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The Pitfalls Of Email Marketing
mail marketing gets a bad highly profitable if done
rap. The controversy about correctly. The main mistake is
email marketing is a trying to convert a prospect when
quagmire that leaves many embarking on email marketing, he
business owners in confusion in says. The direction one should
its wake. take is instead is trying to
attract a qualified prospect.
According to a new study by the
Direct Marketing Association, Attract first, don’t try to
email marketing delivers the convert. It’s actually common
highest return on investment of sense if you think about it. What
all media available to marketers. if some one came up to you and
The study also projects that said BUY THIS with no enticement
email driven sales in the United as to what it was and what it
States will show a compound could do for you? Would you buy
annual growth rate of 14.9% (convert)? Probably not. But say
between 2006 and 2011. But, a girl scout comes to your door
statistics like that only bring with a tray of cookies for you to
about real understanding when the pick one to sample. Did she
outcome of email marketing entice you, attract your
impacting long term attention first? Yep, mostly
customer-relationship-based likely. And how many boxes did
revenue streams is fully known. you buy? And moreover, how many
will you buy year after year
Patrick Valtin*, sales & after year on a regular basis?
marketing expert, president of
M2-TEC USA, INC. and founder of Those emails that do attract your
one of the largest consulting attention and entice you by
company in Europe called U-MAN putting that cookie in front of
BELGIUM claims email marketing is you to nibble on – those are the
successful approaches. interest. It is up to you to
entice them even further so they
That begs the question if they become “sold”. Sold equates to
already are opt-in prospects, do being a repeat customer.
you still have to attract -
aren’t they already qualified Valtin goes on to say that the
prospects if they are in your ways to first attract prospects
database? are done with classical marketing
techniques before email marketing
Not always, according to Patrick. comes into the picture:
Patrick points out the best ROI pay-per-click advertising, search
approach to email marketing is to engine optimization with your
promote to inactive prospects and website, direct mail marketing –
sleeping customers in your data the “more traditional” forms are
base with the purpose to get them the channels used to attract.
active - to turn them into Then once you get a prospect or
(entice them to be) regular, even a first-time customer you
loyal customers. Sleeping can start email marketing to
customers should also be treated them.
as prospects. Old, inactive
prospects were curious enough to Once your prospects are on your
inquire into your company to opt-in list, you have to entice.
begin with. That is the crucial Just on a different level. You
point as Valtin explains. “The have their interest – now hook
biggest false data out there is them.
the saying ‘they were just
curious’ as to the reason a Three common mistakes in email
prospect didn’t close. Look up marketing are:
curious in the dictionary – it is
interest.” So curiosity IS • Trying to sell through the
marketing email. You have to cut According to Valtin, when you
the gradient to attract and then screw up on email marketing lines
convert. The question is: what with prospects or customers, you
will motivate them to join your get cut off and most likely don’t
list? get another chance. It’s too easy
to junk your email address and be
• Making the subject line too shut off from further
ambiguous; using trite phrases communication.
that are actually considered
SPAM. What you have to watch, Three Valtin tips for being
Valtin also warns, is “too hot or successful in email marketing
too juicy is looked upon as SPAM are:
by search engine spiders.”
• Make the subject line
And personalized. “How would you like
a free weekend in Acapulco”
• Not being consistent with compared with “Dear Jane, how
“From” address line. From very would you….” increases by
beginning, the “From” line should 200-300% your chances it will be
be consistent. Even here there is opened. (Note: opened not
a need to have instant converted…but attracted.)
recognition.
• Make one-time customers into
With customers receiving an repeat customers. Offer an
average 400 emails per week and exclusive newsletter only for
checking their email an average customers with highly valuable
of 4 times per day, it is no content.
wonder that email marketing has
taken off. But don’t fall in the • Have an option for people who
trap of using it incorrectly. subscribe to your newsletter to
systematically send it to a communications can solidify
friend which acts as a referral existing relationships, initiate
and consequently per Valtin, new ones and convert one-time
makes it viral. SPAM legislation clients into long-term
still requires those friends to customers,” Valtin advises.
opt-in before you can start “Relationship-building emails
emailing to them, but the leverage the investment you are
referral raises your credibility making in all other forms of
and will give you more bang for marketing, allowing you to grow
your buck! your business more efficiently.”
Valtin says there are many more * Patrick Valtin is a renowned
principles to learn about email international consultant/trainer,
marketing. Having studied specialized in human resources
marketing and sales trends for and business performance. He
the last 35 years, he packs a lot managed a consulting and training
of lore under his Belgian skull. business for 18 years, directly
Understanding the outcome of trained 60,000 people in more
email marketing impacting long than 25 countries. He is the
term customer-relationship-based author of The NE ERA SELLING®
revenue streams is his forte. He System: a down-to-earth,
teaches email marketing at effective approach to constant
marketing boot camps organized by sales success; and The RECRUTECH®
Joy Gendusa, CEO of System, a practical,
PostcardMania, and Marsha result-proven recruitment
Friedman, CEO of Event Management procedure. Over 40,000 sales
Services, Inc. to business professionals have been trained
professionals nationwide. by Patrick Valtin, in more than
20 countries around the world.
“Permission-based email Professionals having attended
Patrick’s sales seminars include Zurich Insurance, AIG, Motorola,
representatives of: BMW, Renault, American Hospital Supply,
Peugeot, Mercedes, Toyota, Ford, Travenol, Unilever, Lendl, Coffee
Century 21, Electricite de Lavazza, etc.
France, Gaz de France, France
Telecom, Assurance Generale,
About the Author:
Karla Jo Helms is the VP Public Relations for PostcardMania, (www.PostcardMania.com)named one of the fastest growing privately-owned companies by Inc Magazine. For more info on Patrick Valtin’s seminars, visit http//www.PowerMarketingMania.com
Read more articles by: Karla Jo Helms
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