Email marketing continues to be one of the most effective and cost-efficient tools in the marketer’s toolbox. But strategic and compliant email marketing is not easy. Marketing automation and emerging technologies supporting account-based marketing allow you to make emails far more relevant and personalized. Marketing automation allows you to segment and deliver emails to just the right audience at just the right time.
However, before you experiment with these advanced strategies, it’s important to start with the basics. Here are some steps to help you establish your basic strategy for effective and compliant email marketing.
Email Marketing – Cutting Through the Noise
The average business executive receives hundreds of unsolicited emails every day and is getting very good at blocking unwanted messages. Consequently, mass marketing techniques no longer work. You can’t treat email marketing like a simple numbers game.
For your emails to get noticed, they have to cut through the noise and capture your recipient’s attention. They need to strike a chord based on the recipient’s interests and needs.
Compliant Email Marketing – A Strategic Tool
Email is a strategic tool. When it’s used properly, it can attract and capture attention from an audience that wants to hear your message and take action. But you have to start with that audience. This requires content to attract people who need your company’s services, who want to hear from you, who subscribe to your email program, and who will engage.
Define your target audience. Then, focus on creating content to help you build a relationship with that audience. Your goal is to attract subscribers and get them to open, read, engage, and take action on your offers.
Anti-SPAM Compliance is Critical
Next, it’s important to make sure you’re in compliance with anti-spam laws in the jurisdictions where your recipients are located. Most developed countries have some sort of SPAM legislation. Many require proof of a confirmed opt-in before you start emailing someone.
To help, we’ve just published The Email Compliance Roadmap. This comprehensive e-book will help you think through your approaches for building and maintaining an enthusiastic subscriber list. It provides loads of tips for keeping subscribers engaged. It includes a detailed guide for complying with regional anti-SPAM regulations. And it provides step-by-step instructions for setting up a confirmed opt-in methodology that will satisfy requirements in even the strictest jurisdictions.
Consider this your user guide for compliant email communications. The e-book is loaded with tips and covers these topics in depth:
Building a Subscriber List
- Attracting and converting subscribers
- Keeping them engaged
- Getting recipients to take action with effective CTAs
- Maximizing your email results
How to Comply with Global Anti-SPAM Rules
- Implied vs. explicit consent
- Using double opt-in to obtain explicit consent
- Managing unsubscribe requests
- Complying with global anti-spam rules (including details about complying with specific laws in Australia, Canada, European Union, Asia Pacific, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States)
Implementing Compliant Email Marketing
- How to stay out of trouble
- Choosing between single or double opt-in
- Setting up a single opt-in workflow
- Setting up a double opt-in workflow
- Record-keeping
