what you do.
Anna-Marie Stewart Venton
Anna-Marie Stewart Venton publishes Not Just Another Ezine. An interactive online ezine full of marketing hints, tips and info. Win free advertising in her AdCash games. Visit http://annamarketing.com for more information or mailto:webmistress@annamarketing.comsubject=subscribe
This article is available for reprint in your opt-in ezine, web site or ebook. You MUST agree not to make any changes to the article and the RESOURCE BOX MUST be included.
(c) 2002 AnnaMarketing.com. All Rights Reserved
About The Author
Anna-Marie Stewart Venton publishes Not Just Another Ezine at http://annamarketing.com. Dedicated to helping marketers succeed, and have a bit of fun at the same time. She also hosts weekly "Get To Know Each Other" chats for all online marketers. Download your free Money Chatter Viral Marketing Tool here: http://annamarketing.com/MC
webmistress@annamarketing.com
This article was posted on June 03, 2003 |
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