Wait..time out your thinking. Isn’t the site suppose to be about “New Media and Social Media”?

Yes, it is. Though I think it can be about anything really, so don’t let the name fool you, ok?  Good we are on the same page, so lets move forward…

I have had several clients ask me about email marketing in the past few months. These questions include:

-What email marketing service should I use?

-What should I include in the emails?

-How often should I email people?

-Do I just gather emails and starting sending to people?

Then there is the big question “Does email marketing work in this day of web 2.0 and social media?” One can come up with many arguments either way I believe on this subject. So, instead of reading what I have to say, I decided to reach out to my community for the answer. Here are some of the many great answers I got:

-Jonathan Dunn, Business Development at eLink Media, Inc.:

Absolutely email marketing works, if it’s done correctly. The question is the cleanliness of the IPs, the segmentation of the data, and the QA of the data (scrubbing, unsubs, complaints, etc.). Email “blasts” are just that. Well-thought, strategic email campaigns that are executed correctly are invaluable part of an integrated online campaign with multiple touch points to the consumer.

-Charlene Ragsdale, Internet Marketer:

Define “work”? It is a means to engage in conversation. I know of no one who has ever bought from an email they have received.  I hear it everyday – because I work heavily on the Internet to market my business, most assume I never speak with anyone on the phone or have face to face meetings. That is incorrect. Email is a way to introduce yourself and your business, but I have never seen it as an effective way to market and “buy me now” approach. In fact, I believe the opposite is true. If I receive the “buy me now” emails, I move on.

-Michael Hoffman, Digital Doorknocker:

All marketing works, but the trick is making it work for you. I have created email marketing campaigns that would consistently generate between 500%-1,200% ROI on a weekly basis. The list consisted of customers and previous inquiries made to the company. When working with email, it is very important to consider:
• having a strong subject line as that will dictate a lot on your click-through rate
• the sender’s name recognizable to your audience
• clear concise marketing for the body of your email
• tracking to be able to evaluate the results so you know what to repeat and what not to for next time
• A/B testing is a crucial. Think about whether you want to test subject line, time of day email is sent or day email is sent as your first items to test. I like to start with subject line. If possible, using the recipient’s name in the subject line is great.
• that you are CAN-SPAM compliant

-Boris Mahovac, Email Marketing Coach:

Yes, email certainly does work, if
- you don’t send spam (in the broadest definition of the word)
- follow best practices
- have something interesting/meaningful/entertaining/valuable to offer
- use proper tools to test and track your results, and adjust your campaign based of your test results.
among other things…
The Direct Marketing Association survey results show that email marketing still boasts the highest ROI of all marketing channels.

-John Joyce, Entrepreneur, Small Business Consultant:

Email marketing should be an integral part of an overall inbound/outbound strategy. Keep the following in mind:
* Marketing to the disinterested is counterproductive so make sure your list is qualified.
* If you are segmenting your audience/message, make sure you have supporting landing pages that offer tailored messaging with quantifiable value and a clear call to action.
* What is the goal? Lead gen? Customer acquisition? Customer Retention? Branding?
* Use a system that allows you to set triggers and utilize drip marketing tactics.
* Make sure your messaging is consistent across all mechanisms – Email, website, landing pages, blog, microblogs, etc.

-Chris Uschan, Director of Online Marketing at Ominpress

Is this a trick question?
LOL
I have found no better way to get in front of thousands of our contacts.
I can post weekly blogs for months, twitter all day, contribute to industry blogs/listservs, exhibit at a tradeshows…. but nothing compares to the leads generated from a single email campaign. Now mind you that you must follow the rules of good emailing… be personal, keep them short, send from a known rep and the KEY –> provide content that helps your audience solve a problem (white paper, tip sheet, best practice, etc.).

-Scott Hemmons, Marketing Director

Yes. Don’t always go for a direct response/sale in your e-mails. Build a relationship and offer value to the readers. It helps define you as an authority figure and keep you in the recipients mind.

Overall to the responses I got from my different communities is “Yes, it works if done properly from beginning to end.”  Also the theme seems to be its part of a bigger marketing picture as well.

What are your thoughts?

Posted under Blog