Email marketing is one of the best performing marketing channels online. According to the DMA, for every dollar spent on email marketing, you can expect a return on investment of $43. But it's not as simple as sending an email to a list to get this sort of result. You will first want to evaluate the quality of your list before you hit that send button. Download this free step-by-step guide for pointers on building a high performance email list that works.
Building your
opt-in contact list
A Step-by-Step Guide to Collecting
Email Addresses
Need help getting started?Call 1-866-358-6355Best Practices Checklist Tip #1Never, ever buy an email list.
Congratulations! You've taken the first step towards leveraging one of the best performing marketing channels online. According to the DMA, for every dollar spent on email marketing, you can expect a return on your investment of $43. But it's not as simple as sending an email to a list to get this sort of result. You will first want to evaluate the quality of your list before you hit that send button. Here are a few pointers.Best Practices Checklist Tip #2Grow your own list by offering great and unique content for your emails.
Email lists: buy, rent or build your own?
Buying a listIf your whole email marketing strategy relies on the acquisition of a purchased list, then you are doomed to fail. Why? Because successful email marketing is based on permission and trust.
When you purchase a list, the recipients of the list have never heard of you or your company. Think about your own email habits. When was the last time you opened an email from a person or company you did not recognize?
Purchased lists often times contain spamtraps which are email addresses used to capture spam. These addresses do not belong to a real person and are used as decoys to catch spammers.
In addition, good quality lists are a company's lifeline and most valuable asset. Why would they want to share it with anyone?
The consequences of sending emails to a purchased list can include:
Poor response. If the recipient doesn't recognize you, your product or your company, they will more often than not delete your email without reading it or worse, flag it as junk mail. Too many junk mail flags and you will likely get blacklisted.
Blacklisting. This results in having your emails blocked from entire domains and your emails won't reach your intended recipient.
H efty fines. In some cases tens of thousands of dollars for violating CAN-SPAM laws.
Irreparable damage to your reputation. This will negatively skew results for future campaigns. Your business's reputation is one of your most important assets. Don't jeopardize it by sending spam. The difference between a mediocre and a great reputation can impact your campaign's success by as much as 20%!Best Practices Checklist Tip #3Ask only for the information you need.
What is CAN-SPAM?
It stands for Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography And Marketing act of 2003. It defines the rules for legal email marketing. To comply with CAN-SPAM, you must:
Maintain a "Do Not Email" list.
Add your company name and postal address to emails.
Allow for an uncomplicated opt-out process by any means mentioned in the email (unsubscribe link, reply-to, mail, telephone, etc.)
Place those who unsubscribe on your "Do Not Email" list within 10 days and do not contact them by email again.
Online email marketing services help you remain CAN-SPAM compliant by automatically building in safety mechanisms to keep you from accidentally sending spam. When someone clicks on the unsubscribe link in the emails you send, that email address is automatically moved to your "Do Not Email" list.Renting a list
List rental is the middle ground between buying a list and building your own list. This usually consists of having a company that has a list of recipients within your target audience sending an offer on your behalf. By renting a list, you will not actually have access to the list of email addresses as it belongs to the list owner. A well planned list sponsorship can definitely help you build your own contact list. If you do decide to go this route, make sure your offer includes registration to your own opt-in list. And make sure this list is not being too frequently marketed to.
Best Practices Checklist Tip #4Keep sending emails at the frequency you outlined when your subscriber joined.
Best Practices Checklist Tip #5Use both HTML and text formats. Avoid using one big image!"
Best Practices Checklist Tip #6The more often you sendemails, the shorter theemails should be.
Building your own opt-in list
Keep in mind that you can get started with email marketing with as few as 2 email addresses. That list can eas... [download for more]
