By Jonathan Morales, President of Morales Tech Marketing

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It's no surprise that when it comes to advertising online, email marketing is the most efficient way to boost notoriety and sales while, simultaneously, reducing expenses. In fact, KissMetrics, (a company known for customer intelligence and web analytics), stated that "Email has nearly three times as many user accounts as Facebook and Twitter combined." That being said, we here at Morales Tech Marketing want to make some suggestions on how to prevent your marketing emails from ending up in the spam file. These email marketing tips won't just get you noticed, but they will also humanize your business and educate your target audience. This next article will cover the 11 Email Marketing Tips based on some of the most common questions our clients typically ask us.

Does email marketing actually work?

The simple answer is yes. According to the Direct Marketing Association, on average, a $1 investment in email marketing yields a $43 dollar return.

Couldn't I just use my Gmail account and simply blind cc everybody?

No. Sending hundreds of blind cc messages from your native email account will trigger an alert to the service provider which will in-turn suspect your email as possible spam. Once this happens, not only will your deliverability drop but your website's performance will also begin to suffer in the long run.

Can I do email marketing myself?

There is nothing stopping you from actually running your own email marketing campaign, however, it's recommended that you consult with a professional. Think about it this way, your basic automotive skills aren't going to be enough to supercharge your engine. You're actually more likely to cause more harm than good.

Can't I just buy a list of emails?

We know a handful of companies that will sell you a database of emails, however, we wouldn't advise such action. From our experience, buying a list would generate more negative notoriety than good. The reason being is that if the recipient never subscribed to your email list, they will tag your emails as spam, which will put you in bad standing with search engines. You are better off having a small handful of people who love your company than to have 1,000 people who know nothing about you.

What can I do to avoid having my emails end up in a spam folder?

Depending on how often you give out your personal email, you most likely already have a spam filter or a spam folder in place so you can get to what really matters to you. Let's face it; we've all gotten email ads that we just don't want. Our goal is to help you not contribute to that spam folder. Your subscribers must be given the opportunity to opt-in to your email list. Asking your subscribers for permission is the best way to avoid having your email land in their black list.

Now that I have a list, what should I say to them?

Every time you engage with your readers, you should be providing them with valuable content. Good content consists of anything from, educating them about your industry, to providing entertainment, to asking thought provoking questions. Your marketing should be something that comes secondary to the subject matter. If you simply market them 100% of the time, they will quickly become disinterested with your emails and will eventually unsubscribe to your email campaign. Again, it's about providing them with something meaningful, while subtly marketing your brand. The key thing is to always provide value to your target audience.

How many time should I send out my email marketing campaign?

You could probably write an encyclopedia and a bunch of short stories with everything you know about your industry, however, everything has to be taken in moderation. Just because you have an email list doesn't mean that they want to hear from you every day. As a general rule, you should only be sending an email campaign every two weeks. Once a week is too often while once a month is too infrequent.

Why is it important to be mobile friendly?

If you ever glanced at statistics regarding digital marketing, multiple sources will tell you that the majority of people living in the United States are looking at their email through some sort of mobile device nowadays. This could range anywhere between smartphones, to tablets, to e-readers. With content being consumed on the go, making sure your campaign is mobile friendly is pertinent to your success.

Is email marketing worth my time?

The necessity and the popularity of emails is not something that is going away anytime soon. So as long as emails exist, there will always be a place for email marketing. Studies show that consumers are 40 times more likely to be loyal email customers than through a social media outlet. Email Marketing is truly the best method for establishing customer relationships and maintaining a group of dedicated followers. It's definitely something to think about.

Is it possible to send out different email messages to different people?

You most definitely can. In fact, the emailing you're describing is called segmentation marketing, or target marketing. Whatever the product or service is, you will have people that only care about certain parts of your industry. So by segmenting these people, you are also building a stronger business strategy. A good marketing strategy will ensure that your customers are always happy when they receive your messages.

Is there any way for me to see if my messages are being received?

Email campaigns should always be monitored just like all your other digital marketing efforts. The wonderful thing about automating your emails is that it also allows you to view how much and how often your messages have been viewed. Make sure that you are constantly monitoring your performance every time you send out an email campaign. Making sure your open rate and click-through-rate are at least satisfactory. Your averages will vary depending on your industry; however, the general rule is an open rate of 18-20%.

Still need help?

We do our best to provide you with some helpful tips to get your business noticed. Understandably, the whole process can be overwhelming for most people. If you feel like your business could use a little boost, contact one of our agents today.