Many businesses, both small and large, like to take advantage of bulk email marketing. This can be a simple, affordable and effective way to maintain an audience and spread information. Businesses use bulk email marketing because it increases customer communication, allows businesses to target specific people, businesses get immediate action and response, and there is no paper and postage to deal with. Its global reach, 24-hour one-on-one marketing and personalization allow mass email marketing to be extremely beneficial. Here are a few statistics:
• The Direct Marketing Association conducted research in 2009 and said that mass email marketing generated a return of investment (ROI) or approximately $43.62 for every dollar that was spent. Bulk email marketing, therefore, outperformed other direct marketing schemes, including print catalogs.
• A February/March 2009 Forbes Media-commissioned Ad Effectiveness Survey revealed that bulk email marketing is second behind search engine optimization (SEO) in terms of an effective tool to generate conversions.
Bulk Email Marketing
The power of targeted bulk email marketing lies in its ability to intimately reach everyone through a commonly checked item – email. However, not all emails are created equally and this especially holds true for bulk emails. Everyone receives some emails that they are in a rush to open versus the ones they automatically delete. For small business owners and startup companies, tweaking a bulk email marketing campaign can really increase overall effectiveness. Here are some email marketing best practices to consider.
Avoid Email Spam Filters
Spam filters have the ability to rate an email using a variety of specifications. If an email has a rating above a specified number, it is deemed “spam” and then deleted. To ensure business emails do not get tagged as spam messages and deleted prior to the person receiving it, avoid using certain buzzwords, including “Free,” “Discount,” and “Save” in the email’s subject line as well as within the written content of the email.
How To Increase Click Through Rates
A number of experts on bulk email marketing services have determined that a majority of email readers respond much more to a bold faced, plainly written text link, rather than a button or a banner. If a business wants their email marketing blast to work, all links in the emails should just be underlined and bold. More subscribers will be apt to click through.
Mass Email Marketing Should Always Be Personalized
If a person is trying to get the attention of someone else in a packed room, they are not going to shout a generic, “Hey you,” but rather use that person’s name as it is the best way to get their attention. The same is true for bulk email marketing. Rather than start every email with, “Dear Subscriber,” start by actually saying “Dear…” and then the name of the person. This will not only increase the readership of your email campaign, but also increase click through rates.
Offer One Click Capabilities To Unsubscribe To The Email List
No business wants to think about providing a way to unsubscribe to emails for their customers, but many countries, including the United States and Canada have made laws regarding mass email marketing and the requirement that all emails need to have a link to unsubscribe. The link will take them to a page where they can be removed from the mailing list.
Confirm All Sign Ups To The Email List
The last thing any business wants is to be charged with spamming customers. This is why it is always best to utilize a double opt in confirmation procedure for all bulk email marketing campaigns. Double-opt in means after people first visit the business website and fill out the subscription form to become a subscriber, the business then sends an email confirming that the person wants to be a member of the mailing list. In this email, the subscriber needs to click a link to verify that they actually did sign up for the mailing list. It ensures that the subscriber does want the emails, and that their email address was not added by someone else without their permission.
Use Auto Responders In Your Bulk Email Marketing Campaign
Auto responders are emails scheduled to go out to new subscribers of the mailing list at a certain predetermined time. Many businesses utilize autoresponders because it is an automatic follow up and it provides additional information regarding the products and/or services of the business. They assist subscribers in building trust in the brand and the company and make it much simpler to close future sales.
Keep It Consistent
Bulk email marketing needs to remain consistent – all emails need to maintain the feel and the look the business is trying to convey. When businesses keep their targeted email marketing campaigns consistent, it strengthens the company’s brand and image and makes it that much easier to make sales.
Email Subject Lines Should Be Read In Under A Second
People do not have time to read long, convoluted subject lines. Businesses involved in a bulk email marketing campaign need to catch the attention of the subscriber quickly in the subject line if they want them to click open the email. Always specify a certain benefit the subscriber will get if they read the email. For instance, a health and wellness website should not write “[Name of Website] Issue #3,” But rather, “Ten Tips To Cut Midnight Cravings.” The recipient already knows who sent it by the email address listed on the side of the subject line and they now know if they read the email newsletter, they will learn about ways to cut late night cravings.
Keep Your Email Messages Short And Easy To Read
While businesses are tempted to include “everything but the kitchen sink” in their email, remember that brief is best. Most individuals do not have time to read over long emails and a majority of people begin to lose interest as the email continues on. If the email is long, there is a good chance that they will think all emails will read like this and unsubscribe. Use short lines of text and short paragraphs to allow for easier reading by your subscribers. Backlinks are a great way to provide more information without having to write it in the actual email. It not only makes an email brief, but it increases click through rates.