Morning;
Late last week a client asked me how well email marketing works. They wanted to do some emailing to a list. They thought they could save some money and still get the response rate that they do.
Before I tell you what I told them, here’s a little background. They mail out a big glossy color post card to invite homeowners to a free dinner followed by a short presentation. We mail out about 2,500 cards and they get about 30-40 couples who call in to RSVP. Sometimes they get so many, they have to move some to the following week’s dinner. Also each couple can bring 2 other couples.
They found a company that will sell them email lists, and they wanted to send out cold emails to people to invite them to a free dinner. Maybe use the subject line FREE DINNER!
Here is what I told them: If a company is willing to sell you an email list, run from them. Legitimate companies will rent you the list and will send the email out for you, making sure it complies with federal laws. The email can direct people to call or email the sender or it can direct them to a web site with more information and a way to collect more information from the people. If you want to send another email, you must pay again and this is costly…a lot more than it costs to contact 2,500 prospects by mail.
Now some interesting facts about email: One in seven commercial emails directed to Opt-in recipients never makes it to them. At least 30% of the 85% delivered are deleted unread. All email effectiveness trends are negative (source: Return Path).
From Kim Mauch, Satori Software: “Younger generation (Gen-Y, Millennials) have a reputation for immersion in digital, which fosters the misconception they don’t value or respond to direct-mail. Many marketing tests show that these generations are actually more likely to respond to direct mail marketing than online advertising.”
“There is a common misconception that email and social media works better than direct mail to acquire customers….direct mail is 10 to30 times more effctive than e-mail,” states Clif McDougall, VP, Business Development, Com-Pak Services.
Remember this the next time you want to do email marketing.
Till Next Week –
Remember – Great Things Happen, But You Have To Take Action, NOW!
Phil
PS. Want to know more about lead magnets and how they can grow your business? Then just let me know!
