Is email marketing really a bad word?

Every now and then I have to step back and take a look at this marketing channel called email marketing and see what big picture trends are unfolding.

For many, many years email marketing was an afterthought, something you did when you had time.

Then the ROI reports kept coming out that email turned in the best ROI of ANY online channels, year after year (and continues to do so till this day).

But underneath all that is the ugly truth of SPAM. It still exists and is possibly even a bigger drain on Internet resources and our inboxes than ever.

So where does that leave you, the intrepid email marketing specialist?

I think in order to be good at email marketing, you have to be good at marketing and to me that always means getting THREE things right.

1.  RIGHT audience

2.  RIGHT message

3.  RIGHT timing

If you apply these themes to your messages you’ll do way better, without compromising your belief system in the process.

Here’s what I mean

Finding the right audience seems like a no-brainer but you’d be surprised how many new clients we take on who only have ONE list.

They don’t do any segmenting or categorizing of their lists… in other words they are NOT zoned in on the right audience.

Narrow your audience down and then you can get the RIGHT message in their hands.

Finding the right message isn’t always easy but it’s much easier if you are speaking to a targeted group.  For instance, all your blue chip customers could be a common group and you might want to speak to them with the RIGHT message.  Much harder to do if you have new, new prospects AND blue chip customers on the same list for the same message.

Finally get the RIGHT timing.  By this I mean get the timing set for both frequency and when you want your message to be heard.

Hopefully, you’ll step back from email marketing as a bad word and see it as the professional marketing channel it can really be.