Copyright © 2010 Pleiades Publishing Services, Co 1 How To Use eMail Marketing To Grow Your Business H. Sandra Chevalier-Batik

Copyright © 2010 Pleiades Publishing Services, Co

http://Pleiadesservices.com1

How To Use eMail Marketing To Grow Your Business

H. Sandra Chevalier-BatikResearch Analyst & Content Developer

Pleiades WebCenter

WHY you should be collecting your visitors' information

Studies have shown that it takes an average of FOUR TO SEVEN points of contact to make a sale — and you won't make it to the second point of contact if you don't have a way to reach your visitors after they've left your site.

Copyright © 2010 Pleiades Publishing Services, Co. - http://PleiadesServices.com2


People pay close attention to their eMail and more people are buying online every year

• eMail marketing statistics from PostFut82% of online buyers have made at least one purchase in response to an eMail promotion

• 67% of users open at least 60% of opt-in eMails they receive

• 32% have made an immediate online purchase in response to an eMail!

• 59% have gone on to redeem an eMail coupon in an online OR off-line store



• By collecting visitor’s first name, last name, and email address, you can stay firmly on their radar and expose them to your products time and time again — all at nearly no cost to you!

• An opt-in email list is the very foundation of your online business.


WHO you should be considering when you build your opt-in strategy

• Just as the best businesses are created in response to the needs of a specific niche market, so are the best opt-in offers

• Unless you can specifically say who you're aiming your strategy at, you're going to have a hard time running any kind of an opt-in campaign

• OR for that matter — your business Copyright © 2010 Pleiades Publishing Services, Co. - http://PleiadesServices.com

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Stats are your friend…

• You can find out a lot about your site visitors' preferences and habits by looking at the server logs that your web host supplies

• Or if you have a WordPress site install the StatPress Reloaded plugin



• What's the most popular page on your web site?

• What pages do visitors stay on for the longest

time?

• Build your opt-in offer around what's on those

pages



Also consider the questions or comments you get from customers after a sale

• What do they want to know?• What do they like or dislike?

The more hard information you have on your target audience, the easier it will be to come up with an opt-in offer that answers their specific needs.


WHAT to offer your visitors to get them excited about "opting-in”

• There are numerous incentives you can use to encourage people to give you their personal information — but not every offer will suit every web site or business

• Figuring out what our visitors value and building

the relationship from visitor to customer, is the difference between a successful opt-in email campaign and not so much


WHAT to offer your visitors to get them excited about "opting-in"

• Because people already get so much email these days, you need to provide them with a really compelling incentive to opt in to your list

• According to an ‘Ipsos-Reid’ poll, 71% of all

Internet users have unsubscribed from at least one email list because the information delivered wasn't sufficiently interesting or relevant.



• Most people think of newsletters right off the bat when they are first developing an opt-in incentive for their web site

• Starting your own online newsletter is one of the

most effective methods of building your opt-in list • It's an incredibly powerful way to position yourself

as an industry expert with your customers and subscribers, and it reminds them regularly of your presence



Before you start a newsletter• Think about how much interesting and relevant

information you can deliver to your specific audience

• How much time you have available to put it together so it can be delivered on a regular schedule

• If you're going to be hard pressed to come up with interesting, relevant information offering a free newsletter isn't the best way to collect email addresses



If a newsletter isn't a good fit for your business, don't worry — there are other ways to collect email addresses, and they require less time and effort.

• 1. Offer a free course• If you have a lot of know-how in your area of expertise,

you can turn your "expert" status into a free multi-part course on a subject your readers are interested in learning

• Ask yourself what kind of information your readers want from you — what do you have to teach them? What have they come to your site to learn, or what kind of information were they seeking?



• 1. Offer a free course• By using delayed autoresponders, you can set up the

different lessons in your course to be emailed to subscribers at specified intervals, all without any effort on your part.

• Your delayed autoresponder program could be set up to send a new lesson to subscribers every seven days — meaning that subscribers would automatically be exposed to your company and your offer four times over the course of a month. And the best part is, you are contacting them with information that they have specifically requested.

Great example: Jack Canfields 21 days of Success Principles



• Offer a free course • Don't forget that your course can contain text, audio,

graphics — even video — whatever suits the material you're delivering

• Just send your subscribers a link to the web page where your course can be found

• Unlike email, your web site doesn't put any restrictions

on how much rich media you can feature

GREAT EXAMPLE: Joe Vitale



• 2. Offer a free eBook

• A free eBook can be a great incentive, depending on the kinds of products or services you offer

• If you offer a free eBook, you'll have to take the time to actually write it

• Your eBook doesn't need to be hundreds of pages long to be useful

• An information-packed eBook can be as short as 8 to 10 pages, and still provide value for your opt-in subscribers.




• Not only does a free eBook help build your list, it also helps familiarize your visitors with you and your products or services

• Make your eBook viral — "Viral marketing" is a strategy in which you encourage your customers to pass on a marketing campaign or message to others




• With viral eBooks, word about your business spreads quickly — to highly targeted potential customers

• You can even create a new opt-in offer for people who've received the eBook from friends

• Put a link in the eBook to a special landing page that

features the offer and collect a "second generation" of opt-ins



• 3. Offer downloadable articles

• If your site contains a lot of useful, original, content-rich articles, one of the best ways to collect email addresses is to require that visitors to your site opt in to your list if they want to download those articles.

• As long as you offer useful information, and the downloadable articles contain something that people can't get for free somewhere else on your site, you can expect site visitor to sign-up to get relevant information that they need.



• 4. Offer other "downloadables”

• Articles aren't the only items you can offer for download on your web site

• why not offer eCards

• screen savers

• desktop wallpapers

• that your visitors can enjoy in exchange for their opt-in information?



• 4. Offer other "downloadables”

If you sell books about dog training — • Offer eCards or printable cards with photos of adorable

puppies

• If you rent resort condos, you could easily create a screen saver with pictures of some of your most beautiful destinations

• With themed screen savers and wallpapers, you could be on your visitors' computer screen EVERY DAY — whether they were online or offline



• 5. Offer a contest, puzzle, or game

• Running a contest on your web site works on the same principle as dropping your business card in a jar at the local cafe in hopes of winning a free lunch for your office

• The cafe collects information about its customers, and the customers get the chance to win a valuable prize. Both parties benefit, and it doesn't really cost the cafe anything more than a few burgers for the winner

• What prize could you offer your visitors that complements your business and would appeal to your visitors




• Depending on the kind of business you run, there are a ton of different options for this type of opt-in incentive. Some examples include:

• A contest to win an item (or a coupon for a percentage off an item) related to your product. Say you sell party favors — hats, toys, and streamers. You could hold a contest to win a free birthday cake from a bakery in your area or a percentage-off coupon for a party rentals place




• A contest to win one of your products. But remember — don't offer to give away the primary product you sell. People will enter the contest hoping to win — and leave your site without considering an actual purchase

• A weekly puzzle or quiz — a crossword with words that relate to your business, or a "multiple choice"-type quiz, an animated jigsaw puzzle, or a game of "Hangman"! You can set it up as a contest and draw a name from the winning entries to award a prize — or require that people give you their opt-in information to get the answer



• 6. Offer a survey

• Surveys are a great way to generate opt-ins, and they also provide a valuable service to the people who take part in them

• For example, if you had something to sell that was of interest to gardeners, you could mention your survey in relevant newsgroups, forums, or related newsletters, and give a link to the survey page on your web site



• 6. Offer a survey • Your survey could delve into what types of products

gardeners are using in different kinds of gardens, or what kinds of gardening challenges they face in their particular region

• • Let participants know that you will send them the results

if they give you their name and email address• • Because participants have to come to your web site to

fill out the survey, you should be able to take advantage of all that new traffic and generate a significant number of new opt-ins.



• 6. Offer a survey

• You might even incorporate a survey question such as "Would you like to receive a complimentary copy of our monthly newsletter (or eBook, or course) with tons of gardening tips and tricks?"

• If they answer "Yes" to that question, you can add their name to your opt-in list



• 7. Offer members-only forum/discussion board

• Members-only forums and discussion boards can be a major draw for people in niche markets.

• Because their areas of interest are often unique and specific, they sometimes have a hard time getting the information they want, or finding other people who are interested in the same things.

• You can step in and provide a community for like-minded people to meet and discuss their hobbies or their concerns — or pretty much anything to do with your market.




• If you can provide a forum that appeals to your market, people will RUSH to give you their opt-in information to be a part of it.

• This will also give you a great opportunity to learn more about your customers and what kinds of products or services you can develop to further meet their needs — AND grow your business




• You'll need to participate by establishing some community rules and moderating the forum

• Occasionally you will need to start or contribute to some topics of discussion

• However your subscribers will do most of the work by creating valuable content



• 8. Offer members-only specials

• One of the easiest ways to encourage visitors to opt in with their personal information is to offer them a chance to save money

• It can be as simple as the following text:• "Do you want to receive our special MEMBERS-ONLY

offers? Every month we bring exclusive deals to our subscribers that you can't get anywhere else! To start saving now, just sign up below."



• 8. Offer members-only specials

• This is a great way to drive opt-ins AND sales, and to

make your potential customers feel appreciated before they even buy your products

• There are many different opt-in incentives available — you just need to apply a little creativity to choose the one that's right for you and your target market.


HOW to promote your opt-in offer

• Even the BEST opt-in offer can be ignored if you don't know how to present it to your visitors

• Build a compelling opt-in offer that no visitor to your site will ignore aren't tough to write, but they do require a little bit of thought and time on your part

• Experienced Content Developers have three hard-and-fast rules they follow when writing an opt-in offer:



• Rule #1: Emphasize benefits, NOT features

• To persuade visitors to sign up for your offer, you NEED to answer their biggest question:

"What's in it for me?"

• Always emphasizing the benefits of your product or service, as opposed to the features



• Rule #1: Emphasize benefits, NOT features • Here's an example: Suppose you are offering an eBook on

your Business Services site

• If you were to write...

• "Download our FREE eBook, written by a real CPA." • ...you'd be advertising a feature

You are telling your visitors a fact about your eBook.



• Rule #1: Emphasize benefits, NOT featuresHere's how it reads if we emphasize benefits —instead of features:

• Don't pay a penny extra on your taxes! Discover 10 simple things that you can do to save hundreds — even thousands! — of dollars on your return this year! Just enter your name and email address below to get your FREE eBook!

• You've hooked your visitors by letting them know how THEY will benefit by signing up for your offer — by avoiding costly taxes in the future.



• Rule #2: Include a call to action • If you want people to take action on your site (such as sign

up for your eBook), you need to have a call to action that tells them exactly what you want them to do

• For example, if you want your visitors to opt in to your list —

• You should include a link that says something like, "Subscribe here to receive dozens of FREE PowerPoint templates every month!"



• Rule #2: Include a call to action

• You might think it's obvious that you want people to opt in to your list — especially if you've written a great sales pitch that explains how your opt-in offer solves their problem…

• But no matter how convincing your copy is…If you don't provide your potential customers with a very specific call to action, you're just leaving them hanging.



• Rule #3: Include a link to your privacy policy

• A lot of people still feel a bit reluctant to hand over their personal information to someone they've never met before

• The best way to ease their fears is to include a link to your

privacy policy whenever you ask for personal information



• Rule #3: Include a link to your privacy policy

• Having link to your privacy policy on every page of your site lets people know that you are committed to protecting their privacy, and makes them feel safe leaving their email address with you

• Your privacy policy should state explicitly:

• What information you collect from your visitors• How you intend to use it.


WHERE to put the opt-in on your web site

• Now that you've learned about HOW to craft a winning opt-in offer, lets look at WHERE on your site it should go to get you the maximum amount of opt-ins

• A ‘MarketingSherpa’ study showed that only 52% of eCommerce sites have a prominent call to register on their main home page



• If your homepage contains a long sales letter, you'll want to put the opt-in form somewhere around the second "page" of text

• By this point, you'll have grabbed your visitors'

attention and shown them that your site offers some valuable information. They'll be more inclined to give you their email address once you've established your credibility.



• If your homepage DOESN'T have a long sales-letter you'll want to place your opt-in form prominently within the "first fold” — the portion of your web site that is visible to a visitor without scrolling

• Place the opt-in box in the same place on every single page of your site

• The more chances you give your visitors to opt in, the higher your conversion rate is going to be



• You can create an opt-in offer that is specifically targeted to a particular page on your site

• For example:• If your web site is a catalog site selling home

aquarium products, and you have a special page dedicated to different kinds of fish food, you can include an opt-in offer on that page for a free report — "The Top 5 Mistakes People Make When They Feed Their Fish."



And on your page dedicated to exotic breeds of fish, you could offer a free eBook

— "Tips and Tricks for Caring For Exotic Fish”

That way, you could establish yourself as a fish expert with your potential customers…and at the same time as you capture

their information for your marketing purposes


Opt-in Strategy Final Thoughts

• Building a successful opt-in eMail list is one of the most important things you can do for your online business

• There's no reason you shouldn't be able to get at least 10% of your site visitors converted to subscribers

• If you are getting less than 5% of your traffic opting in to your offer, you know you need to tweak your strategy.


Five eMail Marketing Myths

• Originally eMail marketing was seen as the ultimate tool -- inexpensive, instantaneous, and 100% measurable

• Common wisdom says that thanks to spammers, e-mail marketing click-through rates are a fraction of what they used to be

• Yet some legitimate eMail marketers manage to earn six-figure incomes (and higher) relying almost exclusively on e-mail as their marketing medium?


eMail Marketing Myth #1: eMail Marketing Is No Longer

Effective

Has the volume of eMail received daily ruined the effectiveness of eMail marketing

• The idea that e-mail marketing is no longer effective really stems from people failing to make the distinction between spam and legitimate, permission-based eMail marketing

• Permission-based eMail marketing continues to be a tremendously powerful, easily traceable, and instantly measurable way to market your product or service

• A recent DoubleClick study reports that 69% of American eMail users have made purchases online after receiving permission-based e-mail marketing.


eMail Marketing Myth #2: eMail Promotions Will Damage My

Credibility

• If you launch a poorly designed eMail campaign, of course you will damage your credibility

• The same goes for a direct mail campaign filled with spelling mistakes or an offensive newspaper advertisement

• However, if you spend some time creating a well-formatted promotional eMail that is of real value to your customers and subscribers, you will actually enhance your credibility


eMail Marketing Myth #2: eMail Promotions Will Damage My

Credibility

Here are three easy steps to ensure that your customers and subscribers receive professional,

quality messages from you every time

• Make sure that your offer is directly relevant to your subscribers' interests. If they opted-in to learn more about gardening, don't send them offers for candles


E-mail Marketing Myth #2: eMail Promotions Will Damage My

Credibility

• Be sure to proofread everything you send out at least a couple of times. And get someone else to proofread it for you as well

• Sign up for a free e-mail address at each of the most popular e-mail services, like Hotmail and Yahoo!, and test your e-mail promotions to those addresses before you send out your mailing

• This will help you catch any formatting glitches that might show up in those services


eMail Marketing Myth #3: My Customers Will Think I'm Spamming

Them

• Spam is basically unwanted eMail that has been sent by a company with which the recipient has had no prior contact. Spammers usually get their lists of e-mail addresses through a wide range of other unethical sources.

• Permission-based eMail is quite the opposite. Marketers who practice this type of e-mail marketing have previously been in contact with the individuals on their opt-in lists.


eMail Marketing Myth #3: My Customers Will Think I'm Spamming

Them

• The people who make up their lists include current and former customers, as well as those people who have left their eMail addresses with the company for the purpose of receiving e-mail from them -- be it a free eBook, a newsletter, or promotional messages.

• And studies indicate that eMail users are well aware of the difference between the two. According to IMT Strategies, more than 80% of people feel negatively towards spam, whereas 78% of the people surveyed in a recent ‘DoubleClick’ report said that they wanted to receive eMail from their favorite online merchants.


E-mail Marketing Myth #4: People Will Unsubscribe From My List

If They Receive Promotional eMails

• What is the point of collecting opt-in eMail addresses if you aren't going to use them?

• People who leave their eMail addresses with you fully expect to receive eMail from you. Why else would they have given you their contact information?

• According to a joint study recently released by The Direct Marketing Association and the Association of Interactive Marketing, 63% of companies surveyed reported that eMail marketing was their most effective customer-retention tool. A "customer-retention tool" simply refers to a method of preventing your customers from buying products or services from your competition rather than you.


EMail Marketing Myth #5: E-mail Campaigns Are Difficult To Design And

Deliver

• Once you've learned the basics, the process is a breeze. And there are new tools being created all the time that make the process even easier

• Like everything else in your business it takes practice


Final Thoughts:

• Armed with some basic information and a few simple tools, any business can make eMail a profitable component of their marketing programs.

• The truth about e-mail marketing is that it

remains an incredibly powerful and cost-effective way to sell goods and services, despite what the people behind the myths would have us believe.


Final Thoughts:

• The key to making eMail advertising work for your business lies in understanding how it can help you build and maintain relationships with your customers (and customers-to-be).

• The responsible use of permission-based eMail

will allow you to tap into the profit-generating potential of your opt-in list more efficiently -- and cost-effectively -- than any other marketing tool.


Final Thoughts:

• Armed with some basic information and a few simple tools, any business can make eMail a profitable component of their marketing programs.

• The truth about eMail marketing is that it remains

an incredibly powerful and cost-effective way to sell goods and services, despite what the people behind the myths would have us believe.


Final Thoughts:

• The key to making eMail advertising work for your business lies in understanding how it can help you build and maintain relationships with your customers (and customers-to-be).

• The responsible use of permission-based eMail will allow you to tap into the profit-generating potential of your opt-in list more efficiently —and cost-effectively — than any other marketing tool.


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Copyright © 2010 Pleiades Publishing Services, Co 1 How To Use eMail Marketing To Grow Your Business H. Sandra Chevalier-Batik