Email Marketing

E-marketing with html emails is by far the most successful form of driving sales on the web, whether it be to a bricks-and-morter store or to an eCommerce site… if it is done properly with a list collercted by the client.

First, the email itself has to follow a set of technical protocols so that it does not end up in junk filters or (worse) black-listed as spam. This includes an alternate way of viewing the email in your web browser (note the link at the top), a way for the recipient to opt out of your email list (note the link at the bottom). It is also important that the email's text be "live" (as opposed to being a picture of text in the photos). This is so that if a browser is set to block photos, the text will get the message through in an alternate text-only version, and the curious can view the ad from the link at the top. Finally, it really has to be an artful, dynamic ad that will "convert" the recipient. Companies like Constant Contact have made a huge business of this, and for larger companies that have their own graphic artist, photographer, and web master-on staff, they are a good choice. But for mid-size or smaller companies who only do three or four "e-blasts" a year, a soup-to-nuts organization like ours will yield a consistently better result. MORE INFO AT THE PAGE BOTTOM

What exactly is an HTML email?
An HTML email, like the examples above, uses a simplified version of the same code that is the base for most all websites. The code that is tucked away in the email where you can’t see it, creates a small web page in the viewing window, displaying its graphics from the senders website, so there is never an issue with suspicious “attachments”. True, browsers like Internet Explorer and Firefox can be configured to block HTML emails, but the default position is to allow them. IF recipients have set their browsers to block HTML, a well-configured email also creates a duplicate text-only version of the email, so the message (like 50% OFF!) will get through, as well as presenting a link so that the complete message with pictures can be displayed in the recipient’s browser. There are always at least two other links in such an email: one to take you to the sender’s website, usually to the specific landing page for a specialized promotion. The other link is to give the recipient an option to have the sender remove his email address from the sender’s list, a process referred to as “opting out”. This latter one is required by law.

A word about server-based email applications.
These are quite different from your PC’s email client. They are built to accept html-coded pages and can send around 50,000 emails an hour, depending on your server. Next, depending on the app you are using, it can present the sender with very “granular” statistics, useful in fine-tuning your email campaigns. Finally, it is designed manage your very precious client list, sensing the difference between “hard bounces” (an email address that no longer exists) and “soft bounces” (mail box full, etc). The hard bounces are removed from your list, as well as any “opt outs”.

Can I buy a list of people to send to?
No. At least not the kind that appear in scam emails. You will immediately be blacklisted as a spammer—or worse. An email list must be cultivated from previous sales. If you have a bricks-and-mortar store, make sure you or your clerks charm visitors to sign your “VIP” book for news of sales and exclusive special offers. If you sell online, you will quickly amass a list of every customer as the are compelled to give an email address in the checkout process. Legally, these folks automatically qualify for one follow-up email from you. These lists can be broken down by certain products clients favor, or used in groups for general sales. It is important that you require your eMail marketer to sign an agreement acknowledging your sole ownership of the list even though he/she may be the person managing it.