E-mail Marketing Tips & Strategies

E-mail marketing is one of the 7 basic types of Internet marketing. It is more than simply publishing e-mail newsletters (also called e-zines) and sending them to subscribers. E-mail marketing is one of the least expensive direct marketing and relationship marketing tactics that website and online company owners can use easily and efficiently.

Here are some ways you can use e-mail marketing:

1. You can create and publish e-mail newsletters.

2. You can contact customers and visitors through e-mail with offers and discount coupons.

3. You can create e-mail surveys to conduct market research as well as to find out your customers' satisfaction level.

4. You can create another income stream through e-mail advertisements or e-mail list rentals.

5. You can advertise your website or online company by purchasing e-zine advertising.

Be aware, though, that e-mail has been subjected to abuse by unscrupulous individuals and companies, which is why spam laws are now in place. If you want to use e-mail marketing to promote your website or online company, make sure that you practice ethical e-mail marketing -- from building your mailing list to sending out e-mails to your list.

Below are 7 things you need to keep in mind when you are using e-mail marketing. Follow them and you can be sure that you are adhering to the anti-spam laws. In addition, you are able to build your e-mail list responsibly and with the best potential of generating sales from customers who are truly interested in receiving your offers.

1. Build your e-mail list using the double opt-in method. In this method, people fill out a form on your website with their name and e-mail address. The only become "officially" subscribed to your mailing list after they click on a subscription confirmation link contained in the e-mail you send out to the e-mail address they specified on the form.

2. Make sure that people in your list have a way to get off your list (unsubscribe) each time you e-mail them. It is best that you put an unsubscribe link at the end of each e-mail you send out. Your subscribers must be able to quickly and automatically remove themselves from your e-mail list when they want or need to.

3. Try to build your e-mail list separately or independently. For instance, build a mailing list that's composed entirely of your customers, another mailing list composed entirely of people who sign up from your website, and another mailing list composed entirely of people who respond to specific advertising offers. This way you can tailor your e-mail messages to specific groups of people.

4. If you're thinking of renting or buying an e-mail marketing list, make sure that you rent or buy from reputable sources. Make sure too that the list you rent or buy are targeted to your website or offer.

5. If your subscriber base isn't growing as fast as you want, consider offering an incentive, such as a free e-book, report, software or a product that is related to your website or online company.

6. Make sure that your e-mails are read by as many of your subscribers as possible by offering both HTML and plain text versions.

7. If you decide to publish an e-mail newsletter, publish it regularly (e.g., once a week or every two weeks). If you have to send e-mail campaigns in between issues, make sure that you space them out because sending too many e-mail campaigns or offers too frequently is going to turn off a lot of your subscribers and train them to ignore your e-mails.

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