Tue 1 Jul 2008
Without a doubt, email marketing is one of the most cost effective and work smart methods for marketing your business. You can reach thousands of prospects with just a simple click of a button. Yet, most marketers struggle to get effective results from their marketing efforts.
Not only are you faced with the CAN-SPAM Act and being compliant, but the email systems your prospects use can easily filter out your email before they ever see your message. Plus, people are bombarded with an avalanche of emails every day. This makes email marketing very challenging.
The great news is you can learn how to be effective using email as a method of marketing. Your success at using email effectively begins by understanding some very simple fundamentals regarding the use of email. These basics must be learned and applied, especially if you want to tap the true power of using email in your marketing, so you can have a competitive advantage.
As with any marketing method, it will take you time, patience, and consistent tracking of your marketing actions. Just because you have an email address and something to offer, does not mean you will get the results you want when you send an email message. There is much more to it.
As a Certified Training Consultant and Success Coach, I have worked with thousands of marketers over the years. I have also observed through their marketing efforts, as well as through all the emails I receive everyday, that most marketers misunderstand email marketing. Therefore, they get pitiful results. The misunderstanding is not only in how to use email but also in the power email marketing can provide to their business.
In March 1999, I began a track of personal success that helped me achieve a record of consistency in my marketing efforts. In fact, I personally sponsored over 800+ people total, which spanned a record of me sponsoring an average of 10+ people a month for 73 consecutive months.
The success I had did not come over night, nor did it happen with any magical tool. But it did happen with the use of technology including email. The fact is the technology helped me leverage my time and effort so I could focus my time in talking with primarily interested prospects. About 80% of my marketing efforts were connected to online marketing and email played an important part in my entire marketing strategy.
I continue to use email effectively in my business, not only for marketing but also for follow-up and support. The facts prove email works and email is a work smart tool. This is one of the reasons it is one of the 5 methods categories required in the 5 Point Strategy I use in the marketing of my business.
Why do I succeed at email marketing and others seem to fail? Simple - I take consistent action doing the things that work! The bottom line is that I have learned how to use email and unleash the power of email marketing in building my business.
Following are seven tips to follow, which will help you effectively use email in your marketing. Learn these tips and make sure you apply what you learn.
TIP # 1 - Email is Just a Tool
The method of email marketing consists of many tools and email is just one of many tools you will use. Other tools include, but are not limited to, auto responder follow-up systems, instant messaging, broadcast systems, and web sites.
Use email as a tool for leveraging your time and to supplement your communication with your prospects and downline. Do not forget the fact that network marketing is about building relationships and you can’t build relationships unless you talk with people. Regardless of what tools you use in your email marketing campaign, your most important tool in email marketing is the telephone.
TIP # 2 - Understand What It Takes to Get the Results You Want
Type a message, click send, and they join! In the reality, that rarely happens. In fact, over 97% of those marketing online with email are not getting the results they want. Why? The answer is simple, but not easy! They are not adhering to the very basic fundamentals that make email marketing work.
In marketing, there are three critical areas of the marketing mix affecting your results:
1) Your message
2) Your target market
3) Your marketing method
To get the results you want, you must make certain these three areas of your marketing mix are in balance. I one area is out of balance, you will NOT get the results you want.
TIP # 3 - Think Long Term!
Too often we are thinking short term and focus only on the immediate gain. One very important lesson I learned early on is that consistent email marketing and following up with prospects long term makes a big pay off.
I do a lot of market-testing using email and other technological tools. I also use some very basic tools that help me keep a pulse on my actions, ensuring that I am consistently doing what works. To accomplish this task, I track and I recommend you do to.
In my own business, I had done a study about three years after I started using email in my marketing. In this study, the statistics showed I averaged a 12.2%+ conversion rate in the conversion of prospect to new customer/downline.
The real breakthrough for me came from what the study revealed on long-term results. The results in this study proved to me conclusively that the greatest benefits from email marketing efforts come from long-term effort. Here is what my statistics showed and the results are Phenomenal! This study looked at the prospects who entered my email marketing system in the first 70 days of its use. What was discovered was that within 30-45 days of entering the system, 10%+ of the prospects converted from prospect to downline (customer). At the time of this study, of those prospects entering the system in the first 70 days, I also had a long-term conversion rate of 29.72%! The bottom line is, the power is in the follow-up… and email works to supplement your overall marketing efforts. Think long-term!
TIP # 4 - Do NOT Spam!
This is more than a tip, this is a rule you should never break. Spamming is irresponsible and can get you into major trouble. It can also cause a lot of problems. Spamming can ruin your reputation and credibility. Bottom line is do not do it.
With the CAN-SPAM Act, one can also be intimidated as a marketer. This is where you must become a student of email marketing and learn from what we teach you (we invest a ton of money in market-testing and teach what works). You will find, over time you will
master the necessary skills to be effective in email marketing. The extra steps you take in learning effective email marketing and how to get results without spamming, the less likely you will be accused of spam. Being responsible in your marketing is essential and is required if you want to be view as credible in the marketplace.
TIP # 5 - Keep It Simple
While the technologies we have today look great and sound like the next best thing since sliced bread, stick to the basics. You do not need all the bells and whistles. You don’t need video or even audio. But you do need an effective message focused on your prospect’s wants and needs.
Unfortunately, too many marketers do not realize that many people operate with older computer systems. Although you may have the latest technology, keep in mind most of your prospects are not internet savvy and are not working with the latest of technologies.
TIP # 6 - Personalize
People do business with people they know and trust. Personalization in your email marketing will extend a very long way. Use the prospect’s name and even relate to things you know about your prospect and their wants or needs. It is critical that you personalize whenever possible.
When sending email using an email broadcast tool, you can mail merge your prospect’s information into a canned letter, which will give an appearance of a personal letter. However, be careful not to overdo the personalization.
In addition, remember there is a real person on the other end of your email marketing message. With this in mind, periodically email a personal one-on-one letter to your prospect. Remember, people do business with people they know and trust.
TIP #7 - Communicate to Educate
The people you are marketing to have unique wants and needs. They are often looking for a solution for what they want to accomplish, fix, or avoid. With this in mind, it is critical that you communicate to educate.
While you will always have a call to action and will be marketing to generate new and repeat business, the body of your message should be on education. Just like this article, I wrote it to educate, but with an objective to build your trust and confidence in me. The fact is if you find this information valuable, you will naturally want to learn more and will either email me or look up my web site.
This will work in your own communications with your prospects as well. They are eager to learn and when you communicate to educate in your email messages, you will improve your prospect’s perspective of you and what you offer.
That’s it - seven simple and effective email marketing tips! There are more tips I can teach you, but master these first. Take responsibility in your marketing. Most of all, make sure you learn and implement what you learn, then track your progress. Be sure to let me know how this has worked for you.
