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Not all email marketing is created equal
Posted on August 2 2011 by in Online Strategy with 0 comments
How many emails did you get today? My bet is quite a few, but how many did you actually read?
With the emergence of cheap and easy email marketing programs, it is much easier to send mass emails than it used to be. Unfortunately, not all email marketing is created equal. In fact, cheap email marketing is the number one thing holding you back. Not only do they scream “unprofessional”, they are often riddled with hidden costs that confuse and drive away potential supporters.
Before saying, “I do” to an email vendor, here are a few things to look out for:
The true test of an email vendor is their commitment to your success.
Their Logo Is Bigger Than Your Logo – Most email vendors will have some sort of identification, but it varies by vendor. Most vendors use a small link or logo in the bottom corner of the email. Make sure to see a test from your vendor before it goes out to your supporters, and look at it from all different angles and with different software. There is nothing worse than your logo shrinking and the vendor’s growing on a different email or smart phone.
Who’s Promoting Who? – Almost all email vendors now offer social network share buttons on their emails. This is great for putting tools in the hands of your readers, allowing them to share and grow your network. Sadly, these great share tools are often pre-written by your vendor. Constant Contact is guilty of sabotaging Twitter links, eating up 20 of your precious 140 characters with their marketing tag “via #constantcontact”. Not only does this look unprofessional, it also appears that Constant Contact was the author of the Tweet. Luckily this one has a quick fix…delete the tag before you post to Twitter.
They steal your web traffic – It’s a lot of work to get traffic to your website, so why give it away? Make sure your email sign up form does not create a dead end for your website viewers. The best way to accomplish this is to require that your thank you page be on your website, not your vendor’s site. However, if that is not an option, be sure that your remote signup page has an easy path back to your website. This can be done by making sure your logo can be clicked or by providing a link after the signup is complete.
Email marketing doesn’t have to be a headache, but it’s time to demand more from your vendors. Remember – it’s your campaign, not theirs.
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