The new rules in efficient e-mail marketing

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The new rules in efficient e-mail marketing

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February 8, 2006

For some companies, e-mail marketing has increased a lot in the past few years and has now become one of the most cost-effective techniques in use today for efficiently selling products and services to a very broad range of industries.

The simplicity of email and the ability to send large quantities of marketing messages at a very small cost during the early days of Internet marketing led to abuse, deceitful practices and an overall bad experience for many on the receiving end.

Because e-mail marketing is still an industry very much in its infancy, government and regulatory organizations struggle to develop and enforce guidelines such as CAN-SPAM . Although these guidelines have been designed to protect the consumer, businesses that adhere to them will find it easier to reach their audience.

The ability to consistently deliver e-mail is one of the main issues e-mail marketers struggle with. Those who take the time to comply with CAN-SPAM and individual ISP guidelines find themselves alone more and more in the inbox.

Producing consistent, predictable results at the push of a button is the dream of every marketer, but can only be accomplished by following some simple rules.

Although an important step forward, the CAN-SPAM Act only provides a legal platform for e-mail marketing. There are many individual Internet service providers, as well as for-profit and non-profit institutions, that protect their customers fiercely. Cooperating with them, along with following their guidelines, will make the biggest difference.

Most of these guidelines are reasonable; some are even common sense and not included in any documentation. Others can be overly technical and tedious. Following these guidelines allows the list owners to deliver their messages and in turn reach their maximum ROI potential.

If you are marketing through e-mail, following are some of the best practices to ensure maximum results:

Subject Lines: Do not use deceptive subject lines
The subject line should pertain to the e-mail and be informative enough to encourage the reader to open it. The subject line shouldn't be too long, in all caps, or contain many exclamation marks or dollar signs. You should also steer away from using words such as "free," "guaranteed" or "approved" within your subject lines.

From Lines: From lines must clearly identify the source of the e-mail
It should be your company name, your name, or the advertiser's name. It should not be a marketing message or a sales pitch.

Be Creative: Select the e-mail message that works best for your list
Most consumers respond better to HTML e-mails. Complicated e-mails can fail to render properly to some users, while overused creative may be blocked by the individual's Internet service provider. Text, although not blocked as often and completely supported by all the users of the Internet, is just not as appealing.

Opt-Out Method: You must allow a method to opt-out
This feature must remain active up to 30 days after the e-mail has been sent. These requests must be honored, and you must stop sending all e-mails to any address requesting removal within 10 business days of the request.

Sender Name and Mailing Address: The sender's name and a valid mailing address
This will enable recipients to better communicate with you in any mailings. It will also help strengthen their trust in your company.

Advertisements: State within the e-mail that it is an advertisement
Whatever you do, people like to know its an advertisement and stating that fact can help you. They still may not buy from you but maybe your message might be read.

Suppression List: Make sure you provide a suppression list
There must be a suppression list of recipients requesting to never receive that advertisement again. This list must be compared to your list of e-mails to ensure that those individuals are removed and do not receive this advertisement again.

Sending Frequency: Be consistent in the number of times you email
You should determine a schedule and stick to it, whether it is once a day, once a week or once a month. The more consistent you are in your mailings, the more familiar your clients will become with receiving them.

Technical Compliance: Don't neglect that important aspect
There are already many technologies that exist to separate spam from legitimate e-mail. It is important to make sure your e-mail is being delivered with the proper configuration. This can include proper DNS topology and up-to-date e-mail software that implements common standards like Domain Keys.

Growing Your List: Another important factor that can have a big impact
One of the most common fatal flaws in e-mail marketing is failing to properly collect data from consumers. This will inevitably lead to a high number of complaints that make reaching your audience nearly impossible, regardless of technical compliance. Effective branding and e-mail verification can ensure your data is clean and easy to maintain.

By following these guidelines and keeping the interests of the customers paramount, e-mail marketers can enjoy the benefits of responsible e-mail marketing.

Source: eCommerce Times

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