If you are going to take the time to use an email list as a marketing method for your online business, then you should take certain steps to ensure that you accomplish your goals. There are several steps involved to using email list marketing effectively, and many of them go back to the basics of developing and maintaining a strong list and a solid email address database. Always be sure to get rid of dead email addresses, when you send out email to too many of these, you will be on the short road to the spam category.
What to Include
Always concentrate on your call to action on the messages you send to your email address database, in both the subject line of the email and the body of the message. Compelling readers to make a move by having a stand out message can mean the difference between failure and success. A subject line of “Your Friend Sent You This Link” or “Hi” is very outdated and cliché, and will most likely wind up in email trash.
Make your call to action include specifics, not just “Click Here!” Visitors want to know exactly what they are in for when they are clicking through. Be specific, so that those who click know whether they are being redirected to another page or to a place to order a particular product or to subscribe to a membership or email list. Don’t simply link back to your own home page and have visitors have to sift around to find what they are looking for.
Within your mass email, don’t include images. Many users in your email address database will have a default setting on their email to block images, and this makes the body of the email you are sending not appear properly. If you must, then use images only as a part of your call to action. Instead of images, use catchy text and make your email visually appealing.
Because the most popular email programs are now including the first words or first sentence of each email in the inbox window next to the subject line, it is highly advisable to make that first sentence powerful. Check how it looks in a few different email programs and see if you would be compelled to open the message.
Above all, maintain the trust of those that you are emailing to. When you are working with an email database list, always use one that has been obtained legally and that addresses were willingly divulged. Always include an “unsubscribe” option, and never pass on an email address database without explicit permission.
Email list marketing remains a viable way to scour the Internet for new customers, if you use it properly!