You might wonder what all the fuss is about. After all, what can be so difficult about sending emails. Most of us do it every day. So what is the point of opting for a company providing email marketing software?
There are a number of significant differences between direct mail and email marketing. Although the reduction in costs per person contacted is what most advertising highlights, and quite rightly, there are more compelling reasons for going digital.
It is the same with all aspects of business: Effective management is essential and good quality email marketing software will provide support in the technical and creative areas of email marketing. It should include:
- Campaign management
- Legal compliance
- Email creation
- List management
- Statistics acquisition and collation
Those new to these procedures might well find the obligations, advantages and technical requirements easy to miss. Any quality professional company supplying email marketing software will have systems to ensure that all such details are covered and in a manner that requires little technical knowledge.
Take statistics acquisition and collation. Not the most exciting of titles you probably think. You might be wondering why you need to know so much.
Your marketing email should not be released into the ether and forgotten. It responds to following and checking. Over and above knowing how many emails have been sent, you will be told how many have been opened. If this figure is disappointing then you know you must improve the way it is presented to the recipient. If it is reassuringly high then you know you can concentrate on other aspects.
The same goes for the number of clickthroughs, those forwarded etc. This should be broken down so that you know what each recipient did and did not do. You will know how many ‘hard’ bounces your had, i.e. how many addresses are invalid, and how many opted to unsubscribe from your list.
Such detail allows you to concentrate your efforts on those aspects that are performing poorly. It also allows you modify your product so that it reflects the taste of your customers.
