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Written by: Manage Your Business

Article Overview: E-mail marketing is one of the most effective ways to keep in touch with customers. It is generally cost-effective, and if done properly, can help build brand awareness and loyalty. At a typical cost of only a few cents per message, it's a bargain compared to traditional direct mail at $1 or more per piece. In addition, response rates on e-mail marketing are strong, ranging from 5 to 35% depending on the industry and format. Response rates for traditional mail averages in the 1 to 3% range.

eMarketing

eMarketing

E-mail marketing is one of the most effective ways to keep in touch with customers. It is generally cost-effective, and if done properly, can help build brand awareness and loyalty. At a typical cost of only a few cents per message, it's a bargain compared to traditional direct mail at $1 or more per piece. In addition, response rates on e-mail marketing are strong, ranging from 5 to 35% depending on the industry and format. Response rates for traditional mail averages in the 1 to 3% range.

One of the benefits of e-mail marketing is the demographic information that customers provide when signing up for your e-mail newsletter. Discovering who your customers really are - age, gender, income, and special interests, for example - can help you target your products and services to their needs.

Points to consider when creating your e-mail newsletter:

* HTML vs. Plain Text: Response rates for HTML newsletters are generally far higher than plain text, and graphics and colors tend to make the publications look far more professional. The downside is that HTML e-mail is slower to download, and some e-mail providers may screen out HTML email.
* Provide incentive to subscribe: To get customers to sign up for your newsletter, advertise the benefits of receiving your newsletter, such as helpful tips, informative content, or early notification of special offers or campaigns.
* Don't just sell: Many studies suggest that e-mail newsletters are read far more carefully when they offer information that is useful to the customers' lives rather than merely selling products and services. Helpful tips, engaging content, and humor are often expected to accompany e-mail newsletters.
* Limit questions: As each demographic question you ask may reduce the number of customers signing up, it's best to limit the amount of information you solicit or give customers the option of skipping the questionnaire.


Establishing a Web Presence

Even if you choose not to sell your goods or services online, a business web site can be a virtual marketing brochure that you can update on demand with little or no cost. Your presence on the Internet can be a useful marketing tool by providing richer pre-sale information or post-sale support and service. This might temporarily differentiate your product or service from your competitors'. E-marketing has lessened the disadvantage that small businesses have faced for years when competing with larger businesses.

eCommerce has redefined the marketplace, altered business strategies, and allowed global competition between local businesses. The term "electronic commerce" has evolved from meaning simply electronic shopping to representing all aspects of business and market processes enabled by the Internet and other digital technologies. The SBA is preparing to help this new generation of Internet-enabled or eSmall Businesses.

Today's business emphasis is on ecommerce - rapid electronic interactions enabled by the Internet and other connected computer and telephone networks. Rapid business transactions and unparalleled access to information is changing consumer behavior and expectations. The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is reshaping its programs to better serve small businesses that take advantage of the Internet and other emerging technologies.

Many small businesses assume that the Internet has little value to them because they feel that their product or service cannot be easily sold online, but inexpensive information processing and electronic media can help most small businesses provide better, faster customer service and communication.

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Re: The Mobile Marketing - Mobile Marketing involves communicating with the consumer via cellular (or mobile) device, either to send a simple marketing message, to introduce them to a new audience participation-based campaign or to allow them to visit a mobile website. Some of the tools of the trade and a few of the concepts that will be featured in this Mobile Marketing 101 series are: Multimedia Messaging Services (MMS) Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) Bluetooth, Wireless and Infrared Mobile Internet and Social Media Mobile Applications Mobile connectivity not only enables people to connect to the Internet via a cellular telephone, PDA or other gadget, but also consolidates the different communication channels in a simple, yet effective, medium. Cheaper than traditional means for both the consumer and the marketer - and easy enough for almost any age group to understand and engage with - Mobile Marketing really is a streamlined version of traditional eMarketing.
Re: True Characteristics of an Entrepreneur - [quote="ideasuniversity":2dupmds5]Lets search online to know if that kind of workshop or college course exist. If it does not this is a very good business idea. I could come up with some ideas to evaluate people to know if they have the skills to be an enterepreneur. We could even put it on this website[/quote:2dupmds5] Hi ideasuniversity, I think there are a lot of quizzes out there which people can take to evaluate themselves, but the problem is that people generally don't objectively answer the questions. And if you take a college course on entrepreneurship, you really won't know if you're cut out for that lifestyle change until you're actually doing it. In class, writing up a full business/marketing plan and presenting it to your classmates doesn't mean anything (or prove that you got what it takes to succeed at running your own small business). For instance, in an eMarketing class I took, the instructor gave me an "A+" on my business plan, but when I asked for additional feedback when the course was over... he gave me his "real" thoughts and said the idea would never "swim" in reality.
Re: True Characteristics of an Entrepreneur - [quote="RussellWebb":eh2zwia3]Now c'mon Kevin. I think if he gave you a poor score then that would have been an unnecessary slap in the face. Looking at the efforts you put into the paper, which I can safely assume was good stuff, then I would have given you a good grade too. In the end, were his comments accurate in regards to website traffic? I'm curious... I'm in line with IdeasUniversity in that it's always better to test the waters than to NOT and succumbing to the fear of failure. No regrets man! just my opinion...[/quote:eh2zwia3] Hi RussellWebb, Well unlike a kid in elementary or high school, I feel that continuing education students (who are primarily adults working full-time) can handle a "slap in the face" (i.e. the blatant truth). Moreover, I wasn't really taking that eMarketing course to finish my Marketing Diploma, but to get some honest feedback about my marketing/business plan for my online book community at the time. But I agree... the key is to not be deterred by negative feedback, but to use it as constructive criticism and keep moving forward.
Re: True Characteristics of an Entrepreneur - [quote="BuzzAroundBooks":sl9904z9] I think there are a lot of quizzes out there which people can take to evaluate themselves, but the problem is that people generally don't objectively answer the questions. And if you take a college course on entrepreneurship, you really won't know if you're cut out for that lifestyle change until you're actually doing it. In class, writing up a full business/marketing plan and presenting it to your classmates doesn't mean anything (or prove that you got what it takes to succeed at running your own small business). For instance, in an eMarketing class I took, the instructor gave me an "A+" on my business plan, but when I asked for additional feedback when the course was over... he gave me his "real" thoughts and said the idea would never "swim" in reality.[/quote:sl9904z9] Very true - a brutally honest answer to the questions is necessary to get a real answer. I've known plenty of people who could pass a test on a topic, but that did not mean they could implement the things they learned. Did he give you any reasons why it wouldn't work? What I'm thinking is - what information in the business plan should have revealed it wasn't feasible? If that element wasn't in the business plan - it should be added. Analyzing the plan, the location, the target market, market research, needed expertise, people to fill those needs, financial projections and needs and so on should reveal problem areas in a plan. Shri


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