Boost Your Business With Email Marketing!

Email marketing is the sending of emails to market a product or service, which targets a database of current or potential customers. Email marketing is used to communicate a promotion of a product, informing people of any specials or to inform people of any fundraising campaigns .

Email marketing is not random targeting of people, but a very scientific and strategic targeting of a specific group of people, based on a number of factors. Information is researched and gathered about potential customers; their buying habits, gender, preferences etc, via the function of marketing research. If the customer fits into the specific target market then they are added to the database and sent automatic marketing emails, used to promote a product, inform people or a special or a cause. An example of a cause, would be a non- profit organization who are looking for donations towards the rescuing of abused animals.

The key points to remember when building a marketing list:

When building a database marketing plan it is important to remember that you need a good marketing strategy. You need to collect sufficient information on the customers buying habits, personal particulars and their life styles. You also need a program which can give you a statistical report of your database. And lastly, find out what motivates your customers to buy.

Maintaining a healthy relationship with customers is key. Try periodically sending information to your customers which is useful to them. This information can be anything pertaining to your product. If you sell kayaks for example, you could have articles drawn up telling people where the best spots are to go kayaking . Make your customers look forward to receiving your mail, and by doing this you will be building brand loyalty.

How to set up your emails in the correct way

Whether you are marketing a product or you are promoting a campaign or fundraiser, you need to be clear about one thing- the offer. People need to know what it is that you are offering in the email, and the offer needs to be of value to them. If you are marketing a product, then you can give some sort of deal such as, a buy one get one free deal, or you can offer a discount on the purchase price. If you are marketing a campaign or fundraiser, you can inform the person of how their action can add value to the lives of others, in this way you are offering them, the opportunity to help.

The List- A list is just another name for a database. And it is important that if a company is handling your marketing campaign that they have the right data base for your product. Do not be fooled by companies that offer to mail to a million people, at a low price, because spamming will just likely cause your message to be blocked by spam filters.

Be creative- Marketing is the most creative function in the business world. This is where you get to use your creativity to get the message across to the recipient, with the use of colour, design, and copy. Now it is true that many emails are limited to the type of design used, however you can be very creative with the copy- keeping a few things in mind. Get your message across without using the hard sell method. Use words to get your message across in a brief and informative manner, and don't forget to tell the person what you want from them and how they can do it.

Email marketing is one of the most effective forms of mass marketing and if done with the proper research, the proper controls and marketing strategies, can boost your business far better than any other strategy.

For more information on email marketing, go to http://www.3waymarketing.co.za