Top Ways to Improve Your Email Marketing - Page 6/10

Why then does it take some marketers days, weeks, sometimes forever to send even a basic welcome message? This problem is bad enough when opt-in is done solely online. It gets worse when your program also collects email addresses at point-of-purchase outlets in a store, at an event, on the phone, or in customer-service contacts.

Engaging new subscribers is an issue marketers deal with all the time. First impressions count when building a relationship with new opt-ins. That can reduce future spam complaints due to lack of brand recognition.

Get the Ball Rolling

4. Other Opt-in Pages

We’re actually talking about two problems here:

- Timely database entries – Get names entered into your database as soon as possible after the opt-in. For retailers, customer-service staff, and others in the brick-and-mortar world, this means relaying them to your intake center daily if possible, but certainly no less frequently than weekly.
- Immediate response to the opt – in. This includes not just a “thanks for subscribing” welcome message, but a whole package of offers, information, past articles, downloads, or whatever else it takes to gather your new subscribers into the fold and make them eager to see you show up in their inboxes.

The first three weeks or so are the most critical for converting new opt-ins from browsers into loyal customers. Take this opportunity to build your brand recognition. Show email subscribers immediate value.

Here’s a three-stage quick start program:

1. Optimize Your Welcome Message

This goes out as soon as possible after the opt-in. Your list management software should be configured to send a welcome message as soon as an opt-in is confirmed. This is also why names that originate at the cash register or in the customerservice pipeline must also be confirmed ASAP. Your welcome message not only confirms the opt-in but also starts the loyalty and brand-building process. It should include:
- A thank-you for signing up, along with a reminder about where and when the sign-up occurred, if your list software provides that much detail
- An invitation to fill out a preference form and provide postal data as a backup should the email address fail
- A request to be added to the recipient’s address book or personal whitelist to ensure future delivery
- A link to your Web site’s privacy policy and a short statement about what you’ll do with the email address
- Customer service contact information (toll-free numbers to reach a live support person)
- A special offer available only via email exclusively for new subscribers
- An unsubscribe link (required by CAN-SPAM and other government email regulations)