Features
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The Basics of E-Mail Marketing:
The use of e-mail as a marketing tool has increased dramatically in the past few years, and is currently positioned for even greater growth. According to Forrester Research, HTML e-mail will become the central point of customer contact as it delivers not just marketing, but also transactions and customer service. Opt-in HTML eMail response rates are averaging 18%.
E-mail is a successful medium because:
It's fast - There's no need for printing or delivery delays, an entire e-mail campaign can go from concept to launch in a matter of days, sometimes within one day.
It's inexpensive - Because there are no printing or mailing charges, e-mail costs a fraction of what a traditional direct mail piece costs.
It has a high rate of return - E-mail response rates generally average between 5-15% vs. 1-3% for direct mail (Source: eMarketer, 2000).
It has a rapid response time - E-mail generally has a 3-5 day response cycle (measurable within hours in some cases) as compared to the 2-3 week cycle of most print campaigns. Usually within 48 hours approximately 80% of your return is complete. Banner advertising click through rates are averaging .7% per Jupiter Communications.
In modern marketing, it is emerging as THE high-value, low cost channel for sales and marketing. It's extremely cost effective for distribution and a great tool for customer retention and relationship management between businesses and their customers.
HOW IT WORKS:
From start to finish, a customer logs into your web site and inquires into receiving more information in exchange for their e-mail address. The prudent company logs this into their direct marketing database and prepares a targetable campaign toward their preferences. When the time comes, a marketing analyst or professional selects the appropriate and relevant list from the database and builds a campaign.
The e-mail campaign, with the proper privacy and permission wording, is distributed to the list using internal software or a third-party service bureau. At this point the customer simply can ignore the email, respond accordingly or unsubscribe. Once the campaign has run it's course, proper reporting and tracking are in order to determine the success or failure of that particular campaign. This information then needs to be put to use in the next campaign.
Contact Empire to help your company begin a simple and effective ongoing means of marketing to your customers.
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