Getting Started with Email Marketing – Guest Blogger LisaMarie Dias

Email Marketing WORKS! While we may complain that we receive way too many emails, over 90% of us check our email daily and if the information is from a trusted source, most of us will open it. And studies show that email marketing drives both sales and loyalty – two essential ingredients to a healthy business!

Email marketing helps you grow your business in a number of ways. In addition to increasing sales and loyalty, it can help reinforce your expertise, build brand awareness and help you stay on your client’s/ customer’s/ patient’s radar so when they need your products or services, they think of YOU!

Email marketing can take many forms – you can use it intermittently to send promotional fliers and event announcements, you can create and send a series of pieces over a period of time, and/or you can send information on a regular basis formatted as an enewsletter or ezine.

Here is a Checklist of Items needed for a successful eNewsletter:

• Most importantly, you need to provide content of VALUE to your readers – preferably tied to your overall goals and a content plan.
• Create an editorial calendar to plot out distribution dates and coordinate with your promotions and calls to action.
• Include hyperlinks, tied to your goals.  If you use a tool like Constant Contact, you will be able to track these links.
• Establish clear calls to action for each issue.
• Make sure that the mailings are consistent with your brand, including your logo and colors.
• Make sure your logo is not the only place with your company name/info as readers may not enable their images!
• Create a catchy or informative – preferably both – subject line. It can make the difference between an email which is opened or deleted and may be all they see!
• Include a ‘Forward to a friend’ link – make this a trackable link whenever possible.
• Include a signup box – for those who receive it as a forward!
• Check your date is correct – especially if you are re-using a template from a previous month.
• Include your upcoming events and check those dates as well – ie: is the 4^th a Monday or a Tuesday?
• Link your images and utilize your rollover alt text wherever possible – it’s like free advertising.
• Spell check every block – including your subject line!
• Proofread every block – this is different from spell check – here you are confirming that your content is both clear and grammatically correct.
• Include your contact info with multiple ways to reach you – phone, website, email, social media.
• Include your location and store hours, especially if you have a brick and mortar location!
• Include your social media icons and links so readers can find you.
• Include a social share bar so readers can share your info!
• Send your self a preview copy – preferably in multiple browsers and email services as it is likely to look different on a .gmail address vs aol vs yahoo and even more variations occur in firefox vs internet explorer, etc.
• Make sure that all your links work.
• Archive it (if using Constant Contact) or host it on your website so you have a URL address link to post and share on social media sites.
• Monitor, understand and utilize the data provided by your metrics!
• And remember to ‘Ship’ it! Pressing send can be scary, especially the first time, but it is necessary!
• Is there anything you would add to this list?  Please let us know in the comments below.

If you need assistance with any of the above or would like a review it before you hit the send button, just give LisaMarie Dias a call (LMD@LisaMarieDiasDesigns.com  973.275.9497) She can help you make this happen. CLICK HERE  to connect with LisaMarie Dias on LinkedIn too!

About Our Guest Blogger:

LisaMarie Dias

LisaMarie Dias of LisaMarie Dias Designs is a goal oriented and energetic entrepreneur, helping business owners achieve measurable social media and email marketing results. She specializes in e-newsletter start-up with Constant Contact and introductions to Social Media. Her patient teaching style, creative approach and deep knowledge of the wide variety of available options, allows her to design customized solutions which meet her clients’ specific goals while accommodating their individual level of technical knowledge and their time and budget constraints.