E-Mail Marketing for startups: Basic guidelines to follow

Many small business owners search for cheap easy ways to reach their target audience or customers. One small business idea which we pay very little attention to is e-mail. For starters it’s as economical as you can get but it’s got a lot of possibilities. Why should you use E-Mail Marketing?

You get to remind old customers that you still exist, you get to pitch your wares to new ones and you can mass mail all of them at a single click once you have a group mailer set up. Also everyone has an email id and most check their inbox every day… However just because it’s easy does not mean there are no guidelines to follow.

Make your statement; your mail must have a purpose. Most people don’t even read their mail because they think it’s all spam. The statement has to be in the title to your message and it has to sum up your mail.

Don’t spam- it’s possible for you to spam customers, by clicking on the send button more than once. If I get mailed by any company more than twice in a day for things I do not want nor need I mark it as spam. Please don’t bombard your mailing list or that will be your fate (to be directed to the junk mail folder each time).

Your mailing list is not for selling. Also it has to be your mailing list and not a set of leads you bought from someone. Leads are fine and dandy (for annoying credit card sellers) but if your customers are opting in for your mail or recommending it to others there’s nothing like it. Selling your list is a big “No No”… You never know who might use your contacts for what purposes.

Your process for signing up for mail and well as unsubscribing should be hassle free. While it’s fine to go old school and not use mailing software, it’s better to make that initial spend. With the mailing software you can trace emails, the returns on the mails and adjust your mailing strategies. It also tells you when people are unsubscribing from your mail so you can figure out why.

A couple of things are just plain courtesy when using e-mail marketing. For instance confirmation messages for subscribing and unsubscribing. Not only do you put your recipients mind to rest, the unsubscribe confirmation message can also come with a ‘subscribe again’ button, just in case J they change their minds.

Personalize your mail- Bulk mailing is fine but on a website where you have different types of customers shopping for different items you can use that info. Culling preferences and shopping habits from your database makes for a more personalized mail. This stands true not just for e-business site or e-shopping by the way. You can always mail select articles to customers depending on the preferences they choose

I hope this helps all you small business owners make the most of Email marketing… Remember to follow the guidelines but don’t let them limit you…