Internet Business 101

Internet Business 101 : Email Marketing Primer

Email Marketing Primer
Author: Jason A. Martin

A strong email component on your website is absolutely vital these days. Since it is easy to do, there is no reason any website should be without it. It is important that one knows the terms and basic principles of email marketing before engaging in the action to avoid common pitfalls. If you are like most people, the word “spam” probably came to mind the second I said email. Unfortunately, irresponsible people have somewhat ruined this great Internet application. About a decade ago spam really started to kick in and today it is running rampant. With all the noise out there, it is crucial that you lock in your visitors.

Opt-in: A user who enters their email into an email box and submits is considered opted in for the item in question. In the old days this was an ok method for a mailing list. However, it is no longer in use by educated email marketers.

Double Opt-in: Taken a step further than opt-in; the user is send a verification email to the email address they provided and they must confirm its receipt before being marked as an active subscriber. This is mandatory for all email marketers today. It helps eliminate people who enter wrong emails and ensures that the user really does want to subscribe.

A solid email list will have a way for the user to remove their email from the mailing list. The link to this option should be included in every mailing to the user. Additionally, the email list owner should keep data about each subscriber like: date they subscribed, time subscribed, their IP address when they joined and when they verified, and any other technical data that is easy to collect.

To start your own email list you will need software. The Internet is full of software to help you accomplish this. These programs range from easy to complex. If your site is larger or you expect many subscribers, it is best to look for a full featured program. The last thing you need is lots of daily removals or bad email address notifications coming in that require your attention. A quick search at your favorite search engine will reveal many choices.

Free Email Marketing Script: PHPList

Look for solutions that reside on your own server. It is important, for security, that you keep all data on your server. If money is an issue, try searching with the words “free” in front of your search phrase. There are many free email list management scripts out there on the web and some of them are very good. In fact, going with a free one first will help you learn what it is you want or don’t want from an email management software package.

While this article is not meant to educate you on email marketing properly, here are some tips to keep in mind, which we will discuss in other articles.

• Always run your email campaigns properly.
• Do not email your subscribers too often as this simply will annoy them and you will lose loyalty. Only email weekly if you have a lot going on.
• Your emails should contain items of value. If they are simply advertisements, you will lose loyalty and any hope of converting subscribers into profits.
• Your emails need to be written well. If you can not write well (in terms of language usage and marketing), hire someone who can. Two sources for you are Jason A. Martin and Ann Castro. Both have the experience to write effectively.
• If possible, ask your subscribers if they desire a HTML or TEXT email when they subscribe. This is very important. If you send a HTML message to someone who is using a program that can not decipher it (or settings are off for security), your message will fall to the wayside. Text based emails should always be your first choice unless they specify otherwise. HTML emails are fantastic but only when the user is guaranteed to see them properly.
• Each email should contain a statement informing the user as to why they are receiving the email as well as a link that allows them to remove their email promptly. This information should never be hidden (IE small font, bottom of email, etc). You want your subscribers to respect you.

Having an email campaign associated with your website will help you keep visitors coming back over and over. Without it, many visitors would have forgotten about your website and never returned. When done properly, email marketing fits nicely in the marketing machine for your website and is priceless.

Jason A. Martin has been conducting business on the Internet for 11 years. He is a free-lance writer on many topics and is currently working on obtaining a degree in Journalism and Law.

His official blog can be viewed at: Jason A. Martin

©2005 Jason Andrew Martin LLC

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