10
Jun
2018
Taking Advantage of E-Mail Marketing Providers
The days where you could send a single e-mail and blind-copy hundreds of other people are long gone. Spam filters, firewalls, junk folders, and consumer distrust are all reasons to turn to professionals for help with your e-mail strategy. E-Mail Marketing Providers (EMPs) are companies that provide one or more of the following commercial e-mail services:
- Improved e-mail deliverability
- Database and list management
- E-mail template design
- Social media integration
- Mobile device formatting
- The e-mail message and content creation
- Report tracking
- Advice and consulting
EMPs allow you to accomplish much more with your e-mail marketing than you could on your own. Some EMPs even provide various levels of outsourcing for higher prices if you don’t want to do your own e-mail marketing. Here are a few examples of the kinds of benefits that EMPs provide: Giving your business a professional look: EMPs can help you create great-looking e-mail communications without any programming knowledge on your part. Most EMPs provide templates with consumer-friendly layouts to accommodate any type of message. Some EMPs provide template-creation wizards that allow you to control all your design elements for a low cost, and some EMPs either include professional services to help you with semi-custom designs or allow you to completely outsource and customize your template designs. Here are some of the templates that EMPs usually provide:
- Newsletters
- Promotions
- Announcement
- Press releases
- Event invitations
- Greeting cards
- Business letters
Keeping your marketing legal: EMPs are required to incorporate current e-mail laws into their products for the EMP’s customers to easily comply. Reputable EMPs take compliance a step further than the basic legal requirements and adhere to more professional standards in line with consumer preferences. Examples of professional standards include the following:
- Safe unsubscribe links
- Privacy statements
- Physical address added to e-mails
- Sending from a verified e-mail address
Helping you with logistics and reporting: EMPs can help you manage the data and feedback associated with executing your e-mail strategy. Here are some examples of ways in which EMPs can help you manage your information:
- Storage and retrieval of subscriber information
- Reports on deliverability
- Automated handling of subscribe and unsubscribe requests
- Tracking information on blocked and bounced e-mail
Helping with content: EMPs want you to be successful because if your e-mail messages are effective, you will likely reward your EMP by being a loyal customer. Many EMPs have resources available that will help you develop your content and use best-practices. Examples include
- Online communities
- Webinars
- Tutorials
- Classroom-style training
- Consultation
Teaching you best practices: EMPs can give you valuable information on consumer preferences that would be too expensive or impossible for you to obtain on your own. EMPs send a lot of e-mails on behalf of their customers, and they’re good at staying up-to-date on consumer preferences and professional standards. Some EMPs are willing to share their knowledge in order to make your e-mails more effective. Some things you might learn include
- Best times and days to send
- How to improve your open rates
- How to avoid spam complaints
- What to do when e-mail is blocked or filtered
- How to design and layout your content
E-Mail Marketing For Dummies
This eBook will teach you how to use e-mail to attract customers and increase business, build a mailing list, create effective messages and track results.
