The best worded, most beautiful images, and most persuasive advertisement will fail if it is sent to the wrong audience.
This is why you do not see RV dealers targeting the 18-year-
old demographic. Instead they target their audience towards individuals closer to retirement age.
In email marketing, many overlook targeted strategies. It is common for a marketer to employ a shotgun technique where they blast to as many generic leads as possible. Such a strategy often fails and results in spam complaints that can cost the marketer the ability to send future emails.
Targeted email marketing is a simple principle. You use email addresses that have been developed around your audience. There are two ways to go about obtaining a targeted list:
1) A broker rents a list that was developed for email marketing around individuals who expressed interest in a topic. This is typically a first step in the process of developing a company-developed email marketing list.
The rented list often serves as a launching point with the hope of converting prospects to leads. A rented list targets individuals who are more likely to respond favorably than a generic list; however, success is much lower than a company-derived list.
2) The second alternative for targeted email marketing involves the collection of information from prospective customers. Companies develop this list through sales tracking, website submissions, and many other novel techniques. The advantage is low cost as well as total list ownership and control.
These lists offer the best potential for success as it comes from customers or prospects who have expressed a specific interest the company. The only downside to the self-generated list is the time involved in creating it. For this reason many rent a list and over time develop their own.
A targeted email marketing campaign can be a profitable venture for a business especially for a growing company. Companies can get their brand message to potential buyers without a heavy financial investment.
Companies know their emails are going to individuals who are more likely to respond favorably than an email sent to a general list of names. Spam complaints are minimized and sales are maximized. The company can further optimize the list by segmenting leads based on specific interests.