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www.ecommerce-guide.com/solutions/advertising/article.php/3713066
By Vangie Beal November 27, 2007 This time of year consumers are bombarded with holiday e-mail from merchants offering everything from gift guides to free shipping. A recent Forrester Research report indicates that US online retail sales this holiday season will reach $33 billion, a 21-percent increase over last year, making your e-mail marketing campaign an important part of reaching new customers and cashing in on holiday sales. One obstacle you are going to face in creating a holiday campaign is making sure that yours stands out among all the other ones in a customer's inbox. Small online business owners also need to consider how to build their holiday contact list and then decide how to present the mailing. ECommerce-Guide recently spoke with Melanie Attia, the product marketing manager for Campaigner, who suggested six key tips for launching a successful holiday e-mail marketing campaign — even if you have never considered sending one before this year. 1: E-mail Marketing Is Both Easy and Inexpensive The service will also make it easy to manage your subscriber list through automated subscription and unsubscribe functions. Plus, you can also track click-through rates and ensure that your e-mails meet industry standards as well as applicable privacy and spam laws. 2: Build Your Contact List It is extremely important to continue contact only with those people who are interested. "Merchants need to honor all unsubscribe requests immediately. One feature of Campaigner is that it automates the process of unsubscribing contacts for you. The software will flag those e-mail addresses who have requested to unsubscribe and no future mailings will be sent to that user," said Attia. For those merchants who might be tempted to buy e-mail lists to spread their holiday message, we warn you: resist the urge. Attia said that buying lists of customers will have a very negative effect in terms of customer trust. "Merchants really need to steer clear of sending non-permission based e-mail. It doesn't work." 3: Avoid Being Generic: Use the subject line to its full potential
To help your e-mail rank higher, Attia said you need to use the e-mail subject line to its full potential. "Don't use generic subject lines like 'e-flyer' or 'special discounts inside.' You need to give the subscriber a good reason to click and open the e-mail, and that means being more descriptive." She suggests that merchants use a specific brand name or something similar that the customer would expect from you. For holiday campaigns you can also consider subject lines related to discount percentages or dollar number reductions. Forrester Research's 2007 holiday report says that 61 percent of online consumers indicate that they are more likely to shop online with a retailer that offers free shipping, so shipping discounts will also make an attractive subject line for holiday marketing. In designing e-mail subject headers you should also avoid using the word 'free' to help keep your e-mail out of subscriber's spam or junk folders. |
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