Email Marketing Tips (Part 2)

I didn’t intend to make this a series, but on Friday I received another marketing email from a local company.  I didn't find this email nearly as bad as the one sent by the two companies in the previous posting. Primarily because they are a small company, in a tough industry, that made do on what I'm sure is a $0 budget for online marketing.

A recommendation for other small companies with similar budget constraints…there are many online services that will help you with sending out HTML emails for a small monthly fee.  Constant Contact or Mail Chimp is two such examples.  They offer free templates and charge based on usage.  For a small company with a limited budget, this is a cost effective solution for sending out emails to your customers.  Using these services also offer the added benefit of managing opt-outs and providing reporting on the effectiveness of your campaign.

The email follows, after which I’ll offer a few comments for improvement. 

When you send me an email promoting your company you are asking me for permission to speak to me personally.  Unlike television or print, email is (or should be) a one-to-one relationship.  The quality of your message and it’s relevancy to me gives you permission to continue sending me marketing messages in the future.  The longer we know each other, the more personal and relevant your message should become.  In the future, instead of finding customers for your products, you get to find products for your customers who you happen to know very well.  Even more important, I find new customers for your company because I like you so well and want others to like you also because I want you to be successful.

Tips for translating this to email:

1. Personalize the messages.  Know what I click on and respond to.  Provide coupons that I print off and bring into your business.  The coupon should contain a code that you can use to tie it back to me personally.  Use that information to further personalize future emails.
2. Encourage me to share the email with my friends and family and make it easy for me to do so.  Let me login to your website and forward a coupon to a friend.
3. Use your website to extend the relationship.  The email needs to be short and to the point.  If you catch my attention I’ll click a link to learn more.  Don’t just send me to your home page, but create content pages that specifically support the email.