Email Marketing for Your Business
Many clients who are relatively new to email marketing and looking for the right solution, often ask us what to look out for and where to start when it comes to marketing to their customers via email.

 

What is Email Marketing?

First, let's define what email marketing is - it is the act of sending marketing communications via email to recipients who first request it. Examples of email marketing channels include e-newsletters to customers, partners or vendors; email product promotion/special that can be one-off or part of a larger campaign, online surveys, etc.

 

What are the Essential Components of Effective Email Marketing?

 

Privacy. Ensure that the email solution you purchase or email service you use, such as Miro's Oi! email marketing system, is Spam Act compliant. Being compliant with the Spam Act includes:
  • not sending emails without the prior consent of the recipient
  • email must contain a functional unsubscribe facility
  • email must accurately identify the sender of the message.
As part of our privacy pledge to our customers and partners, Miro does not reveal or share any personal information obtained with a third party without their prior permission.

Relevance. When building your database, strive to obtain an accurate demographic profile of your customers, partners and vendors. Such data enables you to target messages according to the groups' interests, which will in turn encourage recipients to welcome your emails when they appear in their mailboxes, instead of becoming frustrated by irrelevant offers.

Customer Experience. Whenever you create an email marketing campaign, whether it's a monthly newsletter or a special promotion for your customers, remember to keep your customers in mind. Think of what you're presenting from the eyes of the recipient - Does the subject title of the email pique your interest? Do you think the layout and content are engaging and easy to read?

Personalization. Check if the email solution you decide on has the ability to personalize you message to your recipients. You should be able to offer your recipients the option of receiving HTML or text emails from you, and be able to personalize each email with the recipient's name. Such interactive techniques can increase your brand presence significantly, which translates to greater relationship building with your recipients and higher response rates.

Clear and Concise Content. Remember that the email that you sent will be one of the many that your recipients receive. Hence, you need to write content that cuts cleanly through the mumbo jumbo of other email marketing offers from your potential competitors. Use clear a concise language to communicate with your recipients. Note that less is more in this case, as recipients will appreciate brevity over long-windedness when trying to get your message across to them

Branding. Ensure that your brand is clearly represented in an email campaign by tying that into your overall corporate identity and brand strategy. This integrated approach to marketing communications, both online and print, will enable your brand essence to be translated into the online arena as you build your email campaigns that work with your corporate or campaign websites.
 
Control. Before deciding on the email solution you purchase or email service you use, ask yourself how much control you will have in being able to customize the system to garner the information you need from your database. For example, will you be able to customize the fields of your newsletter subscription form to suit your needs? Also find out if the recipients will be allowed some measure of control over their experience. For instance, is there a clear and easy way to "opt out" of mailings, or update their profile and information?

Cost Effectiveness. When selecting your email marketing solution, consider what the on-going costs might be for each campaign you embark on. For instance, does the system or provider charge per email sent? Do you pay a monthly license/subscription fee to use the service or do you own the system outright? With Oi! email marketing system, we offer several options to best suit our customers' needs:
- Oi! Developer Edition for a fully-owned, cost-effective DIY solution for the tech-savvy.
- Oi! Corporate Edition for a no hassle, one-stop solution where Miro sets you up to start your e-marketing efforts instantly.
- Oi! 3-Month Subscription a no hassle, one-stop solution for short-term campaigns.

Planning Your Campaign

Email marketing can be an extremely powerful and cost-effective medium, resulting in a great return on investment (ROI) - a piece of targeted HTML-enhanced email costs less than the price of a postage stamp, yet delivers results many times greater than traditional printed direct mail. A well-planned, relevant campaign may result in success many times over, where a recipient sends on your message to another recipient and so on, creating a viral effect when passing on your offer.

When planning an email marketing campaign, identify what the objective or goal is; determine what message needs to be transmitted; and how to best communicate this message to your target audience. Remember that email marketing can be a huge part of your online marketing efforts and should be integrated into your company's overall marketing communications strategy.

Rice Studios provides the necessary email marketing tools to help you deliver your marketing messages and also provides consultation on effective email marketing campaigns. Contact us for more information.

 

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