I hear Constant Contact advertising on the radio all the time. Constant Contact is a web-based email newsletter production and distribution service (ASP or application service provider).

They really are doing a great job promoting their product. I use it myself to produce and distribute my own email newsletter, Internet Marketing for Wedding Professionals, and recommend it highly.

As Paul Harvey said (RIP Brother!) “Now, here’s the rest of the story…”

You can’t just sign-up for Constant Contact, throw together an email message, push the send button, and expect it to work.

Actually, if you take this approach you’ll more likely HURT your business than help it.

Nine times out of ten, it’s more cost effective to have a professional email marketing publisher/producer put together and manage your email newsletters.

EMAIL marketing works - when you do great email marketing.

The keyword here is GREAT.

And I mean GREAT.

Average email marketing doesn’t work. Even “good” email marketing only delivers marginal results.

Why? Because there is too much competition for space in people’s email boxes.

“Good” or “average” email marketing is sort of like throwing mud up on the wall and hoping some sticks.

But I don’t hear anyone saying this - hello out there?

An old client of mine decided to do her own email marketing. She said “it was easy.”

Her most recent email “blast,” as she calls it, and aptly named because I’m sure it was a bomb, looks like it was thrown together after a night out on the town.

First, it sounded like a used car salesman - more hype than value / benefit / unique value proposition. The “what’s in it for me” message was present, almost, but weak.

It also had a smack of desperation. At least to me. Hype and desperation, two ways NOT to open with in an email newsletter.

A quick look at the first paragraph and anyone who had opened it was probably hitting either their UNSUBSCRIBE link or deleting the email.

1) Sending junk to people, even if they asked for it, isn’t a good idea and can hurt your image.

2) Lousy email newsletters break a “trust” that was created. “I’ll give you my email address and allow you to send me stuff… but don’t just bombard me with sales pitches and give me something in return (i.e. valuable, helpful information).

3) The more effort you put into your email marketing and email newsletters the better the results will be.

4) If your open rate is under 30% you have a problem. Either your list is bad (which it shouldn’t be, if you are using double-opt-in) or nobody is really interested in your information (and they just haven’t gotten around to unsubscribing yet - but they will).

5) EMAIL marketing works. It takes some time and it takes some effort, but your ROI should be outstanding.

Bottom Line: There is simply too much “stuff” (email) flying around the Internet to make “average” email newsletters effective.

Put some time and effort into your email marketing campaigns and you’ll get better results as well as keep your subscribers happy.

EMAIL Marketing Mistakes

—————
Chris Jaeger
Marketing to Brides Online
(866) 652-7791 x701

 

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