CRMTips

Are you ready to take advantage of email marketing?

 
Everybody is familiar with SPAM and the type of cheap marketing or scams often associated with it. But not so many people understand the power and potential of email marketing when done correctly.

What’s the difference? The difference is whether you are compliant with anti-SPAM laws and if your message is of interest to your clients and prospects. If so, then email marketing – particularly in
concert with customer relationship management (CRM) systems – can be a potent and profitable marketing tool for your company.

 
Does email marketing work? At RB Data Services, we compared the results of a recent direct mail only campaign to one where we used both direct mail and email.

We found that our response rate using both soared by 504 per cent! Those may not be common results, but it clearly shows that email can provide a big boost to your existing marketing.

 
There are four fundamental requirements for good email marketing.

 
These are as follows:

#1: Build a permission-based mailing list. Gather email addresses from every point of contact you have – retail point of sales, trade shows, business card exchanges, your website and any way else you can think of. THEN, get their permission to email them materials A CRM system can help maintain
your list, and associate other important information with the list.

 
#2: Manage your mailings carefully. Pick a schedule for your emailings; stick to it. Usually, sending out business-to-business email on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday during business hours is most effective.

Don’t use excessive hyperbole, capital letters or exclamation marks in your SUBJECT line as these often trigger spam filters to block your email. Using a CRM system can ensure that you are only sending the type of offers that your prospects are interested in.

 
#3: Comply with the CAN-SPAM laws.  Among other things, this means you must provide a means to “unsubscribe” from your list and act on those requests within 10 days.

The laws require that you have accurate FROM information, a SUBJECT line that is consistent with the content, and you must "have a legitimate physical address shown.

 
#4: Track the numbers. In email marketing, the numbers are everything.  Make sure you track how many “bounces” you get (bad email addresses), “opens” (who read your email), and “actions” (who clicked through to your offer). Use the numbers together with your CRM system to optimize the offers, lists and follow-up actions.

 
There’s no doubt that email marketing is going to be an important tool in your marketing toolbox. So get acquainted with it now and ensure that you have the necessary CRM tools to manage it!

If you want to learn more about how we can help you use your CRM to put an effective email marketing system in place that will allow your people to do more with less to drive increased profits while lowering costs then give me a call at 858-541-1820 or send me an email at rick@rbdata.com and I will be glad to tell you more.

 
For More Information:

RB Data Services
1565 North Rim Court, Suite 287
San Diego, CA  92111
858-541-1820
info@rbdata.com