Marketing your web site can also be done utilizing email and special lists of potential customers who have “opted in”, or given their permission for you to send them email containing advertising. The key words here are opt in. Way too often, businesses and scam artists ignore this and send advertising email anyway. This is known as spam and has become a major irritant to most internet users. Often it has the reverse effect from its sender’s intentions.  It tends to drive away customers rather than producing new customers. Make sure the email you send is solicited (requested by its recipient). Send your email marketing only to those that are on your opt in list. Also, give those who opt in a good reason for doing it. They must perceive value in providing their email address to you and allowing you to send them marketing material. As a matter of course, limit the number of times you send email to each person. Pick your shots and make its contents valuable to its recipient.

Overview

• Forrester Research predicts over 200 billion marketing email messages will be sent by 2004 in the US.  Anit-spam laws will knock out a lot. Most of the remaining will be opt in.

• Offer opt in option to visitors (opt in sign up button) and customers (check box on order form) to receive news about product updates. Provide preferred  customer discounts and special sale prices available only to them as an incentive to opt in.

• Write, prominently display, and adhere to a Privacy Policy assuring privacy and protection to opt ins from your sharing their email address with spammers, telemarketers, or other companies. They are providing their email address to you, not to the world. It is not a commodity you can buy or sell to others.

• Your marketing email messages should contain useful information as well as price discounts, industry events and trends. You can use HTML to compose them and add colors, images, and a more attractive design.

• Confirm everything by email: orders, opt-in requests, shipping notification, shipping confirmations, resolution of problems customers contacted you about. Email provides a record of actions and is a courteous way to acknowledge feedback received from your customers.
   

Opt In Email Rules

• Send only to confirmed opt in. Avoid opt out (sending to customers unless they specifically email you not to. Unscrupulous spammers have used opt out confirmations as a way to verify email addresses and consumers are getting wise to this ruse.
• Allow users to choose their preferences: What kind of info? How often?
• Provide rewards to customers for giving you their email address: insider information, newsletter subscriptions (first 3 issues or back issues free), access to passworded section of your site, free gift, or an ecoupon.
• Do not sell, rent, or give your opt in list to others. Customers give it to you, not them.
• Develop and post a Privacy Policy. Follow it scrupulously.
• Respond to customer emails promptly. Use auto responders to immediately acknowledge receipt and providing a time frame for a complete response. Try to respond to them within an hour. Do not delay more than a day if at all possible. The longer your delay a response (even if it is to say you are looking into the matter), the more likely you are to lose that person as a customer.
• Don’t use rented lists. Develop your own.
• Treat your customers and opt in visitors right. Bad news travels faster than good news on the internet and poor treatment by companies is a powerful motivator for someone to share the unfortunate experience with as many other people as they can.
   

EMail Newsletters

Email newsletters are an excellent way to maintain contact with your customers and build long term customer loyalty. It essentially involves composing a one page informational newsletter about what is happening in your business, your industry, or improvements in your product line. The goal of this newsletter is to keep your customers informed and involved in your business and industry.
 

• Send regularly to opt in customers and visitors. Offer opt in option to visitors (opt in sign up button) and customers (check box on order form) to receive newsletter.

• Include useful info, tips, news about product updates, coupons.

• Avoid ads as they will be perceived as Spam.

• Consider offering an ezine, a longer newsletter which includes images, articles, and opinions. If you’re opinionated, have a digital camera, and own Adobe Acrobat, you can make your ezine look quite professional with very little extra time and effort.