Are You Getting the Basics of Email Marketing Right?

If you're looking to market your business online, you'll definitely want to think about email marketing. Of all internet marketing options, business owners rated email marketing as having the second highest ROI, with 72% describing it as 'Excellent' or 'Good'. In other words, there is a great chance you will make money for your business using email marketing.

Whether you are just getting into email marketing or have been doing it for awhile, you'll want to make sure you have the basics locked down. Once you know the basics, you can start to build a trajectory of long-term email marketing success and growth.

1. Follow-Up Quickly With Leads and Give Them Subscription Opportunities

Lead capture is all about follow up. When you receive an email address via lead capture, it means that person is in the mindset to learn more about your business or product. The faster you follow up, the higher the chance they will be in the same receptive mindset. If you take a day or two to respond, their mood or level of receptivity may have changed drastically. Here are some lead capture tips:

• Try to follow up within an hour if possible - A study by the Harvard Business Review showed that companies that contacted leads within an hour were 7x more likely to have a meaningful (and fruitful) conversation with the lead than those that did not.


• Use the Double Opt-in Method - The first follow-up email you send should have a button asking them to click if they are interested in subscribing. This means they have consented twice to give their information and makes it much less likely your emails will be blocked as spam in the future.


• See If They Want to Subscribe To Your Newsletter- If you send out a regular newsletter or recurring updates and your lead capture form does not include a sign up option, send a quick email asking if they would like to be included in your regular mailing list.

2. Extend Your Brand, Include Links, and Attach a Professional Email Signature

There are several key things to keep in mind for every email you send. Remember, the point of email marketing is to promote your business. Here are three things you should strive to include in every email you send out.

• Extend Your Brand - You are marketing your company and your email should reflect that. Do not send a super cluttered and sub-par email if you are a graphics company that is all about minimalist design. Make sure your email extends your brand instead of working against it.


• Link To Your Site/Social Media - This is a no-brainer. Give people an opportunity to check out your site or follow you on social media.


• Attach a Professional Email Signature with a Disclosure - Have a professional signature to keep your emails consistent and polished. Make sure it includes a disclosure and opt-out button, in case the recipient received the email by mistake.

3. Get a Professional Business Email Address

This might seem obvious. But this is a guide to the basics, and I want to make sure we're clear on this. Having a professional business email address is an absolute must for your email marketing campaigns. There are several reasons for this:

• Cutesy or personal email addresses communicate "unprofessional" - Receiving an email from Sales@bbdesigns.com is much more professional than receiving one from Bobbodine@gmail.com. Taking the time to set up a business email tells your potential client that you take your business seriously and pay attention to the small details.


• It Helps You Build Your Brand - Branding your business is huge. Having a professional email address makes your business more memorable and puts your brand name front and center, even before the email is ever opened.


• It Gives You Extra Organizational and Routing Flexibility - Business email addresses allow you to create alias addresses, (sales@bbdesigns, marketing@bbdesigns, etc) that are all routed to one main inbox. If are conducting multiple email campaigns, you can have the results from each routed to separate alias addresses or folders to keep your inbox organized, saving you both time and effort when locating emails.

The best part about it, is that you can get a business email address without spending any money. Here is a handy guide on how to set up a free email address.

Summary

There are lots of different tips and tricks for email marketing. But, to get to even get to the point where those tips and tricks can be effective, you have to make the basics are covered. If you work to get the above basics in place, then you will be well on your way to developing a lasting and growing email marketing system for your business.

Disclosure: Marc Waring is the publisher of Fit Small Business, a publication referenced in this article.

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.