You've Got Mail...

In a few words, email marketing is a highly effective form of direct marketing which uses the internet as a means of communicating a commercial message to a target market.  Email marketing has provided a quick and affordable medium for business communications. There are a number of distinct advantages to this form of marketing, compared to other marketing investments like direct mail, and other print advertising. It is less expensive and the return on investment can be high when done effectively. However, email marketing does have some disadvantages as well. In this article we will examine the advantages and disadvantages of email marketing and also provide some insight into how to plan and execute an effective email marketing campaign.

Email marketing is probably the most popular form of internet advertising. One of the most significant advantages to email marketing is the ability to reach a wide audience with minimal effort.  Another advantage is that generally it is extremely affordable.  Ideally you will already have a list of clients or potential clients who are interested in your products and services and the cost to send out an email is based on time and should be considered part of your regular operating costs. The true benefits of email marketing range from increased sales and lead generation to stronger brand awareness and improved customer relationships.

Be Effective

The trick to communicating an effective message is to craft an email which is easy to read and as understandable as possible. Effective business owners put a great deal of thought into the content of their communications with potential clients, avoiding jargon and a non-professional familiar tone. It’s not like texting and you should avoid shortened words and grammatical oversights. It’s also worthy to note that you can make each email personalized to the recipient to gain a better response. Mastering the craft of business communications is an absolute must, and doesn’t usually come as a natural talent but it is a skill that no business should be without.  If this is not an area that you have the time or skill, it makes sense then to work with a professional, like JAX Designs to write the copy for advertisements and create any graphics which will accompany the email communication. Use a pleasant and inviting subject/tag line with your email. This will attract attention and decrease its chances of being deleted before it is opened.

Offer Great Information

In the email write only about things that are relevant. There is no use in filling up space or adding attachments with irrelevant information. The content of the emails should be carefully considered. It should certainly highlight the products and services you offer but should do so without appearing to be a sales pitch. These emails should provide the readers with concise and relevant information and most importantly a call to action; a statement urging the reader to take a specific action such as making a purchase or researching your specific products or services in greater depth.

Spam Has A Horrible Taste

A most obvious disadvantage to email marketing is having your communications labeled as spam, which can be a violation and cause your business to receive fines.  Each day Internet users are “spammed” with unsolicited emails serving as advertisements. This problem has reached epic proportions!  It causes the recipient to be cautious about any email they receive which is unsolicited and appears to be promoting a particular product or service.  Often emails which contain subject lines or content that are similar to previously received spam will be transferred to a spam email folder by the email system automatically. Communications which are not automatically deleted may be deleted without being opened simply because the recipient does not recognize the sender of the communications. The result is wasted time for the business owner and complaints being lodged against the company for being a sender of spam.

Distribute Properly

After understanding the advantages and disadvantages of email marketing, you might wonder how you can maximize the advantages to use email marketing to your benefit. Consider how you plan to create an email distribution list. This is important because simply purchasing an email list is not likely to be effective. You may reach hundreds or thousands of internet users but there is no guarantee any of them will have any interest in your products or services.  However, if you build your own email list of potential customers, who have specifically requested additional information, you will have a well formulated list which includes mostly members of your target audience. One good way of going about doing email marketing is asking your clients and prospective clients to sign up for receiving regular emails about your business. Make sure that you also give an option to your readers to unsubscribe from your mailing list any time they wish. This is ideal because you are much more likely to sell products or services to members of your willing target market than you are to members of an email group who might not be interested in what you are offering at all.

Timing Is Crucial

There are many studies into when an email is most likely to be opened and the results vary greatly. Statistics have shown that emails are more than likely to be opened earlier in the mornings and directly following lunch time breaks. It’s hard to pinpoint the specific days that work best so we feel that a best practice is to test your email strategy and be consistent once you’ve found the time and day that works best for your company.

Evaluate Constantly

If you are going to spend the time to create an effective template email(s) and then distribute it properly it goes without saying you should want to evaluate your efforts. Keep track of what has been most successful, whether it is a subject line, effective content, a call to action or your timing. When you know what works best you can then duplicate and double your efforts for maximum impact higher rates of success with this cost effective for of advertising.

If done properly your email marketing will increase your customer base. Even a 1% response rate can greatly increase your bottom line profits. You can develop a quality email campaign on your own or you can contact JAX Designs at http://www.JAXDzign.com/contact.html, check out our group on Facebook or send an email and we would be happy to craft an email marketing plan for your future communications.

Cost Effective JAX Marketing Tactics By Design

While it may be incredibly difficult to get a business off the ground, many hard working people are doing just that every year.  They have a little luck and a drive to produce success. What we will discuss in this article is the ways that you can increase your chances of being successful.  We don’t have all the answers but we do have a few tips that you can implement on a short budget and a desire to succeed. Keep in mind that no single effort will be the tactic that gets your business to #1, but rather a combination of them, repeating the most appealing ones for your company’s products and services will help you win! Let’s take a look at a few tactics that have helped our clients to grow.

Make Your Business Communications Personal

If you hand write something onto the delivery envelope or stick a post it note to the communication, those items are read first and remembered longer as it comes across specific to the person receiving the communications. We always recommend a pad of imprinted stick-it notes with varied messages to entice your target market to read further, keeping the message concise and to the point. Then don’t forget to enclose your brochure, postcard, newsletter etc. in all of your outgoing orders.

Send A Short Postcard Or Email

One of the best ways to increase your chances and decrease your challenges is through advertising. This can be extremely costly but with consistency it will pay off.  We often suggest creating a small advertisement and either having it imprinted onto a postcard and mailed to your immediate geographic areas or repurposing that content into an effective email that you can send out to your  target market.  Consumers will read a postcard or email message that is brief and to the point. These campaigns can have a high yield for traffic to your website or store front; generating sales leads for a very small cost.

Work With A Partner

Maximize your reach by working with another vendor that your target market might find interesting as well. If you create a 3 panel brochure for your organization you may want to include a business card or a coupon to a neighboring business that has agreed to do the same for your company. This will create good will and a reach into a whole new market that you may never have explored. We often introduce our clients to one another in order to increase the networking opportunities. You will also look like an expert in the field with additional resources for your prospects.

Soft Sell The News

Another very cost effective way of communicating your products and services as well as the latest news for the industry and company, is through a Newsletter. We have found this form of communication very helpful for our clients. It adds a dimension to your business that speaks to being a “mover and shaker” and “someone in the know.” Monthly, Quarterly or Annually based on the amount of information you can provide are best when the news is again to the point and easily read. Keep the fonts bold and big and more like bullet points and quick statements of fact. Your clients are busy too and may only have a half minute or less, so make your major point easily recognizable and a call to action. Keep in mind that it costs much less to email a newsletter than to print and mail it, so if you are diligent at collecting emails addresses, an eye-catching PDF can easily be sent and then posted in your news section on your blog or website.

Follow Up & Renew

Always follow up on a sale with a customer right away, communicating an offering, additional service or product at a "special" rate or as an added value. This will keep your company at the top of mind awareness. This communication should also make mention of referring you to a friend or colleague, that could use your products and services as well. This will increase your market influence and again make you the expert in the area or market. An imprinted thank you note, for the new or renewal business is also a great way to make your company your client’s newest partner, since so few companies thank for doing business together.

Work On Your Speaking Voice

Have a script ready for when a prospect calls and hint at new products and services or monthly specials so that your consumers will have additional questions or thoughts beyond the reason for their call. We always suggest picking up the phone and not allowing it to go to a voicemail. In our high pressure society, prospects want their questions answered now and are willing to learn more about your company also, once they have their question answered. Your voicemail can’t do that and often will turn a prospect on to your competition. If you have a monthly special or a sale ending soon, include that information in the way you answer the call, so that you can create a sense of urgency.

Marketing can be a challenge but also a huge reward when it is successful, take advantage of every opportunity available when communicating your company value to your consumers. Vary the communications and try your best to keep track of the ones that are most successful. If you would like to learn how       JAX Designs has made our clients communications more memorable and effective, visit our website at http://www.jaxdzign.com/. We would enjoy the opportunity to learn more and be a part of the success of your business...