HBIF Meeting 12-09
Maximizing the Inbox!
A Webinar By:
Key Speaker
Nicole RoachMarketing Coordinator
BizCentral USA
Welcome!
• BizCentral USA: A “One-stop” resource center for startup, small & midsized businesses nationwide!
• Key Speaker: Nicole Roach
• Questions
• Recorded Webinar Available At:
– http://vimeo.com/channels/smallbusinesswebinars
Agenda
I. Email Marketing Fundamentals
II. Format and Layout Best Practices
III. Building your Email Lists
IV. Complying with Regulations
What Is Email Marketing?
• The Promotion of Products or Services via Email
• Why Does is Work?
Email Marketing Vs. Direct Mail
• Many business have replaced or supplemented their direct mail efforts with email marketing.
• Email marketing campaigns are less expensive and easier to track.
Basic Fundamentals
• Relevancy
• Consistency
• Tracking
Relevancy
• Relevant email marketing means your email marketing subscribers get emails from you when they want, how they want and with information they want.
• Don’t get mixed up with what is only relevant to you.
Relevancy
• Do you give people to option to:
– Choose how often and when they hear from you?
– Choose between html and text?
– Choose topics or categories or types of email marketing messages?
Consistency
• Make sure you keep the look and feel consistent.
• By keeping the look and feel consistent, you help to maintain and reinforce your brand image.
Consistency
• When you send out an email campaign, are you:• Maintaining similar color schemes?
• Always including your logo?
• Standard “From Line”?
• Using a template?
• Sending messages on a schedule?
Tracking
• Tracking the results of your campaigns will enable you to determine what's working and what's not.
Tracking
• After each campaign expires you should analyze the results, including:
• How many people were sent the email
• How many emails were delivered
• How many people clicked through
• How many people opted-out
Format & Layout Best Practices
• The Format
• The Body
• Subject Line
• From Line
• Frequency
Email Format & Layout
Best
Practices!
Newsletter
•Timing = On a Set Schedule:•Monthly, Weekly, Bi-Weekly, Quarterly
•Variety of Content:• Educational• Blog• Social Media, • Promotion• Call-to- Action•Have Fun!
Promotion
• Timing = Promo Driven
• Content should include an “urgent” tone:
• Limited
• Last Days
• Don’t Wait
• Call to Action Must be Clear
Event
•Timing = Based on Events Planned
•1 primary message and goal:
• Leave them on the edge of their seat.
•Will focus on:
•Who, What, Where, When & Why
The body
• Your content must be clear and relevant. �• Use appropriate graphics & white space
• Include “Call to Action”links
• Create sense of urgency
• Pay attention to spelling & grammar… Always have someone proofread
• Design for the preview pane�
Golden Content Ideas
• How-To’s
• Opinion
• Case Study
• Seasonal
• Best Of
• Reviews
• Educational
• News
Subject Line
• Keep it short and simple�• 35-50 characters including spaces
• Incorporate a specific benefit
• Include your brand�• Capitalize and punctuate carefully�• If possible, personalize it
• Use different subject lines for different segments.
From Line
• Use a name the recipient will recognize:
• Include your company name or brand
• The clearer the better
• The shorter the better
• Be consistent
Frequency
Frequency
• How often to send
• Create a master schedule
• Coordinate timing for maximum impact
• Keep in mind the format type
• When to send
• When is your audience most likely to read it?
• Utilize surveys and ask questions when they first subscribe.
Building Your Opt-In Email List
• Single Opt-In Vs. Double Opt-In
• Single opt-in means that actions were taken to sign up for the email in question.
• Double opt-in means that the subscriber has actively confirmed their subscription, typically by responding to an automatically-generated message sent to the email address.
List Building Tactics
•Website Placement: • Place the sign-up form prominently on your
homepage, "above the fold“.
• Provide Incentive:• Offer a white paper, free e-books, entry in
a contest to win an iPhone, discount coupons.
• Forward to a Friend:• Encourage subscribers to share with their
friends.
List Building Tactics
• Ask Customers When Purchasing: • Provide a registration card or
the option to leave their business card.
•Display Your Website On Everything: • On sales collateral, fliers,
bags, business cards, advertising, etc.
List Building Tactics
• Use Social Media: • Post links to your email subscription page.
Additionally offer benefits to subscribing.
Can-Spam & Permission
•No Relationship = No Permission• Ask Yourself:• Do they know you?• Do they want your email?
• There is a direct relationship between Spam & Permission:• �SPAM complaints will increase as your
email contact list gets older• Scrub your list regularly to avoid
complaints
Can-Spam Compliance
• Visible Opt-Out/Unsubscribe Link
• Opt-Outs Honored within 10 Days
• Accurate From Lines
• Relevant Subject Lines
• Physical Address
• Adult Content Labeled
• Non-Harvested Lists
Email Marketing Summary
• Email Marketing is Extremely Low-cost
• Valuable Demographic Data can be Gathered
• Email Marketing is Highly Automated
• You have Rapid Send and Response Time
• Email will help you Build a Relationship of Trust is Executed Correctly
Q & A
• Contact Us• Nicole Roach: [email protected]
• Michael Miller: [email protected]
• Visit www.BizCentralUSA.com
www.twitter.com/bizcentralusa Facebook Fan Page:
BizCentral USA/CharityNet USA
Find Us On:
• BizCentral Small Business Services
• Business Plan Writing• Business Certifications• Incorporation• Website Development• Graphic Design• Marketing• Bookkeeping & Accounting• Nonprofit Services
Upcoming Webinar• 3/30/2010 3pm ESTSocial Media Extravaganza: Getting your Small Business Started with Social Media!
Q & A
• Contact Us• Nicole Roach: [email protected]
• Michael Miller: [email protected]
• Visit www.BizCentralUSA.com
www.twitter.com/bizcentralusa Facebook Fan Page:
BizCentral USA/CharityNet USA
Find Us On:
• BizCentral Small Business Services
• Business Plan Writing• Business Certifications• Incorporation• Website Development• Graphic Design• Marketing• Bookkeeping & Accounting• Nonprofit Services
Upcoming Webinar• 3/30/2010 3pm ESTSocial Media Extravaganza: Getting your Small Business Started with Social Media!
Q & A
• Contact Us• Nicole Roach: [email protected]
• Michael Miller: [email protected]
• Visit www.BizCentralUSA.com
www.twitter.com/bizcentralusa Facebook Fan Page:
BizCentral USA/CharityNet USA
Find Us On:
• BizCentral Small Business Services
• Business Plan Writing• Business Certifications• Incorporation• Website Development• Graphic Design• Marketing• Bookkeeping & Accounting• Nonprofit Services
Upcoming Webinar• 3/30/2010 3pm ESTSocial Media Extravaganza: Getting your Small Business Started with Social Media!
Q & A
• Contact Us• Nicole Roach: [email protected]
• Michael Miller: [email protected]
• Visit www.BizCentralUSA.com
www.twitter.com/bizcentralusa Facebook Fan Page:
BizCentral USA/CharityNet USA
Find Us On:
• BizCentral Small Business Services
• Business Plan Writing• Business Certifications• Incorporation• Website Development• Graphic Design• Marketing• Bookkeeping & Accounting• Nonprofit Services
Upcoming Webinar• 3/30/2010 3pm ESTSocial Media Extravaganza: Getting your Small Business Started with Social Media!
Q & A
• Contact Us• Nicole Roach: [email protected]
• Michael Miller: [email protected]
• Visit www.BizCentralUSA.com
www.twitter.com/bizcentralusa Facebook Fan Page:
BizCentral USA/CharityNet USA
Find Us On:
• BizCentral Small Business Services
• Business Plan Writing• Business Certifications• Incorporation• Website Development• Graphic Design• Marketing• Bookkeeping & Accounting• Nonprofit Services
Upcoming Webinar• 3/30/2010 3pm ESTSocial Media Extravaganza: Getting your Small Business Started with Social Media!
Q & A
• Contact Us• Nicole Roach: [email protected]
• Michael Miller: [email protected]
• Visit www.BizCentralUSA.com
www.twitter.com/bizcentralusa Facebook Fan Page:
BizCentral USA/CharityNet USA
Find Us On:
• BizCentral Small Business Services
• Business Plan Writing• Business Certifications• Incorporation• Website Development• Graphic Design• Marketing• Bookkeeping & Accounting• Nonprofit Services
Upcoming Webinar• 3/30/2010 3pm ESTSocial Media Extravaganza: Getting your Small Business Started with Social Media!
Q & A
• Contact Us• Nicole Roach: [email protected]
• Michael Miller: [email protected]
• Visit www.BizCentralUSA.com
www.twitter.com/bizcentralusa Facebook Fan Page:
BizCentral USA/CharityNet USA
Find Us On:
• BizCentral Small Business Services
• Business Plan Writing• Business Certifications• Incorporation• Website Development• Graphic Design• Marketing• Bookkeeping & Accounting• Nonprofit Services
Upcoming Webinar• 3/30/2010 3pm ESTSocial Media Extravaganza: Getting your Small Business Started with Social Media!
Q & A
• Contact Us• Nicole Roach: [email protected]
• Michael Miller: [email protected]
• Visit www.BizCentralUSA.com
www.twitter.com/bizcentralusa Facebook Fan Page:
BizCentral USA/CharityNet USA
Find Us On:
• BizCentral Small Business Services
• Business Plan Writing• Business Certifications• Incorporation• Website Development• Graphic Design• Marketing• Bookkeeping & Accounting• Nonprofit Services
Upcoming Webinar• 3/30/2010 3pm ESTSocial Media Extravaganza: Getting your Small Business Started with Social Media!
Q & A
• Contact Us• Nicole Roach: [email protected]
• Michael Miller: [email protected]
• Visit www.BizCentralUSA.com
www.twitter.com/bizcentralusa Facebook Fan Page:
BizCentral USA/CharityNet USA
Find Us On:
• BizCentral Small Business Services
• Business Plan Writing• Business Certifications• Incorporation• Website Development• Graphic Design• Marketing• Bookkeeping & Accounting• Nonprofit Services
Upcoming Webinar• 3/30/2010 3pm ESTSocial Media Extravaganza: Getting your Small Business Started with Social Media!
Q & A
• Contact Us• Nicole Roach: [email protected]
• Michael Miller: [email protected]
• Visit www.BizCentralUSA.com
www.twitter.com/bizcentralusa Facebook Fan Page:
BizCentral USA/CharityNet USA
Find Us On:
• BizCentral Small Business Services
• Business Plan Writing• Business Certifications• Incorporation• Website Development• Graphic Design• Marketing• Bookkeeping & Accounting• Nonprofit Services
Upcoming Webinar• 3/30/2010 3pm ESTSocial Media Extravaganza: Getting your Small Business Started with Social Media!