The Challenges of Email Marketing

If you were around several years ago, you'd probably remember that everyone was marketing via email -- and with good reason, too: most messages were delivered, and thus email marketing was considered a powerful, "cheap" way to promote a business.

It's harder these days. All the junk mail that flows through to our mailboxes makes it harder and harder to get legitimate email delivered to the recipient, let alone actually read.

And if it does get through? Hey, people are busy and fed up with spam.... who can blame them if they hit the delete key (whether on purpose or by accident)?

Without fail, all of the businesses I've spoken with who market their wares via email have seen a marked decline in the profitability of their email campaigns over the last couple of years... and it's only getting worse.

I know some people will argue that there are numerous services that check your email messages for "trigger words." If you're not familiar with them, the idea behind them is that they look for words or phrases commonly used in spam. Every time it encounters one, it assigns a certain "point value" to it. Emails that score over a specific threshold are considered too "spammy" to make it through email filters. The author of the email can then tweak his message until the spam checker indicates that it's clean enough to get through most filters.

To be perfectly frank, I don't have much faith in these things. I'm subscribed to a couple of dozen newsletters. Several of them even place a statement saying that their newsletters have been checked and found "clean" -- yet they regularly end up in my Trash bin.

It's a tough job, probably an impossible job, to try to figure out all the various email filters. White-listing (specifying email addresses whose messages should be allowed to get through) is becoming more practical - and even necessary - than is black-listing (specifying email addresses that should be blocked).

And of course, even if your message does get through to the recipient, there's no guarantee he's going to read it.

So what can you do to help your messages get through to the intended recipient?

a. Use double opt-in

That is, make sure your list management software sends out a verification email to ensure that the recipient really wants to be subscribed to your list.

One of the biggest complaints about double opt-in is that businesses lose subscribers because they don't bother with the verification process.

First of all, this isn't necessarily true -- it wasn't for me, anyways. Test it out and see for yourself.

Secondly: double opt-in allows for a much cleaner list. Not only do you eliminate mistyped addresses, but you also help to ensure that the subscribers you have are those who really want to be there. That translates into fewer hassles and potentially higher profitability since they're presumably more interested in what you have to offer.

Even if double opt-in does result in a slower-growing list, so what? It's better to have a responsive list than a big one.

Single opt-in allows for mistakes (mistyped addresses); malicious subscriptions (don't know why someone would want to enter other people's addresses, but it happens); and a higher risk of spam complaints. Are you willing to take the risk?

Make sure your chosen list management software at least gives you the option to use double opt-in, even if you're not convinced you to want to right away. The one I use is ListMailPro. It gives you unlimited lists, unlimited subscribers, and a handy scheduling capability. Plus the verification email (if you use double opt-in) is an easy "one-click" step for the recipient.

b. Ask subscribers to "white-list" you

Ok, depending on your audience, your subscribers might not understand this request. But it doesn't hurt to mention it, eg. "This newsletter will be coming from the email address, newsletter@yourdomain.com. If you are using email filters, please allow this address into your email inbox."

c. Consider posting on the web

Lots of publishers these days will send a very brief email notification that a special offer/newsletter/ (or whatever they're sending) is on the web, and provide the URL. Others will send a full email message, then follow up a couple of days later with a brief email letting readers know where to find the message online. Sometimes this short email will get through to people whose filters may have gobbled up the initial message.

Traditional "real world" marketing is gaining favor with businesses who used to rely heavily on email. I know several business owners who have turned back to the good 'ol stuffing-envelopes-with-brochures method. And there really are benefits to going the offline route. For example:

• You have the opportunity to use various colors, textures, smell, materials, tangible bonuses or gifts... lots of stuff you don't get to do in an email (or that's harder to do via email).
• It's tangible -- something people keep around. I know that sometimes an ad in the mail "sort of" catches my attention, but not enough to hold it for the moment. So I toss the flyer/postcard/ business card on the counter (or pin it on my mess of a fridge with a magnet). Then, days, weeks, or even months later, I see it -- and sometimes even act on it.
• It's harder to ignore. An eye-catching postcard, for instance, is easy to skim even while you sort through the day's mail. An email, on the other hand, may not even make it through the filters -- and if does, it's likely to be buried amongst loads of junk mail.

Offline marketing methods include brochures, postcards, business cards, flyers, advertisements in trade magazines or other publications, attendance at a trade show, publicity (print media, radio, or TV), or partnering with local businesses.

Bill Myers book, "301 Direct Mail Tips, Techniques, and Secrets" has lots of useful tips. You should be ready to find a copy somewhere by using Google. I got mine -- a printed copy -- off of eBay.

• eBay for Americans
• eBay for Canadians

The point isn't to turn you off email marketing -- or try to make you stick to it. Obviously, you need to go where your audience is, and market to them the way they prefer. If only a small portion of your audience hangs around the 'net, then going offline is probably going to yield better results for you anyways. If the vast majority of your audience is devoted internet junkies, then cyberspace is where you may want to concentrate your marketing efforts.