Direct Marketing - The Disadvantages of Using Email as a Promotional Technique
Saturday, November 23, 2013
Many companies use email marketing as a vital promotion tool due to its low cost and ability to be sent out quickly. While email can be a great marketing tool for many, it is not without faults. If you are new to the email marketing world, it is important to take a look at the disadvantages of email marketing.
Growing Your List
While sending out an email marketing campaign can be done in just a few minutes, growing your list takes hard work. It is not a good idea to purchase a list of email addresses. Purchasing a list violates the CAN-SPAM Act, which was enacted by Congress in 2003. If too many users complain to their email provider about receiving your unwanted emails, there is a chance you can have your server blacklisted or be forced to pay a hefty fine. Always send email marketing campaigns only to clients and prospects who opt-in and want to receive your emails.
Lost in the Shuffle
When you use email marketing tools to measure the results of your campaign, you may be surprised to find that your open rate and click-through rate are lower than you expected. People get bombarded with such a high quantity of email, it can be easy for a prospect to just push the delete button or choose not to open your email. If you are a business-to-business marketer, remember that many companies have strict spam filters. In that case, your campaign may wind up in a prospect's junk mail folder.
Target Audience
While some brackets of consumers are glued to their smartphones and laptops, others may not be computer savvy. If your target audience falls into a demographic that spends little time on the Web, your email campaigns may not be viewed for many days. By the time a prospect views your message, the promotion inside may be stale or breaking news may be irrelevant. If you want to get the most out of your marketing dollars, make sure that your target audience is logged on before devoting part of your budget to mass email.
Not Engaging Enough
At one time email marketing may have seemed very personal to some users, especially in comparison to old fashion mediums such as television and radio. Since social media has become trendy, however, the engagement factor of email marketing may not seem impressive anymore to many users. Social websites, such as Twitter, allow businesses and prospects to communicate back and forth instantly, which makes waiting for an email response seem slow.
Tags:
Direct Marketing, Marketing
Growing Your List
While sending out an email marketing campaign can be done in just a few minutes, growing your list takes hard work. It is not a good idea to purchase a list of email addresses. Purchasing a list violates the CAN-SPAM Act, which was enacted by Congress in 2003. If too many users complain to their email provider about receiving your unwanted emails, there is a chance you can have your server blacklisted or be forced to pay a hefty fine. Always send email marketing campaigns only to clients and prospects who opt-in and want to receive your emails.
Lost in the Shuffle
When you use email marketing tools to measure the results of your campaign, you may be surprised to find that your open rate and click-through rate are lower than you expected. People get bombarded with such a high quantity of email, it can be easy for a prospect to just push the delete button or choose not to open your email. If you are a business-to-business marketer, remember that many companies have strict spam filters. In that case, your campaign may wind up in a prospect's junk mail folder.
Target Audience
While some brackets of consumers are glued to their smartphones and laptops, others may not be computer savvy. If your target audience falls into a demographic that spends little time on the Web, your email campaigns may not be viewed for many days. By the time a prospect views your message, the promotion inside may be stale or breaking news may be irrelevant. If you want to get the most out of your marketing dollars, make sure that your target audience is logged on before devoting part of your budget to mass email.
Not Engaging Enough
At one time email marketing may have seemed very personal to some users, especially in comparison to old fashion mediums such as television and radio. Since social media has become trendy, however, the engagement factor of email marketing may not seem impressive anymore to many users. Social websites, such as Twitter, allow businesses and prospects to communicate back and forth instantly, which makes waiting for an email response seem slow.
