Email Marketing: Nothing is Free

One of the best ways to sell a service is to offer something free and then ‘make the money’ back by charging for extra services. Many people who are new to email marketing are caught by these marketing ploys because they do not understand what are now considered standard services in the industry.

Standard Email Campaign Services

There are other tools available that small business owners should consider. These tools include:

• Spam Filter testing before the campaign is initiated
• Subscriber management tools
• Simple Importing and Exporting
• Simple Design tools
• HTML and Text versions of the same email
• Who is using a ‘share with a friend’ tool.
• Applications for using the tool on websites and social networking/bookmarking sites.
• An anti-spam policy to protect all clients from unethical ones.
• A web based version of the email is available
• Full Metrics and Reports
• 100% privacy
• No hosting costs
• Multiple, customizable, templates

Nothing Is Free

Many of the services have a ‘back handed’ offer of free. They offer a free service, but when the list hits a certain level they charge an high fee for extra hosting. A more common trick is to make it almost impossible to export the list, making it almost impossible to switch servers.

Another way the ‘free’ services keep their costs down is to advertise on your emails, or build their own lists from your lists. Everyone has seen this in some emails where the tag line at the bottom for the ‘email marketing’ company is actually more prominent or better looking, than the actual email.

The most devastating trick is to expire the campaign after 30, 90, or 120 days. Some people keep old emails. I do, especially ones I may want to use in the future, or for making purchases at Christmas. The campaign manager should have 100% control over how long the links remain alive.

Do not settle for anything less than the best service. A penny saved today could cost your company money tomorrow in lost clients, lost sales, and diminished credibility within your industry.

What You Wish You Knew About Email Marketing

Everyone has a story, something they wish they knew about a product or service before buying it. Email marketing is no different. Some people are stung so bad they abandon this lucrative marketing method. Others lose time and money on low-quality tools, or schemes that sound good but do not work.

There are several things to look for when buying an email list, or setting up an email marketing account.

DIY scripts

The scripts they can add to their website that manages their mailing list tempt many people. However, people often learn too late that their web hosting system forbids sending email blasts to a list of subscribers. Others shut down websites that ‘hog the server’s CPU’ for more than 15 seconds. While, some of the servers with limited bandwidth bill their clients for the ‘surge.’

I knew one person, through a networking group, who received an $1120 bill for bandwidth after sending out an email blast in December with a large graphic Christmas Card in it.

Grade Your Service

There is a mindboggling variety of email campaign and mailing list management services. Not all are created equal. Some have high monthly prices for managing lists. Others charge high prices depending on the size of the list – no matter how many emails are actually delivered a month.

A+ Delivery Cost

A good service will charge a fee of less than $.01 per delivery. Bulk service may charge as low as $.05 for delivery. The client should pay no fee for hosting their list.  The system should not increase the cost as the email list grows.

A + Privacy

The mailing list should remain the private property of the client. Check the fine print. There are reports of some list hosting companies keeping abandoned lists. Make sure the service will not use your list if you abandon it or move from their service.

A + Metrics

A good service will track all metrics. The client deserves more service than just a ‘list host.’ They should expect, at the minimum:

• % of delivered emails
• % of opened emails
• % a click through
• % of unsubscribed
• % of spam complaints
• % of bounced emails

The metrics should go beyond the basics listed above. It should list who opened the emails, what time the emails were opened, and tools that let the small business owner compare different campaigns.
Before signing for an email marketing campaign service, grade them, make sure they are offering everything needed to run a successful campaign.

 

How To Link It To Your Industry

The marketing world is full of catch phrases. You are not your Consumer. Link to Your Consumer. Behavioral Marketing.  The list is endless. These mission statements mean nothing without a point of reference. Marketers use these phrases to try and explain to business owners. Instead of talking down to business owners with catchy phrases, marketers need to learn how to listen to business owners.

Many small business owners enter the entrepreneur world with a solid understanding of their industry. They worked in the industry, networked with clients, and were consumers of the product. Successful business owners have their hands on the pulse of the industry. They subscribe to the trade magazines. They attend conferences. They are members of the national associations. So, why do marketers fail to listen?

Many small business owners have the experience and knowledge needed to market to their own consumer base. They just need the tools to do it. There are several ways to market a product. The easiest include email marketing campaigns and internet advertising.

A successful campaign is a Joint Venture between the business owner and an email marketing service, or an ad agency. The business owner possesses knowledge that the marketer may not have. The best way to build a marketing campaign, and to establish a company’s credibility, is to tap into this information.

Blog

Most blog owners ‘miss the mark’ by publishing evergreen content. On the internet, evergreen content is something that everyone publishes, and is so ambiguous that anyone can write about it.  What small business owners educate their clients, and offer 100% transparency to their clients. Talking about the industry secrets and telling stories about working with clients, even if they are fictitious but based on real events, will help sell a product.

Forums and Social Networking

If your only objective is to get onto the networking sites and sell a product – then do not get started. Social networking is not about what you can get from a network, but what you give. Offering socialization and networking will eventually result in sales. The trick is to be patient. Find the right networks, and discard those that have no true networking involved.

Article Writing

One of the most powerful methods of building page rank, inbound links, and establishing credibility is through article writing. Keep in mind that the web is already full of evergreen content. Write something interesting and publishers will consider using it. If the signature line does not ‘invite’ guests to leave the host’s website, then the article will end up spread across the Internet.

Bad Sig Link: “learn more about article writing at www.mywebsite.com where you can download a free ebook.”

Good Sig Link: “Mr Guru is a published author who speaks locally on small business topics. His credentials and accomplishments can be viewed at www.mywebsite.com”

Newsletters

Many small business owners overlook email marketing and sending out newsletters. They associate these advertising venues with spam and ‘throw the baby out with the bathwater.’ Sending out a newsletter is a good way to advertise, letting your ‘recipients’ publish articles in their blogs and websites is a great way to build inbound links.

Credibility Sells

All small business owners have one sales tool that can level the playing field – credibility. Use this to build your client base. Use the information that you know, your experiences, your skills, and your ‘insider’ information. In the end, the most powerful tool you own, is your personal knowledge.

 

Do You Follow the Trends in Email Marketing?

One of the most overlooked Internet marketing campaign tool is the email marketing campaign. Many of us assume that because we have no patience for spam emails in our inbox, that everyone shares the same sentiment. This is a common mistake made by many small business owners. We design our marketing campaigns around our wants, needs, and goals.

Take a look at the following information before embarking on a Do-It-Yourself list building campaign, or try using an Open Source tool for your campaign. A good email marketing service may have fees attached, but that money can be recouped in increased ‘open’ rates, and  increased Conversion Rates.

Email Marketing Trends

The Pew Internet and American Life Project reported some amazing statistics concerning spam and email:

18%: Spam is a big problem (25% in 2003)
51%: Spam is annoying (57% in 2003)
26%: Spam is not a problem (16% in 2003)
68%: Almost never unintentionally open spam (63% in 2003)
27%: Sometimes open spam email by accident (34% in 2003)
69%: Base decision to use the Report Spam Button, or dump in Junk file based on the subject line

Several elements of an email marketing campaign can have an effect on the campaign’s ‘open’ and ‘click through rate’ (CTR).

Study the Metrics (Statistics)

Email marketing works. Amazingly, email marketing is a numbers game. Statistically, most people open emails between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. while the emails sent through traditional business hours have less than a 50% chance of being opened. Equally, There is more response from Yahoo and ‘other’ email domains, than from AOL, Earthlink, or Hotmail. 

Statistically, Wednesday is the day most people open emails, while Thursday and Friday are the biggest ‘delivery’ days. Part of this is because these email companies block emails before they reach the recipients.

These statistics are not meant to be used as guidelines. The purpose is to encourage email marketers to keep a close eye on their statistics. A successfully designed email marketing campaign may fail due to the day, and time, the emails were delivered.

However, marketers should pay attention to a couple statistics:

• 21% of email messages show up as ‘blank’ when the recipient turns of their images feature.
• 28% of email messages are sent with nonfunctioning links.

Source: “The 2007 Rendering Report,” published January 2007, the Email Experience Council.

There are many marketing tools that fail when one or two elements are ‘off.’ Email marketing is no exception. The secret to success is simple. Know the market. Know the audience’s behavior. And, then know how to use it in your favor. For example, look at the following independent report on users.

How targeting affects campaign performance:

Untargeted broadcast emails
Open rate: 20%
Avg. CTR: 9.5%
Avg. conversion rate: 1.1%

User-triggered campaigns
Open rate: 27%
Avg. CTR: 9.3%
Avg. conversion rate: 2.3%

Lifecycle messaging campaigns
Open rate: 26%
Avg. CTR: 9.3%
Avg. conversion rate: 2.3%

Clickstream-based campaignsOpen rate: 33%
Avg. CTR: 14%
Avg. conversion rate: 3.9%

Source: David Daniels, Jupiter Research.

(A clickstream-based email is a message takes into account a user’s clickstream data. Whereas a personalized email might include up-selling data (because you bought X, we recommend Y), an email that includes clickstream data can be more specific.

Creating a Success Formula

There are several basic elements of a successful online business. Each of these can help a business owner learn how to promote their business on the web. Hundreds of thousands of businesses get started each year. More than 90% of web businesses disappear into cyberspace within a few months.

The reasons for failure go far beyond website and logo design. Many of them are the result of just throwing together a platfrom and hope people will buy. The following is an ‘internet based’ formula for building the foundation of a good internet business.

Calculating Your Success Formula

The success formula is fairly simple. Create - three elements for your web business, and limit the minus elements to two, if possible.

Plus:
• Testified/verifiable service
• Safe/reputable service
• Professionalism/certification
• Additional bonuses
• Recognized by industry experts.

Minus:
• High Prices
• Unfamiliar products/techniques
• Low quality marketing
• Forcing customers to change

Competitor Strength and Weakness

Next, do a competitor strength and weakness test. A good report must be done by an SEO specialist. However, the average webmaster can do a simple report.

Do not look for the flashiest websites, or the most promoted. Make a list of 10 websites that sell and fill in the following questionnaire:

• What keywords do they use?
• What titles do they use?
• Write out their descriptions
• How many pages on the website?
• How many pages of content?
• How many inbound links do they have? (link: www.domainname.com)
• Where do their links come from?
• Do they run an Internet Marketing Campaign?
• Did they hire professionals to create their platform, branding, advertising?

Now, find 10 websites that you believe are your competitors, and answer the same question. This is incredibly simple. An SEO’s software will run for 2 or 3 hours, to check just a few websites. DIY marketers try to do this all themselves. But, a pattern should start forming.

One thing an SEO’s software can avoid is being caught in the hype. It can be difficult to separate the real data, from the ad-copy. A success formula is based on your unique offerings and services. Every company online has a success formula (or a failure formula). These may be different between industries. The success formula for Ebay is not the same as it is for an online Magazine.

The first question is determined by your budget, the more you offer, the more money you need to promote it. Use those patterns to develop a web platform that will help your company thrive on the internet.

3 Steps to Creating an Effective Logo Design

Anyone can create a great logo, not everyone can create an effective logo. Hiring a graphic designer to create a logo is like hiring a sculptor to paint a portrait. Worse, buying one of the logo creation programs is equally as dangerous. A logo requires more than creating a Vector file, or an icon.

Logo Design and File Type

Not every logo can be resized, and look equally good on a business card, in an advertisement, or on a website. Many logos lose their impact when switched from print’s CMYK color mode to the web’s RGB profile, or even when converted to black and white.

While working at an ad agency - designers learn to create logos that can be used on thousands of different promotional items. They know the limitations, and expectations of the logo. The ad agency is where professional designers learn to create a logo that works everywhere. There is a reason why all Fortune 500 companies follow the same rules, and industry standards.

Branding

A logo design is the foundation of Branding. A good logo looks just as good as an avatar, as it does on a business card. It should become the company’s ID. One of the biggest mistakes companies make is by making a logo that is several layers, and then pulling it apart.

The vital importance to branding is to be consistent. Once selected, the colors should stay consistent. A set of rules should be developed to ensure the logo is always used correctly.

Internet Marketing

A logo needs to touch an emotional element in the shopper. Many DIY marketers create designs and logos that look good to them without taking into consideration several important facts:

• They are not buying their product
• They are not their consumer/client
• They rarely know who buys their product, or why

Text Treatment

The Treatment of the font is arguably the most important element. The color, font, size, shading, and Kerning all are part of the treatment. Sans Serif fonts offer more of a casual look, while serif fonts are more stoic. The ‘message’ must be carried through the entire logo. The icon connects to the brand promise.

A logo designer can create an effective logo when they understand the client’s business, the consumers, and end-users. The quick way to a powerful logo is hiring someone who already understands these elements.

Three Common Mistakes: Internet Business Survival

Most business owners know the basics of marketing on the Internet. Others know just enough to be a danger to their business. Not every aspect of marketing can be learned by reading free articles online. Once a business owner understands this, they are ready to start their own Do-It-Yourself marketing campaign.
When a business owner understands that their knowledge of marketing is ‘thin’ then they can implement the 10 secrets to internet Business Survival.

#1 – Marketing on the Internet Does Not Follow the Rules

No business owner discounts the importance of a professionally designed logo on their business card. A professional logo is designed to ‘speak’ to a target demographic, a particular audience.

Many Internet business owners make the mistake of believing that people shopping on the internet are ‘sold’ differently than in the brick-and-mortar world. Shopping behavior on the Internet follows the same trends as in the real world. Business owners need to focus on branding their business.

Branding requires the same theories on the Net, and off, because people buy the same way. Typically, the following rule

• The stores in the mall outlets receive the most sales.
• The niche stores survive longer than the stores who feet everyone.
• Branding a store increases the Return on InvestmentStores that target a narrow target market have a higher conversion rate
• Typically, 20% of all profits are reinvested in advertising, for a business to remain strong.

#2 – I Know How to Market Online

There are several ways to learn online marketing and advertising. Everyone knows the cliché phrases and basic rules.

Web Content Rules
Link building
High Page Rank
Article Marketing
Good Coding
Google luv

Many DIY internet marketers can write a paper or two on any of these subjects. What they want to remember is that ‘if it is easy – then everyone would do it.’ Business owners only need to be in the forums for a few days to hear people speaking on authority on subjects they know nothing about. Everyone knows the terms, few people understand the theory that makes them work.

If internet Marketing was ‘that easy’ then the top Search Engine Results Positions (SERPs) would be dominated by small webmasters who spend all their time talking on the web. Webmasters need to understand that most of the ‘free’ information is 2– 3 years out of date.
Example, Many webmasters still feel that using high keyword density is important. However, a couple years ago the search engines changed the rules.

#3 – Search Engines Do Not Think

When marketing to search engines webmasters need to realize that search engines see all words as a math calculation. The search engines cannot read. They really do not care about the way letters are strung together. And, they often get it wrong.These intangibles to marketing destroy an internet marketing campaign:

Marketing rules do not change when selling on the Internet

Hire the pros, or take the courses. Good enough is not good enough when it comes to reaching the top of the SERPs.
The only way to the top of the SERPs is to do it the Search Engine Way – no matter how illogical/stupid it sounds.