Targeting is the most fundamental requirement in email marketing. Crack that and everything else falls into place.

The first thing you will need to know is how to define the subscribers to your email list. There is no official list of parameters. Each person has their own favourites depending on their own business and what data they collect. So do not get hung up on each individual title as the edges are fuzzy and overlap. Here are the basic ones:

Demographics

Age, gender and location are generally much more important in B2C although they should not be ignored in B2B. It is obvious that an email intended to appeal to someone in their twenties might well repel another two or three times their age, even if they spent the reception of their daughter’s wedding dancing with the youngsters.

Lifestyle

Whether all you need to clarify is the difference between those who opt for burgers and those who are tofu fanatics is entirely up to you. Depending on your business you might require tens of parameters. What is definite is that the greater the definition the more accurate your targeting.

History

What a person has bought in the past will show their area of interest and also, it should be remembered, what areas you could expand into. Even if you are just starting, the way your subscribers opted in to your email list will tell you something about what they are after.

Value

It is easy enough to work out what the person has paid to you in any set period. However, this is all in the past. What you need to do is work out their potential and what they are likely to spend in the future.

Responsiveness

A variable, but one that will be generally predictable once statistics start to come in. Subscribers’ purchasing habits will vary over time. Be aware that those new on your lists will tend to be enthusiastic and more susceptible, so go for them.

Products

Do not get bogged down into classifying individual products, but just use general categories. It is easy enough to predict that someone who buys a football might well opt for a kitbag but looking at the bigger picture, a wine fancier who buys a crate or two might well appreciate a holiday in the Côte de Nuits.

Accept that different headings can be used, and perhaps should be used, without changing the basic premise. The more you know about your subscribers the more accurately you can aim your products and also predict the likely returns. You will then be able to confidently decide on the other aspects of email campaign planning.

Experts from within the industry have predicted that email marketing is set to grow to become the most heavily-used marketing platform and it is suggested that the recent growth in social media will allow marketers to do even more with their email campaigns.

There are a number of flaws which need to be avoided but if done properly, email marketing could work wonders in promoting your business.

Below are a few reasons why small and large business owners alike should embrace email marketing.

Ease and Speed

Email marketing is arguably one of the easiest platforms in which to conduct a professional campaign. There are loads of professional email marketing companies which can help marketers plan a campaign and even provide a range of attractive email marketing templates.

As well as being relatively easy to launch, it is one of the speediest marketing methods. Emails are sent to potential customers within seconds without anyone having to leave the office.

Cost-effectiveness

Another reason that email marketing is so attractive for new businesses is its cost-effectiveness in comparison to other methods of marketing.

Many companies choose to invest their savings on hiring a professional email marketing company to make the most of their advertising campaign.

Customer Retention

Email marketing is primarily aimed at consumers who have already expressed an interest in a brand. Keeping previous customers in the loop of new developments within the company is a fantastic way to build relationships with consumers and customer loyalty to a brand.

Building this loyalty can encourage consumers to spread the word about a brand and attract new customers.

There are plenty of reasons for new businesses to embrace email marketing and it is no wonder that the market for email marketing companies is getting more competitive than ever.

With so many brands competing for customer attention, basic emails will no longer suffice in order to create the desired response levels.

It is for this reason that email marketing software has become so popular with email marketers. Some experts may even argue that it is now essential to purchase some form of software to assist with an email marketing campaign.

There are a dozens of computer programs available to help improve the content sent out to customers. So what should marketers look for from their email marketing software?

Email tracking software

Most companies will invest in some sort of tracking software in order to monitor the response rate of their emails. It would be impossible to measure the success of any marketing campaign without a set of figures based on response. Most email marketing software will allow users to track anything from open rates and click through rates to response and conversion rates for all email marketing campaigns.

Creating customized emails

The goal for any form of marketing is capture the attention of a potential customer within a few seconds. A decent email marketing software package should offer a wide range of customization options for your marketing campaign. Examples of these options could include refer a friend links, template and image altering or links to social media.

Event-triggered emails

An event-triggered email is any email sent due to the occurrence of a predetermined event. These can include simple events such as new blogs being posted on a website or complex occasions such as a birthday of a customer’s relative. Most email marketing software should allow the customization of occasions when event triggered emails can be sent.

With the vast amount of email marketing software currently available on the market, website owners should shop around for the most quality product before investing in what has become an essential email marketing tool.

Every person on your email list is a potential customer. You need to tell them why they need your emails and how it will benefit them. Doing so will help you build a loyal email list of people who understand who you are and what you will be providing them. A huge benefit of having an email list is that you can be proactive with information. For example, you can send out an email to new signups that answers a handful of frequently asked questions. This allows you to give them the information they may have been wondering about and also answers questions they didn’t even know they had! Taking this approach provides them with helpful information and drastically cuts down on your incoming calls and emails.

When it comes to their personal information, most people are understandably protective and wary of giving it out unnecessarily. Be absolutely certain that you clearly state your privacy policy. Everyone hates spam. In fact, many people are actually afraid of it, because it can be accompanied by viruses and other nasty things. Let your subscribers know from the get-go that their information is safe with you. Your policy could state something like this, “We will never sell, trade or share your email with a third party.” Make your privacy policy easy to see – people shouldn’t have to click a link to see it. For one thing, linking to it may lead people to think that you have something to hide. Additionally, some states actually require you to put include your privacy policy right at the point of opt-in, so you should stay on the safe side and make it obvious. This transparency and openness will help people trust you and boosts your email marketing success!

Many companies that have email lists use a voluntary double opt-in system that allows customers to sign up for email newsletters.  This way, companies can be sure that they aren’t pestering customers when they send email messages.  Also, by making email newsletters an opt-in feature, companies develop a list of engaged and interested customers that will be receptive to email marketing and could potentially become their most valued and loyal patrons.

With a focused list of interested customers, email newsletters are a great reminder in a personal venue (their inbox) to valued customers that the company is still there, still offering great products.  Newsletters are great places to announce sales and provide links to new products or special offers.  Companies that reach out to their customers build trust and brand loyalty. 

Email marketing is extremely cheap and very easy to gather information from.  There are programs that companies can download for free or for a small fee that allow marketers to track how many of their delivered emails were opened, which links were clicked, and ultimately how many sales were made from the email.  With this kind of information, sales campaigns can be focused and strategized with ease.

If you aren’t taking advantage of the inexpensive and focused marketing opportunity that is email, you are doing your company a disservice.  Start designing, sending, and tracking marketing emails now and reap the benefits of building relationships with your valued customers.