What is email marketing?
Email marketing is directly marketing a commercial message to a group of people using email. In its broadest sense, every email sent to a potential or current customer could be considered email marketing.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Email_marketing
Email marketing is the process of sending electronic mails or messages to people over the internet. This is usually done for the purpose of delivering advertisements, soliciting donations or sales, or for just about any kind of email communication. Email marketing is one of the ways by which a company can build trust or loyalty among its customers or increase its brand recognition. Some people say that email marketing is the best way to remain connected with clients as well as promote one’s business.
Email marketing is an easy way to reach your target audience without having to go through radio, television or print media. It is both cost effective and virtually automated. All you need to do is maintain a good email list that is genuine and then segment that list.
Double Opt-In Email Or Single Opt-In Email List?
Lets talk about the two most popular methods to generate a list of email contacts. At the end of the day, it is your contact list for email marketing that determines how effective your online marketing content will be.
- In a double opt-in email list, people sign up through your website directly and via an email confirmation by giving their consent twice (once on your website and once via email).
- In a single opt-in email list, people sign up through your website – no additional confirmation is included.
Why Is Double Opt-In Important?
With double opt-in one has to confirm their email address manually by accepting the link from their inbox. If a person is not genuinely interested in receiving further email from your company or website they would not confirm the link. This is an added security to ensure that a person actually does want to be on the mailing list.
Think of it this way – what if someone had malicious intent and decided to add hundreds of emails in at once. Single opt-in would let these unscrupulous folks exploit this loophole and take revenge by bombarding the inboxes of the intended victim with porn, spam, or other unwanted material. This could force the victim to discard their email address and get a new one just to avoid getting overloaded with “junk.” On the other hand double opt-in ensures that only those who confirm their intent a second time directly from their inbox get added to the list so this eventuality of being bombarded with false mail marketing is nullified.
For the website using double opt-in the advantage is that they get a email list that is highly effective with people who really want to be on that list. This is a much more useful list than one generated through single-opt in email marketing techniques.
Why is email marketing important to my online marketing strategy?
Simply put, email marketing provides a better return on investment than any other form of online marketing. Studies show that businesses and organizations earn more money for every dollar spent on email marketing than those same businesses and organizations earn from any other single form of online marketing.
Why does email marketing provide a better return?
- email marketing is more personal than other forms of online marketing such as social media
- email marketing is more targeted (especially if you use a double-opt-in list)
- email marketing is more suitable to business and doing business
- email marketing is more private
So, what are you waiting for? Start your email marketing list today!
Would you like some help with your email marketing? Contact Valorous Circle, one of the leading West Michigan website design and online marketing firms located in Grand Rapids, MI. Mention this blog post and receive a FREE 30 minute consultation including a FREE review of your online marketing and recommendations for improvement. 616-929-0790 or info@valorouscircle.com
