Local Sales and Marketing Reference Guide

E-mail is revolutionizing the art and science of direct marketing, bringing marketers new opportunities and challenges. It has made communicating with customers and prospects easier and less expensive than ever before.

The basics of direct marketing, however, have not changed. Before someone reads an e-mail message, they have to open it. You have to get their attention, quickly.

Grab their attention!

That’s why the subject line of every e-mail is so important -- it has to interest, entice or lure the reader to see what’s inside. Stop short of hype, but avoid boring words. Try to capture the essence of your message with a couple of words or a single, direct phrase. If you are writing about a money-saving deal, try "Save 30 Percent!" If you have a special offer that’s time sensitive, try "Special Offer Ends June 3, 2001".

The same goes for your message. Communicate the most important facts immediately. The objective is to incite the reader to take action -- whether it’s a return e-mail, or clicking through to a web site or service. One screenful is a lot of words. If you exceed this amount, you may be inviting a date with the delete button.

Getting the message out

Abusing mass e-mail is not only rude, but may turn potential customers away from trying Thrifty. Ask permission to include recipients on a list, or include instructions for unsubscribing in an easy to find spot. Never sell or trade list information without members’ knowledge, and always avoid inappropriate messaging. In addition, give everyone a chance to remove themselves from your e-mail lists. Jamming a message into an unwilling recipient’s mailbox is a surefire way to turn off a customer or a prospect. Beef up your list by collecting e-mail addresses yourself, buying them from a third party, or piggybacking on others’ e-mail newsletters. But remember the golden rule of e-mail marketing: include clear instructions on how to get off the list.

K.I.S.S (Keep It Super Simple)

Because many e-mail systems are not compatible, it’s also a good idea to keep your e-mail as simple as possible. Just about everyone can read plain text messages, but many people can’t read e-mails with graphics and multimedia embedded in them. You should always include hyperlinks and web addresses to give recipients an easy way to get more information or contact you. You can stub your toe, however, if you ask for a reply and then don’t respond quickly when those replies start coming in. Be sure you have sufficient resources to handle electronic communications.

A direct mail program can be as simple as a sending a thank-you note to current customers, or as complex and costly as you can dream up. If you are thinking of getting into large-scale direct mail campaigns, you may want to consult an expert. Check the yellow pages for direct mail consultants or use an online search engine to identify agencies in your area. Outsourcing with an expert makes sense, especially for large campaigns. Look for help with list processing and transmittal, as well as handling feedback and orders. Be sure to check into database management services, since you’ll want to keep this data on file for possible reuse.

Are you speaking their language?

Language issues are another thing to consider as you expand your reliance on direct mail. English is still considered the universal business language, but the number of non-English speakers on the Internet is growing. Think about translation and multilingual capabilities in the very near future -- even if you aren’t currently trying to reach an international audience. There’s no limit to what you can use e-mail to do: introduce new products, announce upgrades, communicate new prices, trumpet new features or personnel -- the list is virtually endless.

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