Nowadays, almost everyone has email, from your 12 year old to your 80 year old grandmother. And anyone who uses email knows all too well that the system is abused by people sending out unsolicited emails; also known as spam. These can be jokes, unethical internet marketers trying to sell you something or an internet hoax. If you are trying to start or run a business using email marketing, you’ll want to make sure that you follow these email best practices to ensure no one tries to accuse you of stepping over the line.

Often times with email marketing, you may find the need to send an attachment to your recipient. Depending on the service you are using to send your emails, you will need to verify that a virus scan can be achieved. People will learn to trust you and open your email if they can be assured you will not be giving them a virus. This is an important email best practice for you to make use of.

Keeping an organized and uncluttered inbox is an often overlooked and unattended email best practice. If you have a business account, you’ll want to make sure that customer emails voicing a concern or that require a response are spotted in your inbox, don’t fall prey to your spam folders, and don’t get buried and lost among the less important.

Safeguard your important emails by making use of a folder and file system just as you would with important paper documents. With most email services, there are features you can set to automatically filter your emails as they arrive in your inbox. This will allow you to save both time and effort, and will help in managing your inbox.

Now that your email is organized and you’re no longer missing any important customer emails, how do you get your recipients to open the emails you’re sending?

Compelling subject lines!

And while arousing curiosity might get them to open the email, you better make sure that the content is relevant to the subject line.  Don’t comprise your ethics and risk your reputation by trying to “fool” your readers into opening your emails. The last thing you want to do is break any trust you’ve already worked so hard to establish.

Last but not least, and perhaps one of the most important best email practices I’d like to mention is, ensuring that all the information you collect from your subscribers remains private and that it doesn’t end up in someone else’s hands.

Be careful when sending out emails manually from your inbox to multiple people that the BCC and CC lines are used with the proper addresses and the information is sent to only those who need to see it.  The personal information your subscribers trusted you with is privileged information and should be treated with all due respect. I personally don’t send out email responses to multiple subscribers from my inbox. Emails sent to multiple addresses are always generated from my autoresponder email delivery service.  However, an individual response to a single recipient may come from my inbox.

Peace & Prosperity,

photo credit: Black Cat

Choosing a quality auto responder service to handle your list

In order to start your opt in email advertising promotions, you will need a quality auto responder service. I personally use Aweber. What this service does is allow you to place html code on your website or squeeze page, which is displayed as an opt-in box so interested visitors can sign up to your list. You offer a free report, free software trial, or anything that someone in your niche may find useful in exchange for their name and email information. They then receive a confirmation email they click on to agree to you sending them more emails. Autoresponder services have tools for you to create follow up messages and then schedule them to be sent out at the times you desire. Emails can be scheduled to go out weekly, multiple times per week or as a broadcast announcement to be delivered at a specific time on a specific day.  An autorepsonder service such as Aweber, is pretty much set-and-forget marketing and a great way to build relationships.

Proper Usage for your opt in emails

We all know what it is like to walk into a store and be bombarded by a pushy salesperson. Even if we had gone into the store with the intent to buy something, a pesky salesperson can turn us off. The same idea applies to email marketing. Since these subscribers can opt out of your list at any time, be mindful of the emails you send out to them.  Start by building a relationship with your list. Offer valuable information, resources and tools. Provide solutions to their problems and satisfy their needs.  Let them get to know, like and trust you. When you decide to start promoting products or services, choose to promote your own products or ones that you can personally vouch for from personal.  Passing on a good recommendation that you’re willing to stake your reputation on, will in the end, build your business a loyal customers base.  Who knows, they may even start to look for emails in their inbox to hear what you have to say and share.

Building Trust through your own messages

Remember that pesky salesperson who tried to sell you the dress or suit? Who may have said things like, “that color really brings out your eyes,” or “that fits you like a glove.” Well, sales people are trained to play on your emotions and entice you into a sale. Sometimes these can be truthful and helpful comments, and other times they can be flat out lies just to make a commission.  The same is true for email marketing and an opt-in list.  Only promote what you believe in and know works. Use your own words to describe why you think it would be worth the investment for the prospective buyer. Using pre-written emails from other marketers may be ok for those just starting out, but when you have already started to build a more intimate relationship with your subscribers, you want to continue to add your voice, add your opinions, and add whatever it takes to make your recipient feel special.

So . . . are your emails providing value or pushing for a sale?

Peace & Prosperity,

photo credit: syris-studios

The use of email has been embraced by both individuals and businesses.  The fact that just about everyone who has a computer and internet connection has an email address opens the doors to greater marketing opportunities for small businesses.

Listed below are 7 Reasons Why Every Small Business and Entrepreneur Should Be Using Email Marketing:

1. No more stamps, envelopes, and the endless waiting time for delivery. With a computer and internet connection you can now have your message delivered with the click of a mouse.
2. Information is more accessible and useful – from presale communication and acquiring customers to postsale services and follow ups.
3. Small businesses and entrepreneurs can keep track of customer information, their preferences, their last purchase and their present and future interests.
4. Email marketing is designed for regular communication which is key to acquiring and maintaining customers.
5. Can be customized to specific target groups and programmed for delivery at specified times.
6. The systems can be set up in advance to run automatically thus providing small business owners and entrepreneurs more free time to spend on other areas of their business.
7. Email marketing is cost effective. It can reach a wider audience in a shorter time with little cost.

For small businesses and entrepreneurs who utilize email marketing, the speed and efficiency of the communication system is undeniably invaluable.

No better time like the present to start implementing an email marketing campaign.

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If you’d like an immediate start with marketing your business online using email marketing, send me an email.

Websites that display a box that ask for your name and email address are attempting to build an opt-in list. When you provide your contact information, you are giving the list owner permission to send you a newsletter, emails, updates or whatever the offer. These lists are a used for what is commonly referred to as email marketing.

Email marketing is a popular way to build a list and then market to the masses. Technically you can only send emails to those who give you permission and to send unsolicited bulk email is considered spam. While there are laws against spam many inboxes are still hosts to junk email and the like.

With most people on the internet having at least one email account, a person online who doesn’t have an email account is like a person without a cell phone – a rather small percentage. In fact, a good percentage of people who do have email accounts check their email more than once a day.

This being true, what better way to stay in touch with your customers and prospective customers than through email marketing? Once someone fills in the form with their contact information, they are basically saying, “Yes I’m interested in what you have to offer and I give you permission to send me marketing materials via email.”

By utilizing opt-in lists, you are opening your business to a world of potential customers. Remember, these people have been to your site and are showing an interest in what you have to offer by filling in their name and email and requesting you send them more information.