BES T PR AC TICES GUIDE EMAIL MARKE TING Learn How to Get (and Keep) Email Permission INSIGHT PROVIDED BY www.constantcontact.com 1-866-876-8464 2011 Constant Contact, Inc. 10-1720
BEST PRACTICES GUIDE EMAIL MARKETING Learn How to Get (and Keep) Email Permission The increased focus on spam in email marketing also means an increased focus on permission. Sure, we re all waiting and hoping for a solution to the spam problem but a foolproof solution has not yet been created. So, in the meantime, as permission-based email marketers, we need to stay diligent in our efforts to earn and keep the permission of our subscribers to the best of our ability. Note: As a rule of thumb, if you are sending consumers promotional emails about products and services, you should be emailing no more frequently than three, maybe four times per month. A rule of thumb always has an exception, and every audience is different, so make your decisions based on your own unique business. What are the best ways to earn and keep permission? These 10 tips are guaranteed to help: 1. Be Straightforward - Remind recipients why they are receiving an email from you. Whether they are a valued customer, a prospect who expressed interest, or a client you want to keep in touch with, the reminder will add credibility to your email and put it into context, thus differentiating your communications from unwanted email. 2. Be Specific - When people sign up to be on your email list, allow them to select precisely their areas of interest (e.g. newsletters, sale notifications, new product or service announcements, event invitations etc.). You can make subscribers feel more comfortable by specifying what they will receive and when they will receive it (e.g. Sign up for Our Weekly Concert Announcement ). Also, you need to identify yourself to your subscribers in the From: line, and use the name they recognize most easily yours, or your company. 3. Be Respectful - Permission can be given, and it can be taken away. It is very important that every email you send has the option for the recipient to unsubscribe or opt-out. Interests may change over time and communications may no longer be valuable to a given subscriber. Those subscribers are entitled to withdraw their permission at will. 4. Be Trustworthy - Your privacy policy should be clearly posted. It adds credibility to your company and your email even if recipients do not click on the link. 5. Be Interested - Are your email communications of value? Is the frequency right? A survey is an inexpensive, easy and immediate way to find out how your customers really feel about your company and your email communications. So, when you do a survey, don t forget to ask how your customers feel about your emails. 2
BEST PRACTICES GUIDE EMAIL MARKETING Learn How to Get (and Keep) Email Permission 6. Be Current - People change ISPs, jobs and email addresses at random. Often, you ll be the last to know. Ask for updated information and give subscribers an easy way to change their email address. This will ensure that your communications continue to be received if, and when, they make a change. List buyer beware! Many email marketers become accidental spammers by making the mistake of buying a list. Permission is not for sale and is not transferable. In addition, provide a way for your subscribers to change their interests and preferences. This will help you continue to provide the information most valuable to them, and target the right audience for each campaign. 7. Be Considerate - Respect the privilege of communicating with your customers and prospects by taking care not to communicate too often. Gratuitous emails are not met with gratitude. Think carefully and plan how many, and what kind of communications you send to your subscribers. 8. Be Diligent - Some subscribers will reply to an email to unsubscribe instead of using the automatic unsubscribe link. Monitor your inbox for unsubscribes, and complaints, then make sure you remove unsubscribe addresses right away and take action on any grievances. 9. Be Observant - Look at your reports! There s a wealth of information just waiting to be discovered. Always pay attention to your unsubscribe rate to ensure that your churn rate remains positive. If you are losing more than.5% of your subscribers per month, take a look at all of the elements of your campaigns, make sure you re following the other 10 tips in this issue, and make adjustments where you re falling short. Opens and click-throughs can also indicate where you might be missing the mark. 10. Beware - Beware of strangers bearing lists! Permission is not transferable. Today, subscribers want to receive email from those companies they have subscribed to, not an unknown third party. When searching for a list, don t be fooled by offers of targeted, clean lists for sale on a CD or otherwise. If anyone claims you can Blast your ad to over 1000 safe addresses for only $5.00! or Buy a CD with 10,000,000 email addresses for only $99!, this is too good to be true. These lists are not permission-based they are spam lists. Follow these 10 permission tips, and Be a part of the spam solution! 3
Before you send: Your Pre-flight Email Checklist Here is a checklist of some key elements that should be in your email newsletter or promotion before you press the Send button: Your From and Subject Lines: Does your From line include your company name or brand? Does your Subject line: meet the guidelines for length (5-8 words, 40 characters including spaces)? incorporate a specific benefit? include your brand (if for some reason your From line does not)? create a sense of urgency? avoid words or punctuation such as Free or exclamation points that could trigger spam filters? Your Email Copy: Will the content of your email be interesting and meaningful to the people you re sending it to? Is your email personalized with the recipient s first name, last name, or both, if appropriate? Is your email copy clear and concise? Will your contacts know what to do once they ve read your email? Should they call to request your free offer? Print out a coupon? Provide comments and feedback on an article? Does your email clearly explain how your product or service can help [benefit] the recipient? Save them money? Time? Aggravation? Have you used appropriate graphics while also making good use of white space? Important Last-Second Checks: Are you prepared to handle inbound email responses and questions resulting from your outbound email campaigns? Follow-through is as important as the first contact. Have you proofread the From line, Subject line, and email copy thoroughly? Have you checked all links to be sure they work properly? Have you previewed and sent yourself a test in both HTML and text formats? When you can answer yes to these questions, you are ready to hit the Send button. Congratulations! If you want to learn more, visit our Learning Center at: ConstantContact.com/learning-center 09-0969b
Successful Marketing Starts Here. Want to try Constant Contact for free? No credit card required. Account expires automatically if you don t like it. You will be contacted by phone by a coach who will help you get started with your free account! Free trial account is for 60 days. Upload an unlimited number of email addresses. Send test newsletters to 10 email addresses. Name: Company: Email Address: Website: Phone: Signature: To use your Free Constant Contact Trial Account, allow 48 hours, then visit: www.constantcontact.com Username will be your email address: Temporary Password will be: ChangeMe (Capital C and capital M. No space between.) Your security question is First Job = Sales Questions? Call Support at: 866-289-2101