How To Market Your Business With Email
By Brett Krkosska


Email marketing has become a favored method of reaching consumers among U.S. businesses. In a survey by the Direct Marketing Association, two-thirds of companies say their sales increased in 2001 because of email marketing, and sixty-three percent credit email as the most effective way to retain customers.

This isn't so surprising given that email is the most popular activity among Internet users. This popularity, coupled with email's cost-effectiveness as a marketing vehicle, make it an important customer acquisition and retention tool.

Before looking at the various ways you can use email marketing, let's examine how to make your campaigns more effective. Like other marketing methods, when using email you should pay attention to some basic rules of engagement.

1. Target Your Message

Put your messages in front of people who are most likely to have an interest in your product or service. Know who your product or service will benefit and where these people can be found.

2. Offer Value

When people visit you by way of your promotions, create an environment of value which puts your visitors in a buying mode. That is... Offer irresistible benefits, make it effortless for people to see the benefits, create an urgency in people to get the benefits from your product, and make it easy to buy the benefits (your product or service).

3. Use Repetition

An integral part of successful marketing is your visibility in front of potential buyers. Therefore, it's important to realize the necessity of putting your message in front of people repeatedly.

4. Track Your Marketing Results

Another important consideration is the performance of your promotions. Tracking allows you to test your promotions and zero in on things that work. Here some ways to evaluate the results of your marketing efforts:

·  URL Tracking

One of the easiest ways to track responses to your promotions is to code your URL. Simply add a special code at the end of your link and then look at your log files to view clickthroughs. You can use any code you like following the question mark. The coding will look similar to this: http://www.yourdomain.com/?Advert1

·  CGI Tracking

Using your CGI directory you can accomplish many tracking tasks. CGI scripts run on your server, so you should be versed in their installation or be prepared to pay for installation from the supplier. You can use a free link counter script such as lnkinlite at dtp-aus.com, or go with a more powerful program as found at Adtrackz.com.

·  Tracking Services

If you prefer not to work with scripts, you can hire a third party to track your campaigns from their server. These services charge a monthly fee, but are well worth it in terms of helping you pull the best results from your advertising. Check out hypertracker.com or roibot.com to see the versatility these services offer.