Combining Email Marketing with Web Marketing
Ron Evans
Email marketing is incredibly effective at maintaining
customer loyalty, as well as at converting interested
prospects into customers. However, for the acquisition
of a new prospect, email marketing may not be
the most ideal method due to the proliferation
of unwanted offers. So how do you get these
?¡ãhand-raisers?¡À
to give you the permission to market to them
in the first place? Here are some online marketing
techniques that combine well with email marketing.
Search Engine Listings
Search engines and directories such as Yahoo
and MSN are still one of the first sources
that people go to when looking for information
online. The searcher is trying to find a solution
to a problem, and their psychology is such
that they can be highly receptive to your
message if it is relevant to solving that
problem. Once they have clicked thru to your
web site, your goal is to get them to volunteer
their email address to allow you to continue
the dialog with them. You can only achieve
this by giving them a valid reason for doing
so. For well-known brand names, simply asking
for the information may be enough. For newer
or niche-focused companies, techniques such
as providing information of value like a report,
or actual giveaways are needed to convince
most visitors to participate.
Pay Per Click Search Listings
Pay Per Click (PPC) listing services such
as Overture and Google?¡¥s AdWords
have all of the same benefits as non-paid
search engine listings. There may be somewhat
less credibility, as searchers are more skeptical
of paid listings. However, this is more than
countered by the predictability of the results.
PPC listings are far superior to traditional
search engines from the perspective of an
advertiser because of both the immediacy with
which you can obtain a listing, as well as
the ability to achieve a specific desired
ranking. Promotion becomes simpler because
you get the positioning you are willing to
pay for. And once you have paid for a visitor
to click-thru to your site, your next objective
is getting them to tell you their email address,
so you can maximize your Return On Investment
(ROI).
Content-Based Marketing
Creating original content is one of the best
ways to demonstrate expertise and establish
credibility for a company as an authority
in a particular field. Allowing other web
sites and online newsletters to republish
this content along with a link back to your
site is an excellent way to acquire new prospects.
Many people would like to receive further
information from an expert that they respect,
and are quite willing to not just receive,
but also anticipate receiving email from said
expert.
Newsletter Sponsorship
Although not quite as good at establishing
credibility as is creating content, ads that
are located in someone else?¡¥s
email newsletter do tend to get noticed in
a good light. By carefully selecting the correct
target audience, along with proper timing,
these ads can deliver qualified prospects
to your site. And once they get there, your
brilliant call to action and your well-crafted
content will convince them to start a "conversation"
by giving you their email address.
Site Sponsorship
Like newsletter sponsorship, site sponsorship
ads do tend to get noticed in a better light
than banner advertising. Combining sponsorship
with content (the so-called "Advertorial")
can get more attention than advertising alone.
Again, proper targeting and a compelling call
to action are critical for achieving a response.
Conclusion
Give people a reason to ??talk?¡¥
to your company and you can concentrate on
talking to the people that already want to
hear from you. Anything else wastes your time
and annoys non-prospects unnecessarily. You
can generate new leads by using other forms
of online marketing, and then stay in touch
with these prospects over the courtship process
of getting them to become customers by using
email marketing, and you will have adopted
a powerful online marketing strategy.
