TARGETED Email Basics
Because emails can now be composed using HTML
(Hypertext Markup Language) -- the same programming tags used by
developers to build websites -- it is now possible to deliver emails to
your customers with the same visual appeal, interactivity and functional
sophistication as any website. As a result, email newsletters, alerts and
other communications provide marketers with many key advantages not
available with other formats such as PDF attachments, print newsletters
and brochures:
Cost-Effective
Interactive
Integrated
Viral
Easily Modified
Trackable
Targeted/Personalized
Cost-effective: Because email communications are created and
distributed electronically, there are no printing, paper or postage costs.
Which means that the cost of designing and distributing email marketing
materials is substantially less than creating and mailing equivalent print
materials for the same number of customers. As a result, you can
distribute your materials more frequently at lower cost. Additionally,
since it is so easy for recipients to forward emails to multiple friends
and colleagues, your cost-per-contact will drop dramatically as more and
more prospects are reached per communication.
Interactive: Email
encourages dialogue between you and your customers by enabling them to
share their opinions and comments with you through embedded surveys and
other forms. The result is a better understanding of your customers'
needs, opinions and views, and more personal and relevant communications.
Integrated: Drive
additional traffic to your website by inserting links to your site within
email communications. Since most people check their email on a daily basis
(but may not log on to your site very frequently), email acts as sort of a
"mobile website" to draw attention to important issues, developments, and
promotions on your website that might otherwise go unnoticed.
Viral: Existing
customers can easily forward copies of your email to like-minded friends
and colleagues (along with their implied endorsement of your company). The
effect is to transform your customers into a "virtual" sales team - and
spread your brand and message to many more prospective customers than you
could ever hope to reach on your own.
Easily Modified:
Print materials are static - if you want to make even minor changes it
takes time and costs money. With email, changes are as simple as
point-and-click, making it easier to distribute on a more frequent basis
with less hassle.
Trackable: The
latest technology can track how many people viewed and opened your email;
which articles, news, promotions or other content were the most popular;
how many people clicked through from the email to your website; and how
many times your email was forwarded to friends or colleagues of the
initial recipients. No more guessing as to whether your email
communications are hitting the mark.
Targeted/Personalized:
Using database technology, it is very simple to personalize emails, and
deliver targeted content tailored to each recipient's interests.
Personalized communications, in turn, yield higher response rates --
ensuring a faster return-on-investment than with other media.
