The Six-step Process to Fail-Proof Permission-Based Email Marketing

The Six-Step Process to Fail-Proof Permission-Based Email Marketing

With Mick Popp from uGlobal Domains & iContact Email Marketing 

Compiling an entire email marketing campaign can seem such a daunting task. The process of knowing even where to begin can be overwhelming. From my experience, the best place to begin is by learning this simple 6-step process to fail-proof permission-based email marketing. Once you have learned it, you'll have all the knowledge you need at hand to simplify the email marketing process and execute successful email campaigns.

1. Use good, permission-based email software (an Auto-Responder), which allows you to easily create newsletters, automatically manage subscribes, unsubscribes, and bounces, and view reporting statistics like opens and click-throughs. Be aware that all auto responders are not created equal, and that some of the biger name responders do not deliver as they promise or as they should.

    

2. Decide on the type and frequency of the email communications you will be sending. We recommend sending at least one newsletter per month. If you produce less than one newsletter every month, people will forget who you are and may even report you for spamming them. They may also forget why they subscribed to your email list. You can send multiple newsletters if you sell different types of products. You can also send promotional messages offering a discount or a coupon for a product or service.

    

3. Add a sign-up form to your website so you can start collecting subscribers. In my opinion, based on what I have learned from marketing experts, it is better to use a squeeze page for collecting contact information, rather than having a form on your main web site. According to Matt Bacak, business success trainer, the reason for this is that the attention span on the internet is about as long as it takes you to snap your fingers. If you have too many things on your web site for people to get distracted with, people will forget why they went to your web site in the first place, and you may lose them.

    

4. Import any existing lists of subscribers that have already requested your communications. It is generally also safe to import the names of anyone who has done business with you in the past year, provided you will be sending content relevant to what they purchased.

    

5. Choose a good email template by a). using any of the templates, which are usually provided within the email service provider's software, just login to your AR and you should be able to find them in there b). by having your in-house team create one, or c). by using a custom design service to have one created for your specific needs. iContact provides over 300 design templates within their software, all of which can be used free of charge, and they can also develop custom templates for a nominal charge.

    

6. Develop relevant and high-quality content for your newsletter or message, and send it out to your list. Continue sending your newsletters, announcements, or promotions with consistent frequency. As your list grows, you will notice increased traffic (and if applicable, increased sales) on the day of, and on the days following an email send.

The ESP I recommend above all others is iContact, because their delivery to the in-box rate is higher than most, if not all other AR services. Their prices are also competitive, starting with a 2-week free trial & then just $9.95/month for a start-up list of up to 250 subscribers, and you can upgrade as your list, and your needs grow. PLUS they include Web 2.0 facilities, a blog etc. for you to load your campaigns online. I was previously offering our in-house Auto responder, the ICB Responderto our members, but after listening to an IMC tele-seminar on email marketing, I scrapped that idea. We just don't have the time or resources to do what they can do so effectively. It's better to offer our customers something that may cost a little more, but works so much better. Choosing the cheaper solution can be more costly to your results. So, we went with iContact for so many reasons I just can't mention them all here. Suffice it to say that I believe they are the best. So if you are ready to start benefiting from email marketing without having to worry about where to begin or how to progress, then click an active link to sign up for a free trial of iContact's email marketing software today.

Thank you for reading this training material. The uGlobal/iContact follow-up chapters will take you through the entire process of successful email marketing, step-by-step. Please watch your in-box every day.

For GREAT email campaigns follow-up and support, choose iContact. Start your 14-day free trial today.

http://www.icontact.com/a.pl/284117

Log here to get your free 31 page report on effective emailing with iContact, or whatever ESP you choose, should you decide not to go with iContact. The ideas are the same for all ESPs, however, as already stated, ALL ESPs (Auto-Responders) are not created equal.

http://www.uglobaltrade.com/ARTraining/