With the Internet being one of the most powerful and prevalent information tools available, you have probably been the recipient of targeted email marketing at some time or another. Or maybe you are a business owner looking to expand by utilizing a business email marketing strategy. Either way, the potential for business promotion and brand promotion can increase with the proper use of strategic Internet marketing solutions. It is the most cost-effective means of advertising products and services and a great way to improve customer outreach.

In the most basic definition, Email marketing is marketing through emails sent to a targeted demographic. This is not the same as spam emails, which are sent to a list of people whose email addresses have been purchased (and sometimes stolen) from another source. It is a direct and inexpensive way to increase your business, track sales and maintain contact with your client base and helps filter out those who are interested and those who are not. Such tracking will ultimately help ensure business analysis accuracy. It is also not something to be intimidated by. Chances are, you are probably already using email for personal correspondence on a regular basis. If so, then you are already quite capable of using an Internet marketing solution.

To start, you will need to start collecting your customers’ email addresses with their permission. This is called permission-based email marketing, and it is an absolute must for businesses using this email marketing campaign. Once your customers have accepted your request to send them information, then you can begin to send them emails. This is not an invasive form of advertising your business, as it is simply a way of building a good rapport with customers by offering them special deals in exchange for sending them information.

So what is the incentive for your customers if they agree to receive information from you? The specifics are up to you as a business owner to determine, but either way, it is a win-win situation for both you and your customers. They will receive information about promotions, special reports, discounts and so forth, while you can contact your potential customers directly instead of waiting for them to come to you. It benefits the customers because you are simply keeping them informed of the latest money-saving opportunities based on their specific needs, and it benefits you by offering them an incentive to utilize your products or services. Additionally, you will have a simple tool for tracking your sales. The key component to increasing sales through email marketing services is by converting visitors to your web site to customers. The percentage of people who visit your site compared to those who buy your products or services is known as a conversion rate. Consistent contact with your customers through the email marketing campaign may aid in increased sales over time.

However, there are a few aspects of email marketing that you should avoid. First of all, never share any of the customers’ information with outside sources. You must respect their privacy and not abuse the trust they put into you and your business when they first agreed to receive information from you. Also, keep the emails short and succinct, especially if you plan to email your customers on a regular basis. Abusing their time can result in loss of patience from your customers and potentially causing numerous customers to unsubscribe to your email campaign. Keep the messages clear and concise for better retention of information.

From a marketing perspective, many business owners will attest that it doesn’t get much easier or effective than permission-based email marketing. It is a low-cost way of promoting your business and services through a high-traffic media outlet: the Internet. What have you got to lose?

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Author: Sandeep S
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Guest blogger

Ever let the garden hose drip water on a freshly planted tree or shrub to help it stabilize and grow? That’s the concept behind drip email marketing – sending periodic emails to prospects and clients that will hopefully entice them to your website and purchase products and/or services. It is an effective and useful tool for generating new prospects as well as keeping in contact with your established clients.

Drip Email Marketing came about based upon the assumption that no one purchases online products or services immediately. It can take between 3 to 30 or more visits before a visitor becomes a customer. With that in mind, how are you supposed to maintain their attention and awareness of your services and what your business has to offer? This is where setting up a drip email marketing campaign will come in handy not only with prospecting for new clients but with you current clients as well.

Let’s start with the prospective customer; they have just viewed your site or left your office and given you their email address. Depending upon their area of interest, you set up a drip email marketing campaign catered to their specific needs. Each email offers more information and insight into their inquiries while subtly reminding them of you and your services. This is keeping your name in front of them without hassling them. That is the key to effective drip email marketing – sending useful and relevant information to the prospect in each email. Remember, you are not selling anything; you are giving advice and information centered on their particular needs and wants.

For your current clients, your approach is similar in that you are addressing their wants and needs with each email. But because they are already your client, you must tailor the email differently than one for a prospective client. The email should address information and ideas concerning the client “after the sale”; again while passively reminding them you are ready to assist them whenever they require it. And just like with the prospective clients, your email drips must be relevant information that will help the reader not a bunch of useless content that reeks of over-selling. Then when your client is ready to purchase again, you have established yourself as a constant in their life and they will seek you out for your products and services.

Now, it probably sounds like you will need more than one type of Autoresponder or email marketing software to handle the prospective and current clients as well as the variables within each set. However, there are many programs available that can handle all of your email drip marketing needs with an infinite number of customers and leads. It will be necessary to have this kind of flexibility with the Autoresponder program or service due to the fact that each client or prospect should be handled according to the stage of development in your pipeline.

The most important tactic you should always abide by is that your emails should have a purpose or message – a real reason for contacting them, not just “a note saying Hi!” or “Just checking in”. If your email drip marketing campaign cannot hold the client’s interest then it is off to the trash bin the second they read the sender’s email address. You are trying to build and/or increase their trust in you and you cannot do that if they never open your emails. The email subject line must grab their attention and make them want to read your message. Once this rapport of purposeful emails has been established, your clients and prospects will actually eagerly wait for your next email. This is the whole strategy behind an drip email marketing campaign – to develop a trust with your customer that is based upon valuable information and knowledge. When you establish a bond of trust, your customers will seek you out and even recommend you and your services to others. Is a drip email marketing plan useful for prospecting and cultivating clients? You bet it is!

Sarah Reiter is president of Creative Agent Solutions, a virtual marketing company that specializes in real estate services. Creative Agent Solutions is a member of the International Virtual Assistants Association (IVAA), the Southeast Valley Regional Association of Realtors (SEVRAR) and Scottsdale Association of Realtors in Arizona (SAAR), as well as a Certified Virtual Assistant (CVA) with the Settlement Room ™.

Author: Sarah Reiter
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Things go in cycles – we’ve all heard this. Email marketing isn’t new, far from it. It’s been through at least one cycle from being leading edge, to being a trend, to being abused. Many thought that spam filters would reduce the applicability of email marketing. Well, read on, because we’re in the next generation of email marketing – post learning – and the opt-ins are on the increase!

Why are opt-ins increasing? Well, here’s what I’ve learned from some of the greats…

Clean Templates

When it became normal for email clients to read HTML, email marketing seemed to go a bit mad. Some of the newsletters I received were so over engineered it was difficult to see the actual text though the multi-columned, flashing, pointy lookie here, more headline graphics please, layout. They were comparable to those first web sites that had discovered color – and put it everywhere.

The best use of HTML is to promote clarity and readability. The ability to put ugly web links behind text that explains them; to have bullet points or layout that emphasis the points. Such things that help the time poor reader get through the message quickly – and take action.

My own approach in using email marketing is to keep messages short and to the point. Use HTML for clear layout. And in early emails, leave out images and other content that might cause an email client application like Microsoft Outlook, to block the content.

Automated & Personalized

One internet duality is that it gives you the ability to address millions of people, yet personal relationships are the most effective sales tool there is. If you have a trusting relationship with a client or customer, they are more likely to buy your products. If you represent a company with huge brand awareness like Nike or Microsoft then the rules get a little skewed, but for most businesses, relationships are key.

Today’s modern sequential email autoresponder systems, that support the generation of personalized emails, are perfect for automated relationship building. When I receive an email that isn’t personally addressed, it feels old fashioned.

Even though I know perfectly well that personalized email can be automated, I still feel better about receiving it.

Permission Based

Certainly in the world of email marketing, buying lists, has become much less popular. Perhaps it’s because of the ease of reporting spam email. But building your own list based on permission marketing is much more ‘the norm’ in next generation email marketing.

In a permission marketing approach, prospects willingly provide their name and email address through an email opt-in box. It seems obvious that individuals who self select, giving their permission for you to email them, are more likely to be interested in your products and services than those who just ‘appear’ on your list.

Compelling

Some of the emails I receive are great at compelling me to take action, and I still marvel at their creators. They tend to follow all these next generation email marketing guidelines, including the oldest one – having compelling copy.

We all receive plenty of email, probably too much. So, when your client reads yours, it better be good at delivering its message in way that makes them want to read it.

I like these simple rules:

• The goal of title, is to compel you to open the email
• The goal of the first sentence is to compel you to read the second (and so on, for a short number of sentences)
• The goal of the last sentence is to get you to take action

Global

Not all businesses are global. But many internet based businesses are. If you refer to a TV show or use colloquialism or anything else that assumes the ‘local’ knowledge of your country, you stand the chance of confusing or even losing a portion of your readers.

This doesn’t mean that you can’t use local examples – just do it in a way that includes those that aren’t familiar with them. Here’s a simple example of using a TV personality that introduces the name and the context of the personality for those that aren’t familiar with it:

• “There’s a well known talk show host here in the UK called Michael Parkinson, last night…”

These five simple guidelines are working in the next generation of email marketing and opt-ins are on the increase. The money, it seems, is still ‘in the list.’

You can take a 30 day test drive of our modern permission email marketing system for just US$3.95 or approximately £2.40 or 3.40€. You can also sign-up for our email permission marketing short course, for free!

Author: Mark Quirk
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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As a local business owner you realize the opportunities available on the Web, but you probably do not have the time or money to invest into a full blown web presence. The obstacles and costs in building a web site keep many local businesses on the sideline.

But as a local business there is an opportunity to exploit the marketing power of the Internet at little or no cost, and it does not require a web presence.

Through email marketing you can have a direct conduit to both your customers and prospects.

You may think email marketing is complicated, but that is a misconception. If you are already using email to correspond, then you are quite capable of advertising through virtual mail. In fact, if you are communicating to your customers through email, in a sense you are already marketing online. You are probably aware that a small amount of customer communication can be very profitable, and email can generate considerable income.

All you need to do is start collecting customer emails, and send them occasional promotions or sale updates. The email advertisements do not need to be coded in html, plain text messages are quite acceptable.

So how do you start down the road to Internet marketing success? You begin by simply collecting customer email addresses, with their permission. Permission email marketing is a requirement. It is referred to as opt-in marketing. At all stages of email marketing you MUST respect your customers and their privacy. Only when they have accepted your request to send information, should you forward email promotions.

How do You Collect Customer Emails?

You simply ask! As a local business owner you are constantly in touch with customers and prospects, either in person or on the phone. As a retail business you could have a clipboard by your register or pre-printed index cards that your customers can fill-out. As a service business you just ask for their email address when you make contact.

What’s in it for Your Customers?

The opportunity to save money or be notified of special offers. People are always looking for a bargain, and through email you can keep them informed on the latest deals, in addition you can alert them to new services or products. This is very appealing. And customers will perceive this as a value added service, that makes doing business with you more appealing.

How Difficult is Email Marketing?

It is quite simple. If you email friends or family, you are quite capable of marketing through email. Initially your list will be small so you can manage it through the use of your current email client like MicroSoft Outlook. You place your customer emails in a “group,” compose a message, and hit the send button. Not exactly rocket science. (Note: Make sure you use the “blind box” feature.)

But from the start, you may want to consider using a professional email management service like ConstantContact.com. They have a service that is free for lists that are under 50. Their next level handles up to 500, and cost only $15 per month. A service like Constant Contact simplifies the management of your list. These types of services offer features like tracking, reporting, templates and customer support. In addition, they automate the process of people opting out of your list. An important factor with permission email marketing.

What Results Can You Expect?

Think about the potential profit from simply keeping your customers informed. This is not invasive advertising, but permission marketing, where your customers have willingly given their consent to receive your advertisements. It is like they are saying, “Please allow me to spend more money with your business.”

If you already have a web site then you will also want to add an opt-in box. Give your site visitors an opportunity to join your promotional list. Many will.

From a marketing perspective it doesn’t get anymore targeted then this. And your advertising costs are insignificant. A perfect example is a local wine store owner who works her list twice a week with special promotions. She makes a killing, and often sells out her promotional inventory through email alone.

As a local business owner there are opportunities and there are golden opportunities. This one is solid 24 karat. It’s simple, direct and very profitable. And yet few local businesses are taking advantage of email marketing. Why not lead the pack.

Fred Waters is co-founder of the Local Online Marketing Association. Learn how Internet marketing can profit your local business

Author: Fred Waters
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Made to order

Email marketing is still one of the most effective forms of low-cost Internet marketing. It is one of the most widely-used internet marketing techniques and has an excellent reputation for capturing targeted prospects to your web site.

Using email as an internet marketing technique is virtually free! The only cost that can arise is the cost of an auto responder, some of them are free but I would not recommend them. Other than purchasing an auto responder your email marketing expenses are nil. That is why this internet marketing technique is one of the most viable on the internet.

The key is building a permission based list of email addresses that you can market to. When I refer to market I don’t mean sending them emails everyday asking them to send money. What I do mean is having an email marketing plan that builds a trusting relationship with your list so you can provide high quality and informative information to them.

With the increasing success of niche marketing on the internet email marketing still is an effective internet marketing technique. Niche marketing allows small, home based, entrepreneurs the opportunity to compete against the big boys! Find your niche, build your list, and be on the way to success. I am about to show you a way to drive your email marketing campaign into overdrive and create a never ending supply of cash with one press of a button.

1. Do Not Spam!!!.

Email marketing is not about spamming. It is about providing information to people that have requested you to send it to them. The information you send to them must be valuable to their interests.

2. It Starts with a Powerful Subject Line.

If you can’t get them to open it then your success rate will be zilch. The trust factor comes back into play here. When your name or company name appears in the subject line and you are recognized as sending them quality information your emails are more likely to get opened. Other effective tips to use include: using extra white space creatively, adding text symbols, starting each word with a capital letter, and ask questions. DO NOT make any outlandish or unbelievable claims, that just tends to turn people off and they think you are a scam artist.

3. Use the Power of Information and Your Subscriber’s Own Interests to Make the Sale.

You do not want to come off sounding like you are trying to sell them something. People want information so they can make informed decisions. By giving them information on topics they are interested in they are more likely to purchase from you at some point in time. Be genuine and have their interests at heart, believe me that this type of marketing will pay greater dividends in the long run.

4. Content is the Difference!

The content of the body of your email is critical to your success. Don’t make it too long and keep the fluff out by being concise. Tell them the information, describe the benefits of the product or service and let them decide. When you set up your email marketing campaign, remember that not every email you send has to have a potential sale in it. In fact it is best if it doesn’t because people get tired of being hassled and asked to spend money. Send them emails that include interesting articles about their interests, or simply a link referring them to a web site that they may like. The best way to reach out to your subscribers is to send them useful information. By doing this you will build trust and they will view you as a partner in their success.

Compiling a list of subscribers and sending them quality information is a very effective internet marketing technique. Remember to keep the information simple, the message honest, and build their trust with great content. Follow this easy outline and your email marketing campaign will produce a bountiful harvest.

Email marketing is a proven Internet Marketing Technique [http://www.onlinemarketingreviews.com] and is a great way to enhance your internet marketing efforts. Mark Williams has other terrific tips and Internet Marketing Strategies [http://www.onlinemarketingreviews.com/articles.html] to help your marketing efforts.

Author: Mark Williams
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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