Small Business Marketing

For serious internet marketers, it is all about building a list. With so many people aimlessly attempting to drive traffic straight to sales pages, smart marketers are beginning to understand the benefits of building relationships with their customers, interacting and providing value before pushing a sale, and using soft selling techniques in combination with traditional marketing to build an online empire.

Marketing expert Seth Godin calls this kind of marketing “permission marketing” because it builds on the customer’s permission to be marketed to. In contrast to traditional marketing, email marketing is so successful because it is targeted to people that have willingly provided their email addresses. That bond is what makes the message so powerful.

These five tips will help you get the most from your email marketing campaigns, and convert your email list from passive readers into active buyers.

Tip #1: Offer incentives to join your list

Nobody is going to join your email list unless it is worth something to them. That could mean a free marketing report, or it could mean constant advice and contact from your product team and marketing experts. Whatever it is, your list needs to provide something that people can’t find anywhere else. Offer something unique and valuable and you will attract attention in massive amounts.

Tip #2: Do not deceive to get email addresses

One of the most common mistakes that marketers commit is using deceptive tactics to get people to sign up to their email list. Sure, email addresses are always good, but using these tactics can give you numbers that do not tell the whole story. In order to use your email list effectively, you need an audience that’s actually looking to buy from you. Using deceptive tactics can reduce your long-term conversion rates, and cause some major problems when you try to monetize your marketing list.

Tip #3: Use special offers to entice your list

Remember, your list signed up because you can offer something that nobody else can. If you want to change them from readers into buyers, you need to uphold your half of the deal. Include a discount for members, or even a special free bonus, and watch as more and more of your list members buy products that you recommend.

Tip #4: Use an even balance of marketing materials and valuable information

It is all about striking a balance. Too many marketing offers and people will reject you as spam, and too few offers will cause you to miss out on potential online income. In order to both maintain (and grow) your marketing list, all the while keeping your profit levels high, you need to offer a range of valuable content and introduce special offers and affiliate products.

Tip #5: Do not just keep in contact

Email, as a medium, has slowly lost a lot of value over the last ten years. What was once the height of technical prowess and communications has been run down by spam and excessive marketing. Keep in touch with your list, but do not ever mail them just to let them know you exist. Again, it is all about striking a balance between staying in touch and introducing valuable information. In order to keep your list happy and ready to buy, you need to learn towards the value side.

Tip #6: Use web based email marketing software

Web based email marketing software helps you keep your marketing lists in order and create attractive and effective email campaigns. Although there is a small monthly fee to use these web based platforms, the cost is usually made up easily through efficiency. Plus, these platforms offer amazingly useful reporting tools that allow you to see the effectiveness of your email campaigns. Two of the biggest web based email marketing platforms are Constant Contact and Vertical Response.