One such method is email newsletter marketing.

As boring as it may sound at first, and as reluctant as you may be to add to the digital landfill by potentially becoming a junk mailer, an attractive newsletter circular is sure to give visitors pause for thought. However, choosing the right design should be done with great care. Readers should be attracted at a glance and able to digest what you desire to convey within moments, without forcing them to puzzle over your call to action. Inbox flooding due to the high volumes of online traffic has become commonplace. With the normal person unable and unwilling to absorb every bit of information that the mass media is shovelling at them 24/7, cognitive cherry-picking has become necessary to filter all the babble.

The reality is that you literally have but a few seconds to flirt with your customers before they decide to take things to second base. Nobody wants their message to go in the one ear and out the other. This is where effective html newsletter design comes in. But before you start thinking that this means you need to botox your newsletter, have it go on a low fat diet and invest in silicone enhancements, explore how a few basic styling aspects can perk-up your appeal.

Again, design is not everyone’s forte, which is why pre-designed newsletter templates are often the best bet. There are many varieties of these to choose from; though before you commit to one, buy a house and grow old together, make sure it really is a keeper:

• The newsletter design should be industry-specific. This is all too obvious, but often the first major oversight. Show your customers what they are interested in seeing, not what interests you in seeing. So, for example, if you are advertising sports cars your newsletter should fit that paradigm by looking equally slim, extravagant and fast – and not like you are trying to punt a bake-sale.

• Get tested. Whereas many people are contented to just snatch the prettiest one and then rush along without concern for picking up something bad later in the campaign, you should make doubly sure that the HTML Newsletter you choose is tested to render/display across all the big email clients. Accounts such as MSN, Yahoo!, Gmail, Outlook, Thunderbird and so on, are good places to start.

• Everyone likes to play, and your newsletter template should allow you the freedom to do the same. The ability to personalize content goes without saying, but it is the extent to which you can use the template to produce that prized design will rapidly reveal whether a particular one is going to be worth the trouble. See what you are practically allowed to do and what the limitations are. Most designs are generically flexible, but opt for the newsletter template that is pliable enough to rock your socks off.

Image by AMagill

As a teenager, Jeremy “ShoeMoney” Schoemaker was a fat nerd (his words, not mine). Undertaking various ventures and jobs over the next decade or so, he mostly self-taught the world of computer programming and online marketing. The popping of the dot-com bubble left him broke, but at age 29 he turned things around – found a girl, lost 200 pounds, started a business, etc.

In March 2007 he launched AuctionAds  – an affiliate marketing service for eBay, showing auction ads on relevant sites. A few months later, AuctionAds was bought by eBay. Since then, ShoeMoney continues to be a leader in the online and affiliate marketing world, sharing his insights through his blog ShoeMoney.com.

There are a lot more details regarding his story – college, other companies he started, his media group – but what’s the general message we can take from the success of Jeremy Schoemaker? Obviously hard work and dedication are going to bring success, but he mentions a few specific ideas on his blog.

• Always be looking toward the future. Putting yourself at the forefront of a current trend will help you capitalize upon (and monetize) that trend. You can even build upon your current success by tailoring what you do to whatever the current or upcoming trend happens to be.
• Base your efforts on what you already know, while expanding your expertise. There’s no need for you to start completely from scratch on a new idea; take what skills you already have and apply them. As a secondary initiative, discover what other knowledge and skills may be helpful to your new project, and expand in that direction.
• Success doesn’t always come from an earth-shattering, ground-breaking idea; something small can have a huge impact on your future success. Some low-risk experimentation can lead to significant returns on your investments. Don’t be afraid to take a few chances and see what results come your way.

Tumblr allows you to quickly and easily post text, photos, quotes, links, chats, audio, or video. There’s no need to be familiar with programming; you simply have to be able to either upload from your computer or copy and paste.

Unlike other social networking platforms that can be tailored to businesses, Tumblr has not evolved in that way. Instead, Tumblrs are people who share personal stories and content. Keep that in mind.

Another major part of Tumblr is how it’s divided into categories. Each the Tumblr directory is divided up into dozens of different topics, which your account (either organically, through recommendations by others, or through paid advertising). This allows you to focus on a specific group as you use your Tumblr account to interact.

You’re also able to customize the design of your Tumblr account. Unlike Facebook where the appearance of your profile is limited, Tumblr allows you to present your brand in a way that best reflects your company and its purpose.

As with any social networking, the key to having effective campaigns is to add value – both through your own posts and through interaction on others’ posts. Don’t just use Tumblr to promote your own ideas and your own company; use it as a way to truly interact with customers and encourage discussion.

Tumblr also encourages users to ask questions, which anyone can then answer. Utilize this tool not only to instigate interaction but also to better learn about your customers and your products.

Tumblr puts its own twist on social networking, blogging, and interaction, but by learning it and utilizing it you can improve your overall online presence.

Everything you send out should have a call to action. It can be something as simple as “Call Now” or “Visit [website] to Sign Up Today” to motivate the reader, or something specific like using the coupon code included on the flyer or in the e-mail. Regardless of the medium you’re using, here are some things to consider when writing a call to action:

• Use Good Verbs A good active word – like call, sign up, buy, subscribe, visit – can make a big difference. This makes it very clear what they need to do in order to follow through.
• Make It Prominent Whether in an e-mail, on a webpage, or in a flyer you should make the call to action stand out in some way. This may be through using bold text, a different color, making it bigger, or giving it a border. There shouldn’t be any question what the call to action is.
• Always, Always Use One You should have a call to action on every single page of your website, in every e-mail you send, and on all your marketing. Otherwise, people may just think you’re giving them some nice information they can simply store away for a later date.
• Tell Them How Even if you say “Call Today,” it doesn’t do any good if you don’t include a phone number. You don’t have to have the call to action right next to the website, e-mail address, or phone number, but they should both be easily found. When writing some think of your call to action (e.g. “Call Today”) and then ask “How?” (e.g. “by dialing 800-555-5555).

It can be an easy mistake to make; you might be surprised – if you take the time to look through your junk mail – how many ads don’t include phone numbers or websites, let alone a specific call to action. But there’s no reason you should ever make that mistake now. Make your websites, newsletters, e-mails, and advertising more effective by implementing these call-to-action tips!

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.