How to Run a Successful Direct Email Marketing Campaign

Direct email marketing has taken a hit over the past few years. Because of the increase in spam, more people are less likely to open unsolicited email. Also, the popularity of spam blockers has also hurt direct email marketing. But there is a way to keep your direct email marketing materials from going straight to the junk folder.

Direct Email Marketing and Opt-In Lists

When running a direct email marketing campaign, it's important not to be labeled as a spammer. The best way to keep this from happening is by using opt-in mailing lists. Opt-in mailing lists contain only the email addresses of people who have agreed to receive your mailings. Since they expect to receive messages from you, they'll be less likely to mark your emails as spam.

Why Should I Consider Direct Email Marketing?

Direct email marketing has a number of benefits. The most important benefit is that it's easy to track results. If you send unsolicited emails, there's really no way to know who deleted your message without reading it. That can be a total waste of resources. On the other hand, direct email marketing conducted with an opt-in mailing list can produce better results.

Targeted email messages sent to qualified prospects usually receive a more favorable response. Direct email marketing qualified prospects are less likely to mark your emails as spam and more likely to read your message. Just think of the email you receive daily. Which messages are you more likely to read? It's a fair bet that unsolicited email isn't high on your list. Another plus of using direct email marketing is that you can easily measure who responds to your message.

Things to Consider When Starting a Direct Email Marketing Campaign

You shouldn't start any kind of marketing campaign without first thinking it through. A badly managed direct email marketing campaign will waste time and money. Ideally, you can hire a service which specializes in creating and handling direct email marketing campaigns. However, even if using an outside service, there are some things to consider:

• Decide in the beginning what your email marketing campaign should accomplish. Do you want more traffic to your website? Increased sales? Subscribers to your newsletter? You must know your objectives from the very beginning.
• Make sure your email marketing materials contain links to your website and/or email address. Tell your readers what you want them to do and make it easy for them to follow through.
• Protect yourself from fraudulent subscribers by requiring a double opt-in process. This means that once a person subscribes to your newsletter, website or ezine, they will have to confirm their subscription in a second step. This protects you from being accused of sending spam.
• Make customer service a top priority. It should be easy for subscribers to unsubscribe. And be sure to keep your mailing list updated. If using a direct email marketing service, keep tabs on how they perform.