Online marketing solutions

Whether you use direct mail, newsletters, or mass mailing email campaigns, do not neglect the power of transactional emails as a powerful and neglected marketing channel.  Statistics show that transactional emails are read almost twice as much as promotional email, making this well worth the learning.  They are the perfect tool for another avenue in providing your customers with product promotions and sales.  Every transaction becomes another opportunity to up sell.

For example, a transactional email could be an invoice, e-bill, or shipping confirmation.  What a perfect place to insert and include offers, sales, and promotional messages.  By using your autoreminders, triggered with a customized email, you guarantee sending out targeted, timely communications, as well as valuable information to an expectant audience.

Spice up your Messages. The content of most transactional emails are simple text.  However, adding eye-catching graphics and HTML into your promotional alerts, can increase readability.  Thinking out of the box will help you rise above your competition.

Outsmart the Spam Filters. Spam filters are and will always be a-marketer’s worst nightmare.  Legitimate mail can be spammed without a user’s knowledge.  Transactional email messages have a better proven percentage rate of reaching the inbox.  Why?  Because transactional emails contain valuable consumer information that is desired, recognized, and expected.

Make it a Priority. Transactional emails can become an extension of your company’s marketing vision and brand building.  You can generate incremental revenue while reinforcing your brand and a more frequent personal communication to your customers.

Factors Worth Considering:

Integration. Having the right infrastructure is essential when creating effective customized content and behavioral triggers.  Have you explored your options using email campaign software?  Without the right integration and power behind your campaigns, you won’t be able to leverage the marketing opportunity that transactional e-mail affords you.

Relevant Content. Sending your customers a generic marketing message is not the way to go.  Don’t waste any golden opportunities to up-sell.  Plan your content wisely.  No one wants to end up in the spam or trash.

Timely Responses. Transactional e-mails are a critical business communication tool.  They need a specific expedited delivery date.  Make sure that your marketing messages can be automatically and accurately inserted into your transactional e-mails, and sent quickly and securely to your customers.

Monitor Stat Results .  Whether yours is an email marketing campaign or e-newsletter survey, you need accurate real-time reports.  All present and future email campaigns depend on the hardcore results of every past campaign effort.  Don’t shoot in the dark.  Keep improving with every email campaign.

Be Flexible and Test-Test-Test.  Do not be afraid to test different creative approaches.  If you are adding HTML and graphics to your transactional emails, test its receptivity by sending them to different email clients.  See what is blocked and how others view your message.  Avoid costly mistakes.  Remember, the goal is not a campaign built on just numbers, but one that is built on thoughtful, well- planned strategy.

Know the Regulatory Guidelines. There is no law forbidding transactional messages from containing some promotional type content; however, there are certain guidelines you must adhere to, especially in the United States.  Get the facts and SPAM Rules around mixed messages.

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/business/ecommerce/bus61.shtm

At present, many businesses still do not understand how to use transactional email marketing as a new and powerful marketing tool.  The result is an overwhelming number of missed business marketing opportunities and new sales.  Knowing the difference between marketing and transactional email messages can make the difference for your bottom line.  Isn’t that every e-marketer’s goal?

Remember,  transactional emails are a great way to boost your sales.  Every transaction becomes an opportunity to further dialogue with you clients, offering them new products, services, or savings, while sending them relevant information.  It is still an underutilized pearl of knowledge.

What the world needs now is love sweet love, but not another sales person.  Do you remember the saying “everybody’s a prospect?”  I hope that is not your motto now.  Personally speaking, the last person in the world I want to be alone with in an elevator is a “hungry” email marketer.

If you are under the impression that everyone is just waiting to receive your newsletter, direct mail, or bulk email campaign, so they can hear all about your product and services, you better think again.  That kind of attitude and thinking will never attract potential customers.

First and foremost, we are all experts in something.  Whatever time you have spent in developing your business, is the specific area of your expertise.  Why not make good use of that knowledge – it is a great marketing tool.

Do I have your attention?  Ask yourself this question.  Why do we sign up for a newsletter?  What sparks our interest and keeps our attention?  The answer is not difficult.  Most of us want to learn so we can enhance our everyday lives.  We want that “heads up” on the subjects that are affect us personally from an authoritative source.

People don’t want to read, follow, or join anyone’s website or newsletter where they cannot obtain information that benefits them, directly and personally.  We all want more quality in our lives.  We appreciate tips on how we can make better choices.  In other words, it’s all about us.  OK, how do you start?

Create a special area in your direct mail campaigns with a tip or a “did you know” section.  For example, let’s say you sell organic juice products. You could put an explanation on the benefits of your juice and their ingredients for the human body.  How about adding recipes for delicious juice smoothies?  Eye doctors send newsletters containing eye care, eye exercises, and common diseases of the eye, their prevention and treatments.  This type of information is eagerly received and readily shared by email and word of mouth, the greatest and most powerful communication tools in the world.

Timely and relevant information creates trust and maintains loyalty.  It doesn’t get better than that.  You have created a following of interested people, without using one sales pitch.

Sharing educational type information opens the door to a personal relationship with your prospects as they may ask your opinion on the problems or issues they are facing at the present time.  You now have a personal voice and connection.  They are no longer dealing with a company or department, but a human being who cares and wants to help.

Most of us email marketers are working on next year’s business now.  We have become diligent students of internet marketing and networking. Some of us are twittering and tweeting, along with writing our own blogs. We leave no stone unturned when looking for new leads.

Email campaigns alone can never pay all our bills.  We are in constant need of new prospects, new ideas, and new concepts.  But are the prospects you are pursing worth your valuable time?  In an unstable and unpredictable economy, we are all juggling many hats and putting in long hours to survive.  Doesn’t it then pay to be a bit discriminating?

At this point, we need to be honest with ourselves.  Great opportunities may present themselves to us as they knock loudly at our door.  But, if we are going to build a credible business reputation, we must be sure we can step up the plate and meet the challenges laid before us.  Are you still with me?  So, here are some helpful questions to ask before making that plunge.

• Do we understand?  Understanding the client’s project, pursuits, and goals, gives us the power to speak into their bottom line.  Developing an in-depth understanding of the client’s business, their key customers and competitors is an important aspect of this question. Since time and resources are limited, it’s important to determine the opportunity being assessed is a worthwhile investment in time and resources.

• Are we up to the competition?  Does your direct mail campaign offer some sort of special business value that distinguishes you from your competitors? Knowing your Why’s (why you are different, why you can offer better solutions, why they should pick you), are key elements in winning any deal or project.  Have you done your proper analytics?  Have your newsletters been successful?

• Do we have a realistic chance to win? This is a really tough question, for it demands a humble spirit and honest evaluation.  Do you have the inner support to win?  In other words, have you received encouraging feedback from the inner circle?  Do they feel you understand their objectives?  Do you know your competition, if any? How comfortable are you with moving forward to the close?

We are all hungry for that new deal, new client, and all new opportunities knocking at our door.  But get a grip, take control, calm down.  Self-examination is never negative.  Taking count, stepping back and weighing all sides, gives you perspective and wisdom.

No one just plunges into the deep waters without investing the depth, the weather report, but especially, weighing the risks. Every job, e-campaign, project, and meeting demands your time and many invested resources.

Invest your time wisely from the very beginning.