5 Tips to improve your company's email marketing

Are you interested in email marking, but not quite sure where to start? Are you worried that your emails might come off as "spam" to readers resulting in receivers unsubscribing from your email list? Both are concerns that should be addressed before you begin email marketing.

A recent study by the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) stated that for approximately every $1 spent on email marketing to existing customers, companies generated roughly $40 in sales. It is important to note that this study was based on existing customers. The results are a lot different for companies that must acquire emails.

The Business Journals put together a list of 5 tips in efforts to help companies improve their email marketing:

1. Transactional emails- something as simple as emailing receipts for purchases can be used as a marketing tool. The biggest challenge with email marketing is in getting the consumer to open the email. Transactional emails are almost always opened because they provide the consumer with documentation that they need.
2. Promotional emails- promotional emails come with a risk-- the customer may consider the email unnecessary and unwanted resulting in the user unsubscribing from the email list or reporting it as spam. Make sure that any promotional emails clearly identify the benefit to the recipient.
3. How to build an email list- subscribers are more likely to buy from a company after signing up to receive emails. Creating an interesting and creative newsletter can be a good way to draw in potential customers and a powerful tool to reconnect with previous customers. Just be careful-- newsletters can quickly gain a reputation for being repetitive.
4. Before you collect your emails, be ready to send emails- if subscribers don't remember signing up, then they will be more likely to "report as spam" or unsubscribe from your email list once they actually start receiving your emails. 
5. Once you start emailing, keep the recipient in mind- always ask yourself two simple questions:
• Will the recipient find this email relevant?
• How will the recipient view this email?

Also, keep in mind that a majority of emails are opened today are opened on smart phones, so make sure that your emails are smart phone friendly.



Summarized from http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/how-to/marketing/2014/04/5-tips-to-improve-your-company-s-email-marketing.html?page=all