Email Newsletter Marketing 101

Most companies have exciting news to share with their customers. Great deals, special pricing, and informative articles can turn them from casual customer to product evangelists. Finding the right method to deliver your message can make all of the difference. Email newsletters, if done right, can deliver the right message, to the right people, at the right time. If done wrong, they can ruin your business.

So hopefully your traditional and online search marketing efforts have met some level of success and you now find potential customers hitting your website to learn more about your products and services. What’s the next step? Web traffic can be a very fickle friend. You typically have a few fleeting moments to capture potential customer’s interest and motivate them action. First and foremost that action should be to buy. But what about customers that need more information or a higher comfortable level before doing business with you? You can’t count on them returning to your website, so motivating them to opt in to your email marketing campaigns ensures you have several more chances to convert them into customers.

Just about every large online retailer offers email newsletters of one sort or another. The online shoes and clothing retailer Zappos.com, known for their impeccable customer service, offers a weekly newsletter listing special deals and the latest new products. But newsletters don’t need to be strictly sales related to be a useful marketing tool. You may want to consider a newsletter with helpful “How to” articles that are informative and help position your company as an expert in your industry. Building credibility can lead to great word of mouth advertising and sales. They key is consistency. Carefully describe what type of newsletter you are offering on the web signup page, and then stick to it.

Do’s and Don’ts

When it comes to email newsletters, there are a couple of rules to follow. And when I say rules, I’m referring to the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003. The Federal Trade Commission (www.ftc.gov) has a great compliance guide, which can result in penalties of up to $16,000 if not followed. In essence, these guidelines can be characterized by the ideas of not being deceptive or misleading, being forth coming on who you are and your location, and allowing people to easily and quickly opt out of future email. All things a normal company, looking to grow, would do by default. But it’s surprising how often companies stumble by not paying attention.

The best way to handle the details involved with successful email newsletter campaigns is to use the right technology. There are several online services that can turn your ideas and content in to professional marketing pieces that conform to the law and deliver the results you want. Look for a solution that offers email templates, signup forms, list management tools, and most importantly reporting analytics for tracking who reads and clicks through to your website. Vendors such as VerticalResponse.com, ConstantContact.com, and iContact.com have spent years perfecting the art of email marketing. Pricing is typically based on the number of subscribers you have, which makes it easy to get started and test things out. Most have plans that start around $10-15/month.

One tried and true method for reaching your customers on a regular basis is through email newsletters. If your business doesn’t have something to share, you’ve got other problems. But if you’ve been doing direct mail, consider making a small shift into the world of email newsletters and start building your business.