Volume 19

eMarketing: Slow and Steady Communication at the Speed of Light

It may seem strange to describe effective eMarketing as “slow and steady” when by nature it is an instant form of communication.  However, slow and steady is just what is needed.

The eMarketing industry is booming.  It is cheaper and faster than traditional paper marketing, and offers far more flexibility, personalization, and tracking capabilities.  eMarketing most commonly equates to email newsletters, but can also encompass Website marketing, Search Engine marketing, and SMS and MMS marketing.

Perhaps because of its speed, eMarketing campaigns also have a wide margin of error.

The eMarketing efforts of many marketing departments could generously be described as frenetic and disjointed.  Usually these people believe that eMarketing involves sending as much information as possible to as many people as possible as quickly as possible.  Their goals tend to involve having a large subscriber list and making sure every subscriber knows about every single product or service that they sell.  This is a recipe for trouble as the very benefits that eMarketing provides turn into problems.

Speed to "Print"

Yes, you could be struck by inspiration and send an eMarketing campaign to your entire database in about 30 seconds flat.  However, there is a very good chance that your campaign will go out with spelling mistakes, inaccurate information, broken links, and/or missing images.  While the delivery of an eMarketing campaign can take only seconds, the planning phase should not be ignored.

Number of Recipients

Just because you can send your email newsletter to everyone you’ve ever met, emailed or spoken to does not mean you should.

Don’t waste your resources communicating with people that don’t want to hear from you.  Focus on quality subscribers that are actually interested in what you have to say.  You’ll get a much better return on your investment.

Too Much Information

In print marketing, if you are planning an A4 flyer, you know that you have to make your content fit on an A4 piece of paper.  With eMarketing there are no such restrictions.  An electronic page can be as long as you like!  This leads many marketers to be less selective about the content in their email newsletter.

Unless your email newsletter is truly a riveting read, making it too long will result in deleted emails and unsubscribes.  Sending irrelevant information can have the same disastrous results.

Slow and steady wins the race

It is a cliché but it is true.  Although eMarketing campaigns can be churned out at the speed of light, it would be prudent to:

  1. Plan – have an eMarketing schedule showing your planned campaigns, when content is due, and who is responsible for each campaign.
  2. Delegate – have at least one person who is assigned to co-ordinate your eMarketing efforts.
  3. Segment – get to know your subscribers and send them the most appropriate information for their needs and interests.
  4. Test – take those extra few minutes to send a test copy to a colleague who may spot that error that you couldn’t see.
  5. Respond – take the time to honor unsubscribe requests, respond to questions, and keep your list clean.
  6. Grow – carefully consider how you can add quality subscribers to your list in the daily course of your business. 

From one tortoise to another, slow down, let this wisdom of ages guide your eMarketing efforts and you will see results.