Isn't email marketing just a nice word for SPAM?

Say the words email marketing or direct email to most people and it is immediately associated with SPAM. However, an email marketing campaign is really any kind of well thought out personalized email communication to customers or prospects. These include replies to customer requests, personalized mailings and newsletter, auto-responders and web presences on forums, public mailing lists and your own website.

What are multipart email messages?

Multipart email messages are commonly used in email marketing to ensure email recipients are delivered elegant content in their preferred format. These messages contain both an HTML version of the message as well as a plain text version. Depending on the user's email client setting or selected preference, the email will be interpreted properly and there is no longer a need to maintain two mailing lists to keep from annoying recipients.

Oh no! I sent out my email newsletter and now my ISP thinks I'm a spammer!

Actually, the problem isn't really that you're a spammer, you've just left a couple of important parties uninformed and unprepared. If you're going to launch an email marketing campaign such as a customer newsletter, the most important thing is to let your users know it's you sending the email. Incorporate familiar brand elements and include the name of your company in your Subject line to avoid being mistaken as unwanted email and reported as spam. Additionally, you should always inform your ISP early about your email marketing activities. If they know of your activities, they are likely to defend you rather than disconnect you.

Effective Email Marketing – Create a Call to Action

If you're spending the time and money to create an email marketing campaign be sure to give your users a clear call to action. Make them informative, make them attractive, but most of all make it clear to the user that you have something they need. If you're inviting your east coast clients to a Boston seminar, your call to action might read something like "Register today for this informative seminar right in your own backyard."

What email marketing tool should I use?

Email marketing can be very successful if it is done right. Robust software and services, like Lyris Technology tools, allow you launch a successful direct email campaign with a minimum of effort. Full service email marketing firms and applications all offer robust segmenting options for targeted, personalized messages, as well as thorough reports for analysis, tracking and optimization. Selecting the right one depends on your needs and your budget.

It's not just a newsletter! It's direct email marketing!

Your direct email marketing campaign is a more than just a few articles in your newsletter. Sure you want to notify your customers of your upcoming events or your latest news, but be sure to inform them on products they're interested in and give them an incentive to visit your webstore or contact their sales rep.

Opt-in, Opt-out and what you need to know about CAN-SPAM.

When creating your email marketing strategy, be sure you are versed in the ins and outs of creating your mailing list. Will you allow users to Opt-in to your mailings (i.e. Choose to receive them). Did you know if you do not provide a mechanism for your recipients to opt-out of your mailings (i.e. Choose NOT to receive them) you are in violation of the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003? Before creating your email marketing campaign, be sure to review the requirements for commercial email.