Friday, January 7, 2011

E-mail marketing

E-mail marketing is a form of direct marketing which uses electronic mail as a means of communicating commercial or fund-raising messages to an audience. In its broadest sense, every e-mail sent to a potential or current customer could be considered e-mail marketing. However, the term is usually used to refer to:

  • sending e-mails with the purpose of enhancing the relationship of a merchant with its current or previous customers, to encourage customer loyalty and repeat business,
  • sending e-mails with the purpose of acquiring new customers or convincing current customers to purchase something immediately,
  • adding advertisements to e-mails sent by other companies to their customers, and
  • sending e-mails over the Internet, as e-mail did and does exist outside the Internet (e.g., network e-mail and FIDO).

Advantages

E-mail marketing (on the Internet) is popular with companies for several reasons:

  • An exact return on investment can be tracked ("track to basket") and has proven to be high when done properly. E-mail marketing is often reported as second only to search marketing as the most effective online marketing tactic.[2]
  • Advertisers can reach substantial numbers of e-mail subscribers who have opted in (i.e., consented) to receive e-mail communications on subjects of interest to them.
  • Over half of Internet users check or send e-mail on a typical day.[3]
  • E-mail is popular with digital marketers, rising an estimated 15% in 2009 to £292m in the UK.[4]
  • E-mail allows marketers to reach out to consumers with personalized, relevant, dynamic messages.
  • Transactional e-mails allow businesses to respond automatically to important consumer events like purchases or shop-cart abandonment.

Disadvantages

A report issued by the e-mail services company Return Path, as of mid-2008 e-mail deliverability is still an issue for legitimate marketers. According to the report, legitimate e-mail servers averaged a delivery rate of 56%; twenty percent of the messages were rejected, and eight percent were filtered.[5]

Companies considering the use of an e-mail marketing program must make sure that their program does not violate spam laws such as the United States' Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act (CAN-SPAM),[6] the European Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003, or their Internet service provider's acceptable use policy.

Source : wikipedia

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

If you are not already marketing your business on the web, then you really need to start. Just about every business out there could benefit from internet marketing. It is very affordable to advertise your company on the internet, and it gives you the the chance to reach a much broader audience.The value of online marketing is just one of many reasons why lots of business owners are moving their advertising efforts online. Advertising online is extremely affordable, especially when you think of how many potential clients a business can reach with a good online advertising campaign. Most methods of online promotion are very affordable and a lot of them are totally free. One excellent way to advertise your company online for free, is to participate in forums related to your business, and having a link to your site in your signature that is displayed below your posts. Just be sure to be respectful and post informative posts so you earn the respect of the other forum users.The sheer size of the potential target audience is an excellent reason for any company to start marketing online. Chances are, you have a good idea of what your target audience is, and when advertising offline, you are forced to focus on these people. However, there may be many other groups of people who would be interested in your service or product, who would never find you offline. By advertising on the internet, you are able to reach a much larger audience, potentially open your business up to new markets.In addition, there may be members of your core target audience from around the world who would not have found your business off line. By moving online, you are no longer a local company, but a worldwide enterprise!Not only does the internet drastically broaden your reach, but it also increases your effective business hours. While your company might only be open Monday through Friday from 9 to 5, your website is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a week. Your business hours are now more than quadrupled, but without paying additional employees.If you run a business, and do not have a strong online presence, then you really need to begin learning more about online marketing. It is vital in this age of technology, and if your competitors are advertising on the internet, they are gaining a distinct advantage over you, and are becoming more appealing to potential customers. Before they dominate your market, it's time to market your business on the internet so you can keep up with the competition.