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consider how valuable the information is to your audience and what is moti- vating the push. Does the content gen- erate meaningful engagements, foster significant dialogue, or bring together individuals and ideas. Also, segment accordingly; judge if a message is rele- vant to your entire list or only a select group of recipients.
• Be concise and use visuals when- ever possible and practical—In prepar- ing micro-burst e-mails strive to keep the copy down to fewer than 100 words, (about the length of the previous para- graph). Include your logotype and pres- ent photographs, diagrams, charts or other visual means to communicate ideas or to illustrate concepts.
• Temper the frequency of your messages—Once you’re started be mindful that not everything going on in
your business is newsworthy, and just because you have the ability to blast e-mails out at any moment certainly doesn’t mean that you should. Respect your customer’s inbox and pace the frequency of your messages. Use the software’s built-in reporting tools to gauge your relevancy and frequency and as you start out ask a handful of customers how valuable they find the material that you’re sending and if it’s coming too frequently or not frequent enough. But, generally speaking, two to three times per month is plenty. Con- versely, communicating too infre- quently can be just as bad as commu- nicating too often. If you wait too long to reach out to your audience, then your list can become stale so reach out at least once per quarter.
When done right, e-mail marketing
can be a powerful tool, enabling you to quickly reach out and communicate in a way that can enhance relationships and spark new ones. Adding e-mail to your marketing mix requires fewer resources than traditional marketing vehicles (e.g. direct mail, PR or print advertising), it’s ecological, immediate and convenient.
The return on investment (ROI) delivered through e-mail marketing is compelling. In 2009, the Direct Mar- keting Association reported that e-mail marketing delivers an ROI of more than $35 on each dollar spent. While reaping this return isn’t guaranteed, it is cer- tainly attainable with a little home- work. Excellent resources can be found online at the Direct Marketing Associ- ation (www.the-dma.org) and at Con- stant Contact’s ‘Learning Center’ (www.constantcontact.com). MF
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