Email marketing is an integral part of many marketing campaigns today. It’s inexpensive to produce and you can reach a large group of people quickly. However, due to the volume of email that people receive, many are becoming numb to or irritated by unsolicited email.
In an article on Gannett’s Cincinnati.com website, it’s stated perfectly, “Responsible email marketing is hinged on permission-based deployments.” If your prospect did not give you specific permission to contact him via email, chances are your message will be deleted without being read, or worse, be marked as spam.
Permission email marketing hinges on your customers opting-in to your marketing campaign. This can be done when your customer registers on your web site, or can be included as a check box when the customer orders from you. For retail establishments, the customer could fill out a paper form on your check out counter. In any case, the customer gives you express permission to contact them via email when they opt-in.
However, once you have a list of customers and prospects who have given you permission to contact them, it’s not enough just to send generic messages to the whole list. Permission email marketing requires the same planning, design, and personalization used in other media. The Direct Marketing Association (UK) recently reported the results of a survey by GI Insight, stating that, “53 per cent of those questioned did not believe the emails they received from brands were relevant to them.”
The same databases that allow companies to tailor messages to each recipient in direct mail can be applied to email marketing as well, and in fact it’s even easier, because the printing part of the equation is not required. You can create email messages that include information on products and services that are relevant to the specific individual, and this customization will make the recipient more likely to consistently open your email and click through for more information.
I'm the Director of Digital Services and Partner at Ballantine, a family-owned and operated direct mail & digital marketing company based in New Jersey. and started in 1966 by my great uncle!
