Harness the power of e-mail newsletters

When done right, e-mail marketing is not only breathtakingly affordable but also extremely effective. Regardless of how you measure your success rate (by opened messages, click-throughs or conversion rates), e-mail marketing can yield responses that range from a satisfying 5% to a heady 50%.

HTML e-mail templates
If your website is Joomla-powered (one of our favorite dynamic CMS platforms), you can install a professional component like AcyMailing, which allows you to manage powerful communications with your subscribers via e-mail marketing, e-newsletters, auto-newsletters, follow-up auto-responders, marketing campaigns, and more.

Don’t use Joomla? Then try a stand-alone service like MailChimp. Both use HTML e-mail templates that make creating new newsletters as simple as replacing text and images.

Here are some tips when launching an e-mail campaign:

1. Define your goals
E-mail marketing campaigns get best results when they have a clear call to action, perhaps with the added urgency of a time-sensitive window. E-mail marketing can:

• Announce special deals, sales or discounts
• Invite customers to events, VIP parties or conferences
• Offer news or information that drives decisions

At the outset, carefully define what you want from your campaign. Then focus on the message that will achieve it.

2. Connect with customers
Different designs and messages will yield different results. Customize batches of messages to emphasize benefits that speak to your customers' specific needs. Electronic tools make it easy to segment customers and sales leads according to their needs.

But make sure you gain opt-in commitments from your prospects or customers before sending any e-mail marketing. You can do this with online registration, prior contact or express e-mailed permission from each recipient.

3. Create and manage your mailing list
When a new customer contacts you, create an entry for them in your business contact manager. Joomla’s AcyMailing and MailChimp both allow you to collect and manage customer information. Both track clicks and offer statistics, and even handle “bounce” messages to let you know when your e-mails are no longer deliverable.

4. Personalize. Personalize. Personalize.
To get customer buy-in, use name-personalization messages whenever possible. A personalized e-mail will be opened and read much more often than any other method. AcyMailing, for example, lets you add information to your e-mail from your customer’s user profile: name, username, e-mail, phone number, etc.

5. Some dos and don’ts

• Make your e-mail short and compelling. Don’t include detailed product descriptions or windy stories about your company’s history. Put a summary at the top and use lots of short titles and bullet points or highlights so customers can take in information at a glance.
• Make it easy for customers to update their information or unsubscribe.
• Need I mention proofreading?
• Point out the attitudes or special services that make you stand out.
• Finally, support your campaign. Don’t simply send out your messages and sit back. Plan specific follow up, say, by sending automated bounce-back replies or by integrating your e-mail campaign with other channels, such as phone calls or direct mail.

Additional reading:

• How to create an e-mail marketing plan
• How to code HTML e-mails
• Common e-mail marketing rookie mistakes
• Avoid these common design mistakes
• Tips for growing your e-mail subscriber list

Need help setting up e-mail marketing for your business or group? This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , or call 281-217-0656.

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