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E-Mail Marketing


E-mail marketing is still a growing tool among all the communication methods used by companies. Most people have an email address which they access once a day or at least once in a couple of days. With the development of smartphones and the spread of Internet connection, people can check their mailbox at any moment of the day. Therefore, e-mail marketing is as powerful as mobile marketing, while it also offers the advantage of a richer content, with the possibility to include images, which is not possible in a text message.

Internet is the quintessential environment in which companies can communicate with their customers. Using e-mail and newsletters, companies can send offers or they can present their latest news and innovations. However, e-mail marketing uses a different communication channel than mobile marketing and telemarketing, which are system of direct communication, and because of this reason, it must be dealt with differently.

Used inappropriately, e-mail marketing can have negative impact, since it is a very delicate tool which requires certain skills for effectiveness.

Opt-in

One of the most popular features of e-mail marketing is the Opt-in service, which gives users the chance to get included on a receivers’ list for newsletters and informative e-mails, only with their consent. Any registration form or information request page found on websites asks users for such type of consent, expressed by ticking in the corresponding box. The users can choose for themselves whether they prefer to receive newsletters and advertising e-mails or not. Either way, they can still continue the registration. If the consent is given, the address is automatically included in a contact list and each time a newsletter is available, the user receives a notification.

Opt-out

Opt-out should be a really simple process, yet the system imposes some limitations. The opt-out includes the user to a newsletter list, without him being asked for consent. In order to stop receiving advertising e-mails and newsletters, the user must send a message in which he asks explicitly to be removed from the list.

At the same time, opt-in has his own limits as well, since there cannot be a control over which e-mails are inserted during the registration. Considering also typing errors or intentional errors, the user might register an address that belongs to someone else. To avoid such situations, many companies rely on a double opt-in system, in which the user must confirm the subscription to the newsletter service by clicking on a link received through a second email. The double opt-in setup ensures the safety of all users.

Direct Email Marketing

A DEM campaign must be strategically and carefully planned, using a team of professionals, otherwise it can lead to negative effects, rather than positive. Sending a newsletter with unnecessary, ineffective, or inappropriate content can damage the image of the company. Customers interpret such an improper communication as a lack of professionalism and they tend to lose their trust in opening future newsletters or relying on the company’s products or services.

E-mail marketing increases in efficiency when it follows a strategy and it includes adequate language. The customer must find the email appealing even before opening it, by foreseeing the advantages he would get by reading it. Moreover, these advantages and offers should not be misleading. They should be real and accessible to the user. False promises damage severely the reputation of a company.

One of the essential aspects that ensure the success of a DEM campaign is the appearance. An email campaign is effective only if it is carefully designed to be catchy and attractive, and thus to become viral on the network of contacts in which the user belongs and to whom he can forward the message. The intent of a marketing campaign is to reach as many people as possible, and if the user forwards the message, it can reach twice as many people.

Diversify

E-mail marketing is not necessarily suitable for all types of companies. There is no reason to invest in such a strategy if the activity of the company requires other types of promotion tools. E-mail marketing is a great investment for companies that own an online shop available to their clients.

Since e-mails use the same communication channel as online sales, which is the Internet, the clients of online shops can be anywhere in the world, so the newsletter can be sent to all subscribers, regardless of their physical location. Besides the commercial aspects, a newsletter is also a good medium to share news and company changes to all the members.