Email marketing is fast.  It reaches customers almost immediately and responses typically occur within a matter of seconds to a matter of days.  No long term waiting for measuring the success of the campaign.

Business can also tailor different messages to a variety of audiences and through the results of each campaign they can better understand what works and what doesn’t.  Tracking the success is easy and businesses can discover areas of improvement and refine their messaging as they grow.

While email marketing is cost effective, it is far from easy.  If not done properly or used inappropriately, the effects can backfire in both a loss of customers and being placed on black lists as well as having financial repercussions with fines from anti-spamming laws.  You usually have only one chance to make the right impression.  Once your target “unsubscribes” or lists you as a spammer, you will be gone from their in-box forever.

The fact that the cost per contact is incredibly inexpensive makes email marketing extremely appealing to businesses, but also to those annoying spammers as well.  The activity from spammers that don’t follow the rules make it much more difficult for the legitimate marketers out there to reach their target audiences.  But even with its limitations, email marketing is still more effective than its Internet marketing counterpart and is an effective tool in reaching target audiences.

But to be effective, email marketing involves time to develop.  Professionals are usually hired to write and create the emails.  There are a lot of rules and regulations that professional marketers can help businesses through.  Hiring a professional is well worth your time and money, especially considering the cost effectiveness of email marketing.  When developing these campaigns, experience should outweigh the cost.  Don’t use inexperienced writers or designers, because in the end, their mistakes could cost you more than the difference in the price.  You have to remember, is losing customers due to a bad email campaign worth the cost?  Is the cost of legal fees for not following the rules worth the discounted rates you receive by amateurs that are still learning the ropes?  No.  This is one of those areas where, if you go it alone, good luck – You will need it.  If you hire a professional (that’s us!), your return will be obvious in the end.

And if you do take on this task, remember this:  The time and effort it takes you to develop the campaign yourself has a cost of its own.  While you are working on this, you are not working on your core business and you are using your customers as guinea pigs to your learning curve;  we can do it faster and in the long run, less expensive than you can do this yourself.

In the next post, we will discuss those rules and regulations.  Then you can decide if it is a task on which you are willing to gamble your business.  In the mean time, if you have questions or want to learn more, feel free to give us a call: Full Moon Design Group 512-428-9072

1.  The social market is just one more component in the Wheel of Persuasion. Direct mail and email marketing are

Marketing Wheel of Persuasion

tools on the wheel as well, and in order to have an effective campaign, all elements must be considered,utilized and executed properly, and then measured to receive the maximum ROI.

2.  While there is a mass migration to social media and so many companies are advertising and selling their “wares” on social media sites, they are forgetting about direct mail and email marketing; thus these avenues may actually become more effective.  Direct mail and email marketing can also be just as cost effective as a properly planned social media campaign.  By using all of these avenues to reach your targets on multiple levels and multiple locations you are reinforcing brand recognition and messaging, and creating a stronger campaign as you go.

3.  Email marketing may seem easy, but there are a lot of very strict laws out there that prohibit businesses from sending unsolicited messages.  If you are caught doing this without following the rules, it can be costly on a number of levels.  (A.)  You can be given a pretty steep fine and in this economy can anyone really afford this?  (B.)  You lose the trust of your audience.  When you send spam, you are bringing your company and your campaign down to the same level as those businesses (is that what they really are?) that send out the latest discounts on male enhancement drugs.  Is this really the category under which you want your message to be filed?  No.  Marketing professionals are very aware of these laws and it is in your best interest to consult with them before you try to send anything out.

One thing to remember about using social media to promote your business is that it takes time to develop relationships and gain the trust of those people you are trying to reach.  Then once you reach them, often the messaging is not perceived in the manner in which you intended it to be conveyed.  But remember, perception is reality from each person’s standpoint.  Full Moon Design Group is experienced in reaching audiences using techniques that limit those variations in perception and truly get across the meaning in the light our clients want to be seen in.

Consistency is the key. Direct mail, email marketing and social media can actually be used to cross promote each other.  The point being is that marketing effectiveness does not happen in a bubble.  They should all be a part of your overall campaign.  They strengthen your brand, your image, your message and get you in front of your customers.  Let us help you develop a strategic overall marketing campaign and design the right mix of all of these elements that is right for your company.  Contact us today: 512.428.9072