Your contact list is your secret weapon. Use it wisely.
Email is a powerful tool for networking, referrals and sales, and it can be far superior to Facebook, LinkedIn, and other social media tools.
Why?
Email engagement, not “email marketing.”
If your first impulse is to repeatedly blast generic sales messages to your entire list, stop for a minute. Treat it as simply advertising and your audience will quickly tune out. Bombard them with inbox filler, and they’ll unsubscribe. Worse yet, if they “block” your messages or “label as spam” too often, your entire domain may be blocked from major email carriers. That’s why you should never mass email direct from Outlook or other desktop mail clients—once your personal account is flagged as spam, even your non-commercial emails may go directly to the “spam” folder, never to be read.
Keep your contacts opted-in.
If those two things are the same, you’ve made the right message decision for that audience. Think about who you like to hear from, and what you like to hear from them. Then tailor your outgoing messaging just as carefully.
That depends on how time-sensitive your content is to your readers. Remember them? Talk to them! Ask them how often they want to hear from you. Send (short!) surveys to find out how your messaging is being received. Then take that advice to heart.
Now choose your tools.
The widest-advertised email marketing service providers are Constant Contact and Mailchimp. We like Mailchimp because while Constant Contact has a generous free 60-day trial, Mailchimp is a “freemium” plan—free forever if you don’t want to upgrade to their more advanced options.
There’s also Drip, SendinBlue, GetResponse, Campaigner, and many other great providers to choose from.
They all feature a drag-and-drop interface for easy content creation, picture and other content editors to add visual interest and increase open rates, web sign-up forms, and—most importantly—spam warnings. If your emails are getting flagged, you’ll get notified by your content manager before your engagement plans get ruined.
Need help getting started?
Radial Marketing Group can help. From choosing a mail client to crafting your messaging, we are ready to help you make a great first—or lasting—impression.
Contact us today for more information.
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