The Biggest Mistake that People Make with Email Marketing

by Ntsikelelo

Published on this site: September 1st, 2005 - See more articles from this month

The number one biggest mistake people make with email marketing is people do not understanding the power, nor use the full potential of this application as a medium of communications.

People hate to be sold, but love to buy. Think for a moment. When you hear the story about someone who was sold something, is the ending usually favorable or unfavorable? On the other hand, if you buy something you really like, do you say "Someone sold this to me." or do you say with pride "Look at what I bought"?

Email marketing is one of the simplest forms of dynamic communication today. Everyone has an email address. Some people even have email addresses for their pets. The Internet is a medium that is growing by leap and bounds. "Gillions" of website and mega gillions of email addresses. They are everywhere business cards, websites, promotional products, and even on bus benches.

People love information, especially FREE information. If you are able to deliver information that has a high perceived-value, you will find some taker-uppers to your offers. People will respond, it's just human nature. If you build trust and deliver on your promises, people will listen to you and read your messages. Many, many eNewsletters are read religiously every day, week or month. When the newsletter is late or the publisher misses an issue, they hear about it.

Wait, I see a formula for opportunity, marketing success and profitability if the numbers are only halfway right. Let's look at this picture functionally; you've got mega gillions of email addresses; and zillions of people who would buy almost any product or service, if it is packaged correctly. So let me process this. If I can identify a small loyal percentage of the zillions of people and get their email address then maybe I can hold [daily (I don't suggest it), weekly (you've got to have good stuff) or, monthly (great way to start)] dialogue with my subscribers via an eNewsletter and drop a little knowledge (value) on them to promote my business in a very innocent and professional manner, yet giving them value for their time spent with me. I like that idea; it works for me!

Over time, some people will tell other people about my eNewsletter and then people whom I don't know nor have a relationship with will want to become a part of my mailing list because of something they heard about me from someone else. I'm not dreaming folks. I become the host of my own fan club. If you are not into viral marketing, you are missing the proverbial boat. This is powerful stuff! It is very simple and easy to get email addresses and see your mailing list grow 10, 20 or even 100 fold. Just ask for them for it! A little love goes a long way.

The next step is to develop a compelling message with an appealing/eye-catching user interface for your subscribers and then sending them out email messages on a regularly basis, (daily, weekly or monthly). The articles can be long or short. Short is better in most instances, until you master the concept. Use common sense for your industry and market niche. Remember the old sales adage. "Sell to Bob the way Bob wants to buy." Don't make it hard or difficult. Listen to your customers and give them what they want and what you promised.

Use your writing skills to position yourself as an expert in your field or profession. What's going on? What do people in your realm of the world or business like to hear, see, do or have a general interest in? Find a topic or something you enjoy writing about. The last thing you need is another job. If you find an area you like or have a passion for, it will be easier when you sit down and put your pen to paper.

There is help for those who can't or don't write very well. There are many content providers from which you can purchase content for your eNewsletter. If your kid is a good writer, hire them. Where there is a will, there will be a way! In case no one before me told you, you will need to develop a convincing title that is likely to catch your audience's attention or appeal to a need they have. Value, value, value. Everyone enjoys listening to that same radio station WIIFM (What's In It For Me). Speak to your subscribers in a way that addresses the issues that are important to them and use testimonials whenever possible.

With the number of people you meet everyday you could quickly and easily create a database of thousands of names that could easily grow exponentially into many thousands of names and email addresses if you put action behind your plan to get started. A growing list of small and medium sized firms and civic associations is making huge amounts of money and collecting liberal donations by putting the power and potential of email technology to use to build and enhance their relationship with their members and communities.

Not everyone is your customer! You can do quite well with a small population of loyal subscribers who like you, trust you, and respect you. There is software that makes it possible to quickly and easily create appealing email messages, build and manage large email lists, send personalized targeted messages, and track your success.

The potential is to provide high perceived-value in the customer's mind to establish TOMA (Top of Mind Awareness). Ideally every 8 to 14 days you should sent a new message to your target audience. Remember it may takes 7 or 8 tries just to get invited on to their safelist. Some people will read every issue of your eNewsletter strictly from their junk email folder. People are stingy about letting you into their life. With so many messages coming from so many different directions daily, you have to compete to make a serious impact to get some of their precious time. Committing to read, review or just look at your email is a serious act of loyalty on behalf of your customer. Your opt-in mailing list of people who love you, trust you and have done business with you before can generate a substantial consistent income for years to come

Don't get it twisted; they're doing you the favor. If they don't like what you have to say, or the way you say it, they will just click delete, quicker than a heartbeat. The real potential is to be the favored eNewsletter that people look forward to reading issue after issue, follow recommendations from, refer to their friends, make your sales swell and expand the size and scope of your business while allowing you do the one thing you do best, talk passionately about your organization or subject of interest.

Speak in your eNewsletter about how you bring value, solve problems, save money, reduce time and effort, or provide solutions to problems your customers face. Humor also works. The question becomes in your customer's mind; why should I give you my fat wad of cash for your itty-bitty bag of what did you say it was? With today's technology it is really simple, easy, and affordable to set-up and start a successful email marketing campaign that requires little effort on your part. You can also track your results and manage you email lists as about 37% of all email address change over any given year.

Something very important, kindly respect people's privacy. Be upfront and straight with them as to how you handle their personal information. Trust is very fragile. If they ask to be removed from your list, make it easy. Leave the tricks to unsubscribing them or keeping them on your list to the magicians. It is bad behavior for a web marketer to refuse to unsubscribe any user or make it difficult. Don't waste your time with people who don't want to hear from you. Your reputation and credibility are too important. Frankly, there are bigger fish to fry and other people who need what you offer. Stay focused.

Asking permission, keeping it simple and giving value is the formula for making the power and potential of the Internet and email marketing deliver results that increase sales to overflow your barns. It is the hardest easy work you can ever do

Ntsikelelo is a seasoned Internet Marketer. He is a pioneer, starting in 1995 with his first professional website. His talents include website design, marketings and SEO. He is the owner and operator of three successful web properties: quickeasycontact.com, blasttemplates.com, and needanotary.net. He is a recognized writer, speaker and educator on Internet and Computer related subjects, and Real Estate Finance topics