Email Marketing

There’s no more cost-effective way than email marketing
to reach a targeted group of people in a very short time. Whether
you’re running the marketing or public relations efforts for a soccer
club or a small business, effective email marketing allows you to
get your message across with a minimum of effort. But no matter if
your email marketing efforts are for a non-profit or a profit-seeking
entity, you must go about things the right way …

Email marketing is like a campfire. You must take every measure to
ensure that it does not burn out of control. Do it right and you can
stay warm, cook those doggies, and roast those marshmallows. Do it
wrong and you’ll infuriate your readers, run afoul of the CAN-SPAM
laws, and burn your campsite to the ground.

There are lots of decisions to make when it comes to launching an
email marketing campaign.

Should you use an email marketing agency or roll your own?
This is all about image. If you have the people-power to write and
design a great email newsletter or marketing campaign, go for it.
If not, you’re either going to have to obtain those skills or pay
for the talent. But this isn’t something you’ll pick up on overnight.
Email marketing is filled with tricks and traps, not to mention subtle
nuance. If you’re lacking those writing and design skills, you’ll
probably want to work with professionals to get things started, at
the very least.

Who will handle the actual mailing? Once your message
is written and designed, you need to get it over the wire. It’s not
as simple as pushing a button. If you roll your own, will you use
an email marketing service bureau to handle the mailing or do the
mailing yourself with specialized email software?

The size of your list will help you determine if you need an industrial-strength
solution like Lyris or if you can get by with a do-it-yourself desktop
application like WorldMerge. If you decide to send your own email,
your Internet service provider needs to be able to handle the flow.
If your ISP thinks you’re sending out a flow of canned luncheon meat,
they’re likely to shut off the flow.

Staying on the good side of your ISP is a good thing. On that note,
there’s a wide range of companies that can handle the mass emailing
chores for you. Companies like ExactTarget, ConstantContact, OmniPoint,
Boomerang, Bronto, and Topica can make things fly.

Do you want to send HTML email or standard ASCII email?
While purists may be loathe to send anything other than plain vanilla
ASCII messages, the commercial world has gone the HTML path. While
ASCII is lean and mean, going with HTML will let you track your email
open and click rates.

No matter which routes you follow, it is essential to follow the
federal laws:

• Never use false or misleading headers in your
  email.
• Never use a deceptive subject line.
• Always provide a way for your readers to opt-out
  of your mailings.
• Always identify your commercial email as such.
• Always include a valid physical postal address.

And that’s just a start …