Six steps of Email Marketing for Acquisition (1 of 3)

In our age of technology, email marketing has become an ever-increasing tool in acquiring new customers.

Does it work? How does it work? Where do you begin? Many companies find email marketing to their own clients very beneficial. You can send monthly newsletters, offer information on your company and of course, send them offers to get them into your business.

What about email campaigns where you don’t have an existing client base, but want to gain new customers? This is where an “acquisition” email campaign can be very useful. The possibilities are endless.

In this blog we’ll go through the many different steps in acquisition emails that are double opt-in and are CAN-SPAM compliant. This will be the first part of several series on this subject.

First, of course, you need to consider the kind of potential customer you are going to seek. Is it consumers or business emails that fit your campaign best. If it is consumer emails, then the first step is to find companies that offer consumer emails for rental. Keep in mind, in this type of campaign, you will not get the actual emails. The company you choose will do the actual “broadcast” of emails for you. This is where a good list broker can assist you. List brokers that offer email marketing know who has the best, cleanest email databases available for your campaign. You should ask how the emails are obtained. Are they opt in? CAN SPAM compliant? How are you charged? If an email is blocked or the email doesn’t go through to the potential customer, do you pay for that? Generally, you are and should be charged for those delivered only. Most email databases are opt in, so it is rare that they do not get into the inbox. Also, some email providers will “over-deliver” emails. Meaning, they send out more than you are paying for to insure the quantity you are paying for is met.

Once you determine the broker or the email provider you are comfortable with, what about the target audience? Emails can also be overlayed with demographic information such as income, gender, children, homeowners etc…Talk to your broker about WHAT your offer is. Once you consult with the broker, they can then give you sound recommendations on WHO you should be targeting and why. You may already know who to target, and if so, the broker may be able to recommend additional alternatives that make sense.
Often times, the number of emails versus a direct mail list, is different. Most email providers have minimum orders that will need to be fulfilled. Generally, a good rule of thumb is to broadcast a minimum of 20,000 emails to get the response you want. This may sound large, but it is a numbers game with email. Some people may not open the email for days. There is the chance that the email could be blocked by a spam filter.

Next up for this blog will be a continuation of the email acquisition you are sending out.
Follow us each week for more. Next week >> “Messaging in an email campaign”

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