Direct
E-mail Marketing
Do's, Don'ts, Tips, Tricks, and Traps
All
right, you have this great product to sell, and you've got
yourself a spanking new Web site to sell it. Now, you sit
back and wait for the orders to pour in...
To
your great surprise, the only people to even peek at your
site are you, your family, and a couple of your friends. Now
that you have spent time and money to get your Web site, you
naturally expect some return on your investment. So, you decide
you have to market your site and let the world know all about
it.
- Why
is your site unique? Take out your pen (or keyboard)
and write down why people should visit your site. Use the
AIDA (Attention, Information, Desire, Action) technique
to cover all of your bases.
- Where
and how to publicize your site: Choose a segment of
readers and target it, using an attractive pitch. Find Web
sites and newsletters that target your audience and trade
links or ads ; join feedback forums (discreetly); and subscribe
to mailing lists and newsgroups that cover your area of
interest.
- Sign
your work: Develop a short, sweet, polite signature
to use on the Web that lets readers know who you are and
what you do.
- Press
releases and search engines: Send press releases to
interested newspapers and other publications; submit your
site to search engines.
- It's
not Spamtastic: E-mail can be great, but avoid (like
the plague) sending unsolicited, unwanted e-mail in an effort
to attract business.
The
first step is to start thinking of what you feel is unique
about your site and put it in writing. Why would people want
to visit your site and not any of the dozens of other sites
your competitors have put up? A marketer would call this your
USP (Unique Selling Proposition).
Work
the entire thing into a short, clear note, preferably less
than a page in length. If you feel something has to be covered
in greater detail, include a link to an appropriate page on
your Web site.
When
writing, use what's called the AIDA strategy.
- Attention:
The first part of your write-up grabs the readers' attention.
- Information:
The second part gives them information.
- Desire:
The third part makes them desire your product.
- Action:
The fourth part spurs them to action making them reach for
their credit card and buy your product.
Now,
you've reached the halfway stage: You have a product to sell,
a Web site to promote it, and a fantastic write-up. The next
half of the marketing process is to find out where and how
to publicize your site.
Segment,
target, and fire!
Use
the STP process: Segmentation, Targeting, and Positioning.
This is, in essence, a simple concept.
- Divide
and conquer: Divide the people you can reach into segments
based on various criteria (say, employed women between 25
and 35 who live in your city's suburbs).
- Segment
and Target: Decide which segments are likely to be interested
in buying your product. Target your promotions to these
segments, concentrating your efforts on them.
- Make
your pitch attractive: Position your product so it is
attractive to these segments. This means you have to customize
your presentation to make sure it will appeal to the target
audience. For details, read the brilliant book Positioning
by Al Ries and Jack Trout, the originators of this concept.
- Trade
links and ads: Find other Web sites and opt-in e-mail
newsletters and see if you can trade links or e-mail newsletter
ads. This can be the single most effective thing you
can do if you find sites and lists that are focused
to people who will be interested in your products or services.
- Talk
back: Maintain a feedback form and a "tell a friend"
form on your site, encouraging visitors to send in comments
and tell friends about your site. Include some freebies
to attract your user (say a mouse pad or a 10% discount
for the best comment you receive).
Make sure you it's clear to people that they're signing
p for your list. Make sure to include a clear privacy policy,
even something as short as, "We never share your name or
e-mail address with anyone." If you do share or sell your
lists, include a checkbox that allows visitors to say they
don't want any promotional mail from anyone else.
Don't send e-mail to people who haven't asked for it. That's called Spam, and it can do you more harm than good.
Ignore the Spam you get offering to sell you a million
e-mail names for $20-just take a $20 bill and light it with
a match. That will probably do you less harm.
- Get
on the Liszt: Now, start identifying the various mailing
lists and newsgroups that are relevant to your site and
are usually read by your target audience. Liszt
is a great search engine for mailing lists and DejaNews
for newsgroups. Subscribe to the most popular ones, sit
tight, and read them for a while, till you understand what's
going on. Don't post anything as yet.
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