This is Not Spam

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Contrary to common belief, emails are still a relevant form of communication.  As a child I used to think that emails were for grown ups and that I would never need one of those because only really important businessmen use them.  Boy, was I wrong.  Since being in college and even rarely in high school emailing has been very vital for me.  Emails offer a swift and convenient mode of communication that is useful to almost anyone.  For businesses and companies, this is their bread and butter to reach the consumer on a personal level.  Email marketing is a component of business that is still very much relevant today as smart phones allow consumers to receive emails just like text messages.    In an article I read about email marketing tips, Jack Simpson offers some advice as to how companies should utilize this aspect the best.  This is broken down into five different sections: Getting started, Content, Subject Line, Sending, and Managing Subscribers.

How to Start

One of the key components with getting started is knowing where to start.  A business can not just start sending email notifications to any and everybody.  Once they have identified their target market, they should isolate it and focus on it mainly.  By knowing their audience this will help with giving them a foundation to start with their emails.  If they would like to expand their email list initially, they should look at promoting their email newsletter on the various social media facets.

Content

Content is a reoccurring theme that has been showing up in many of my blog posts.  Whether it is a web site or an email to a potential customer, content is always going to be strong component to rely on.  When designing these emails it is important to try to make it as personal as possible.  There is no realistic way to personalize the email to one specific person, but you can create it as if you were only sending it to one person.  It is also important to be as fluid as possible.  People often times get turned off if it as if there is an automated service calling their phone over and over.  The same goes with emails.  Use language that people from all demographics can relate to and agree with.

What’s it All About?

The subject line is something that I even struggle with today.  There is no clear, concise way to get the subject across with minimal words.  Unless the email is very specific, the subject will be sort of ambiguous.  In the article, Simpson says to keep the subject line short and punchy.  Get to the point instead of leaving the customer in the dark.  Companies should also use words that show urgency.  Being that it was just the end of the year, many people got emails indicating that the sales will be off the charts for the start of the new year.

Return to Sender

When sending out the emails, companies should be aware of what their email contains and who it is being sent to.  Proofreading emails is very vital, customers will not look at businesses in the same light if they have an immense amount of grammitcal errors.  Emails should be thouroughly checked by someone who did initially write it so that it is seen by a fresh set of eyes.  Consistency ranks high on the importance scale as well.  Customers look for weekly, even daily deals from their favorite companies.  Keeping up with consumer need and want is what keeps the company running and should be rightfully adhered to.

Subscriptions

Subscribers are the driving factors to many businesses nowadays on and off the internet.  Subscribers reflect the company’s ability to retain and attract customers to their products.  Simpson asserts that a welcome email should be sent to every new subscriber.  I agree with this point when I receive a welcome email from a company I know that they are aware of new customers and customer service as well.  It shows humility especially for upscale companies that have seen hundreds and hundreds of subscribers.  With new subscribers comes those that unsubscribe.  Unsubscribing should be just as easy as it was to get involved with the company.  This will help with reviews down the line.

Company Spotlight: True Religion

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True Religion is the company I chose to spotlight for this blog.  True Religion is a clothing company that carries designer denim and apparel.  Being a past customer of True Religion, their email marketing is quite substantial when compared to their competition.  True Religion usually sends an email out daily of deals, coupons, and even new apparel that has just hit their online store.  This is done once you have bought something from their online store, in the hopes that you will return to their site again.  Many of the emails contain photos of the new apparel and upcoming releases as well.  True Religion knows how to reach their target market and knows how to carefully market their emailing service.