The Email Marketing Money Pit

There is plenty of web content about email marketing tips, techniques, tools etc. So, I am not going to reiterate what others already have said.

BUT...

I do have direct experience with it's effectiveness and challenges with opt-outs and CanSpam law, so my thoughts and recommendations follow.

The days of immediate ROI from email marketing are dead I think, UNLESS you have a product one of its kind and so in demand that competition is non-existent.

It is so easy to overspend and bleed marketing budgets unless you put your Savvy Marketer hat on!

Otherwise, successful email marketing, meaning lowest cost for greatest return, is more determined by the excellence of your PR and Marketing guru(s) then any email marketing partner promises.

The most successful email marketing campaigns I have observed and managed are those that are tightly integrated with the WHOLE eco-system of your marketing stratey.

That means PR, Sales communications, web content, banner ads, Affiliates etc.

The TOP 5 SUCCESS CRITERIA are:

1. a product or service that is known, per survey, to be needed and wanted

2. the quality of your customer and/or prospect list

3. the level of interaction you already have with your customer and/or prospect base

4. the use of "surveyed" button words that impinge and pull the customer/prospect to you

5. the quality of the perception that your customers and/or prospects already have of you as an expert in the area promoted

If, ALL 5 of these criteria are vital to ensure highest ROI. I have seen objectives not met and a survey done to discover what when wrong, only to find out that a major product issue had created negative buzz on the internet, enough to taint response rates to current email promotions!

Marketing can become insulated from the rest of the business and I can't stress enough the importance of checking with all areas, SALES, SUPPORT, PRODUCT to communicate Marketing's email marketing plans and gather feedback on any potential situations that could affect it's positive outcome.
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