Darling Online Marketing

How to Format Marketing Emails

Posted on 12. Jan, 2011 by Chris Darling.

Formatting your marketing emails is not just about style and design; it is about branding. Every aspect of your email should present a consistent image. You would never want your competition misrepresenting you, so you should never compose your emails in a way that misrepresents your business.

Who is it From?

• Always email from a recognizable business email address. johndoe@widgets.com is a good example. An email coming from johndoe345@yahoo.com doesn’t seem as credible. Never use your personal email account(s) for marketing emails.

What is your Subject Line?

• The subject line is a key part of your email. The subject line is what readers look at to decide if they are going to read your email or delete it. Identify your business in the subject first and then add a modifier that grabs the reader’s attention. Identification builds trust. Readers are more likely to open an email from someone they know.

Where is the Content?

• Your content should directly build off your subject line. Don’t try to lure readers in with a clever subject line and then write about something different. Besides being inconsistent, the “bait and switch” approach creates distrust. You can split your email into different topics, but make sure the first section is the one related to your subject line.

• Create the most engrossing content you can, especially if you are sending out marketing emails on a regular basis. Good content is what keeps readers loyal. You should have a structured format, but you can alter it a bit between emails to keep things interesting.

When is it Time to Say Goodbye?

• A good marketing email should ideally range from 250 – 600 words and be broken up into short paragraphs. Internet readers prefer to skim information quickly. Similarly, someone reading an email in between other things going on in their life can’t read a tome of information in one sitting. Make your point, present your information succinctly and you will see them again later.

If you have ever heard of the five Ws of journalism, (Who, What, Where When, & Why) then you may have noticed one missing from this article. The Why is self-evident. You send out marketing emails to build your small business, but the emails you send should present the same reliable image you would show in person.

Chris Darling works with owners of service based businesses who struggle with getting their websites found by effectively using local search SEO and Social Media sites for their business. Find Pain Relief for Your Social Media SEO Aches and set the stage to earn more online revenue from new contacts, clicks, and phone calls.  If this speaks to you and your online business goals discover if it is time for Darling Online Marketing.

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Pros and Cons of Using AWeber for Email Marketing

Posted on 10. Jan, 2011 by Chris Darling.

AWeber is one of the leading names among email list management services. The company has been in business for over a decade and has over 43,000 users. Even with their proven success, it is still important to know the services pros and cons before you put your email marketing strategy in their hands.

Pros

• AWeber offers a wide variety of templates so that your emails look professional.
• Their longevity as a company helps ensure that you are less likely to lose your email list than if you go with a smaller company that might go out of business.
• Major web-based email providers like Gmail and Yahoo accept the formatting of AWeber templates.
• Email tracking and analytics are included as part of every account.
• AWeber’s opt-in forms match their templates.
• You can add your customer’s name to emails to make your connection seem more personal.
• AWeber offers tutorials on how to use their service and how to maximize your email marketing plan.
• Emails are less likely to end up in spam folders because AWeber analyzes them for their spam potential. This information allows to you to modify your emails for maximum delivery results.
• AWeber offers support for posting links to your newsletter on Facebook and Twitter.

Cons

• Customizing AWeber opt-ins and templates can be difficult and may require you to hire someone to do it for you.
• There are other email list services like GetResponse that offer lower pricing than AWeber.
• Pricing is based on the number of subscribers on your list; as your list grows your monthly cost increases.
• AWeber does not offer a free trial. However, they do offer a $1 sign-up plan that you can cancel if you do not like their service.
• You can email videos through AWeber. You can post links, but you can embed the video directly in the email.

AWeber has many satisfied customers; however, it may not be the best choice for your business if you are on a tight budget. The inability to send videos via emails is also a huge drawback for business who post a lot of video content. As with any new service provider, you should see what other email list services have to offer before you make your final decision.

Chris Darling works with owners of service based businesses who struggle with getting their websites found by effectively using local search SEO and Social Media sites for their business. Find Pain Relief for Your Social Media SEO Aches and set the stage to earn more online revenue from new contacts, clicks, and phone calls.  If this speaks to you and your online business goals discover if it is time for Darling Online Marketing.

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Is Buying an Email Marketing List a Good Idea?

Posted on 15. Dec, 2010 by Chris Darling.

Probably not…

Here are 7 Reasons Why Buying an Email List is Never a Good Idea

Email marketing is an incredibly valuable tool for businesses. Lists give you the opportunity to stay in touch with subscribers and the chance to convert them to paying customers. Building a quality list requires time and patience. You may be tempted to shortcut the process by buying a list of email addresses from a third-party vendor, but there are several reasons why this is a bad idea.

• There is no way to know how many times the names on the list have been sold. These people may already be overwhelmed by unwanted emails and won’t welcome yours. People often accidentally opt-in for third party emails without realizing it.

• You can’t verify that the list you are purchasing is targeted towards your field. You may get a large number of email addresses, but most of the people on it may have no interest in your services.

• People who do agree to receive emails from third parties often submit alternate email addresses they’ve designed to catch junk mail, so there’s a good chance your email will go unread.

• Using a third-party list is considered spamming. The people you are emailing signed up for someone else’s list and had their email addresses sold. The list could also include addresses that someone stole from other websites.

• You could be breaking law. Even if you think you know all about US spam legislation, you may not know the laws in other countries (which are often stricter). There’s no way to verify what country you are emailing, so you’re opening yourself up to problems not only with the courts, but with internet service providers as well.

• Marketing to people who haven’t agreed to receive emails makes your business look disreputable. This can lead to bad word of mouth about your business and cost you potential customers.

• Email lists are expensive and usually offer very little ROI (Return on Investment). Even you think you’re getting a good list that’s target to your market, you’re still likely to pay more for the list than you’ll receive in sales generated by it.

There is no quick and easy way to build an email list. The best way to build a quality email list is to offer an incentive on your website for people to sign up and use a professional service like AWeber to manage your subscriptions. In the end, you will do much better marketing to people who come to you.

Chris Darling works with service based business owners who struggle with getting their websites found and effectively using local search SEO and Social Media for their business. You get Pain Relief for Your Social Media SEO Aches setting the stage for you to earn more online revenue from new contacts, clicks, and phone calls.  If this speaks to you and your online business goals discover if it is time for Darling Online Marketing.

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Tips for Writing Great Marketing Emails

Posted on 13. Dec, 2010 by Chris Darling.

If your business is building an email list, you need a good autoresponder message that welcomes new subscribers. After that, you need to write content that engages your readers and encourages them to continue reading your emails even if they aren’t ready to purchase your products and/or services yet.

Give Readers a Way Out

• Make sure your autoresponder includes an unsubscribe link. Having an easy-to-find unsubscribe button will prevent those who lose interest in receiving your emails from getting annoyed. They’ll unsubscribe properly instead of reporting your emails as spam. You should also include an unsubscribe link in all your follow-up emails as a matter of courtesy.

Personalize Your Messages

• Almost all email list management services capture your subscriber’s name and email address. Use the coding provided by the service of your choice to include a personalized greeting in your emails. Opening with “Hi (name)!” is much more inviting than “Hello, everyone” or not having any greeting at all.

Provide Valuable Information

• Your emails should always have valuable content. Provide informative articles and/or tips to show readers you’re a trustworthy source in your area of expertise. They’ll appreciate your willingness to share information.

Soft Sell, Don’t Pitch

• It is okay to occasionally include a special coupon or incentive for later use, but don’t write a long pitch about your services. Your readers already know what you do. If they want to know more about what you’re offering, they’ll visit your website. They don’t want to read about it in your emails.

• If you have news to share, that’s great. Show your business in a positive light, but don’t boast about your accomplishments. Use phrases like, “We are pleased to announce…” or “XYZ business was fortunate enough to…” A little humility goes a long way.

Proofread Your Emails

• Never, ever schedule a message that hasn’t been proofread at least twice. Typographical and grammatical errors lessen your credibility. There’s also the chance that a misplaced word can make it easy for readers to misconstrue what you’re saying and be offended.

Take your time, think of an attention-grabbing title, and write the most informative pieces you can. As your readers come to value your knowledge, you’ll be the first person they think of when they need your business and/or services.

Chris Darling works with service based business owners who struggle with getting their websites found and effectively using local search SEO and Social Media for their business. You get Pain Relief for Your Social Media SEO Aches setting the stage for you to earn more online revenue from new contacts, clicks, and phone calls.  If this speaks to you and your online business goals discover if it is time for Darling Online Marketing.

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The Best Email Marketing Practices for Small Businesses

Posted on 10. Nov, 2010 by Chris Darling.

It does not matter if you are emailing product offers, newsletters, or information, it is important that you approach email marketing from the right angle. Email marketing campaigns that are successful are those based on sensible business practices.

Let Subscribers Find You

• Simply buying a bulk email list may seem smart, but it is not. Your most loyal customers are the ones that come to you. Emailing people at random yields very little return on your investment and tarnishes your business’s credibility. Adding past or present customers without their consent is even worse.

• Use a professional list management service like AWeber. Offer an incentive on your landing page to get visitors to join your email list. Be creative; it can be an eBook, a newsletter, or even a free and/or discounted service. If your offer isn’t a download they’re automatically redirected to, make sure you follow up on every contact you make.

• Promote your landing page on your social media profiles and by building links. You can use the same techniques you are already using to increase your website traffic to build your email list.

Rope Subscribers In, But Don’t Tie ‘Em Up

• Offer subscribers the chance to cancel their subscription if they choose. Nobody wants to feel trapped. Any subscribers you lose are not interested in your business to begin with.

• Make your privacy policy clear and easy to understand. Do not bury your words in legalese. Reassure subscribers you will not use their information for anything other than email marketing.

Don’t Be a One Hit Wonder

• In order to retain subscribers, you have to offer them interesting content beyond your initial incentive. Make a plan for what you are going to write about and send out emails on a regular basis. Consistency is your biggest asset.

• Contact with your subscribers should go beyond your initial welcome to the list email. Give them the chance to build a rapport with you. Include a link to contact you if they want more information.

Email marketing is different from traditional marketing in that you don’t just send out a letter or flyer and hope for a response. The best email marketing campaigns are naturally targeted to a receptive audience and should be interesting enough to turn your loyal readers into loyal customers.

Chris Darling works with service based business owners who struggle with getting their websites found and effectively using local search SEO and Social Media for their business. You get Pain Relief for Your Social Media SEO Aches setting the stage for you to earn more online revenue from new contacts, clicks, and phone calls.  If this speaks to you and your online business goals secure a free website analysis now.  Call 302-894-7412.

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Tips for Not Getting Flagged as Spam

Posted on 05. Nov, 2010 by Chris Darling.

After you’ve worked hard to build your business’ email marketing list, the last thing you want is to miss a contact because their email program flagged your legitimate message as spam or moved it to a junk mail folder. Fortunately, there are some easy ways to reduce the chance of this happening to your emails.

• Avoid using advertising related words in your email’s subject line. Words like free, offer, bargain and phrases like “best price” directly trigger spam filters. If your subject line sounds like a direct sales pitch, your email won’t pass through spam filters.

• Use a legitimate mailing list-management company such as Aweber and send your marketing emails through them. Emails sent through these companies are recognized as coming from a valid mailing list that people elect to join and are rarely flagged.

• Do not use one single image. Balance the number of images in your email with the amount of text. Spammers often send image only emails or emails that are mostly images to avoid keyword problems.

• Never send attachments. Many email programs will automatically quarantine an email with multiple recipients if it has a file attached.

• If you are manually emailing the people on your list, stagger your emails. Many ISPs will block emails with a large number of recipients and they may stop your email from going through if you’re sending to a high number of people. Break your mailing list into chunks of 25 and send different emails in 20 – 60 minute intervals.

• Use a spam checker before you send your email. You can download software like SpamAssassin or send a copy of your email to check@isnotspam.com and you will get a free report of how probable it is that your email will trigger spam filters.

• Make sure you are not blacklisted. You have to know your computer’s IP address, but there are three good sites to verify if you are. You can check with Email Blacklist Check or Spam Database Lookup.

Avoiding spam traps is a big piece of the email-marketing puzzle.  If you want to measure the ROI of your email marketing, the first thing is to keep your emails in your customers’ inbox.  Then, if you use a good auto responder such as Aweber, you can track open rates and click through actions to your offers.  This will help you see a better picture of your online marketing success.

Chris Darling works with service based business owners who struggle with getting their websites found and effectively using local search SEO and Social Media for their business. You get Pain Relief for Your Social Media SEO Aches setting the stage for you to earn more online revenue from new contacts, clicks, and phone calls.  If this speaks to you and your online business goals secure a free website analysis now.  Call 302-894-7412.

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Do’s and Don’ts of Email Marketing

Posted on 01. Nov, 2010 by Chris Darling.

Email marketing is a powerful tool to maintain contact with your existing customers and attract new ones. Even so, like all tools, you have to use it properly. Before you start hammering away at your mailing list, here are some guidelines to make the most of your efforts.

Do’s

• Do create a subject line that catches the reader’s attention without begging for a sale. Ask a question readers will want to know the answer to, or make a compelling statement that entices them to read more. If you are not feeling very creative then write your subject line like a simple, direct news headline.

• Do use an email program that supports HTML. Your marketing emails should always appear professional and well formatted.

• Do remember that not everyone uses the same email program. Keep your design so that even if recipients view it in a preview pane it still looks good. Your key elements should never go beyond 600 pixels wide.

• Do use a highly regarded list-management service like AWeber or Get Response. Manually tracking new subscribers, opt-outs and bounce backs is tedious work that takes away valuable time that could be spent managing your business.

• Do use a spam checker to make sure that your email will pass through most spam filters. Email management services generally offer a service like this as part of your subscription package.

Dont’s

• Don’t omit an unsubscribe link. Not only does the federal anti-spam law require one, but you’ll also alienate customers if they feel they’re pressured to receive your emails. Including a link to your company’s privacy policy is also a good idea.

• Don’t try to use JavaScript or background images; they simply don’t work in many email programs.

• Don’t assume that the recipient’s mail reader will show your images. Make sure your headlines and text describe your message without them.

• Don’t send emails when they’re likely to be ignored. It is best to send business-to-business mailings between 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. For residential customers, it is best to send your emails during the evenings.

One of email marketing’s biggest strengths is that it is a personal way to reach out to your customers. You should approach them as professionally via email as you would face to face. Create your marketing emails wisely and customers will have a better appreciation of what your small business has to offer.

Chris Darling works with service based businesses who struggle with getting their websites found for more online visibility within their local market and in social media. You get Pain Relief for Your Social Media SEO Aches setting the stage for you to earn more online revenue.  If this speaks to you and your online business goals secure a free website analysis now.  Call 302-894-7412.

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1 Simple Strategy to Build Your Local Business E-Mail List

Posted on 07. Sep, 2010 by Chris Darling.

Small local businesses benefit from a growing email subscriber list just as much as the big corporate conglomerates.  But, many smaller businesses are not quite sure where to begin let alone know how to collect customer email addresses the right way.

Just because your business is small does not mean you should not build an email list.  In fact, if you are small it is a HUGE reason to build a list.

Smaller companies do not always have the instant brand recognition in their community.  Smaller companies that you only use once in awhile or in case of emergency are eventually forgotten by most people.  However, another instance may come up where a past customer needs your services again.  Will you be in their memory or thoughts?  Do you want to be?

If you don’t have the brand recognition or you are not in regular contact with your past customers or even your potential customers, they will be scooped up by your competitors when in need again.  Building an email list and nurturing your subscribers will help you remain in the forefront of their minds.

The technical parts behind managing an email list are best left to 3^rd party providers such as Aweber.  They have the user friendly interface where you can add your subscribers, keep track of them, and send them messages.

Once all of the technical issues are taken care of you still need a plan to build up that email list.  A tried and true method that works for adding to your subscriber base is offering a free incentive.  You see this everywhere online.

It is very easy to offer free goodies to your website visitors.  But, if you are an offline business that sees the bulk of your customers in your storefront, how do you build up an email list?

Simple, offer them something for free.  Offering your customers something for free or bonuses and future discounts are techniques that work.  There is no need to make it complicated.  Make that exchange or email for freebie during the checkout process or even when they first enter your store.

If your business is built on a more face to face, one on one, specialized or professional service delivery model, just ask for the email subscription.  Create a valuable newsletter that will be full of tips, major mistakes to avoid, or the latest interesting news in your industry that directly impacts your customer.  Offer them a subscription to your newsletter.  When they do give you that email address, give them a nice printed hard copy of the latest newsletter or publication.

Chris Darling works with skilled and service based businesses who struggle with getting respectable results and exposure online and want to benefit from more targeted website traffic and conversions.  Darling Online Marketing is different from other online marketing firms because you get a personalized campaign manager that works exclusively with your business in the agreed upon market area.

In working with Chris, clients receive more time to focus on serving their new customers and more measurable revenue from using effective “Done For You” online SEO and Social Media strategies.

If any of this speaks to you and your online business goals, request a Free 7-Point Website Analysis as sample of what can do for you!

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