I have been co-hosting a weekly podcast called The Bella Buzz with the CEO of Bella Web Design, Desiree Scales. We have good conversations about topics related to online marketing. Thought it would be a good time to start replicating the programs here for the Overflow audience. This is episode 37.
It is time to talk about Email Marketing as a topic on The Bella Buzz podcast. We take a look at the rationale for adding this distribution channel into the marketing strategy, some of the vendors who can provide the services, and even have a direct example of what email marketing can achieve.
We take a look at email marketing as another form of getting creative content in front of the intended audience. There have been numerous occasions when we have focused on the ability to consistently generate new pieces of information that will attract an audience, no matter how you might want to define audience ie. customers, new business, fans, etc.. It must be considered that different people will consume content in different ways, so it is imperative for any business to deliver content via numerous channels. We have discussed content published on a blog where the intention is to attract traffic to the site via SEO and PPC tactics. We have discussed having blog content available via RSS subscription where a visitor to the site can receive items in a feed reader. Finally, it is time to take a look at how email can be another way of delivering content to a target instead of the target having to navigate to the point of origin.
Email marketing has become more sophisticated as technologies have improved, development costs have been amortized and the CAN-Spam Act has been enacted. Using a software program like Outlook is not sufficient for complying with these regulations, nor does it provide analytics to help make a more successful email campaign.
Bella Web Design uses Constant Contact as the vendor of choice for distributing email newsletters, and recommends them to clients. In Atlanta they have a local rep, Pamela Adams, who attends conferences and assists in training aspects.
Some of the new features Constant Contact has added to the platform include an events module where invitations, RSVP, and followup are all managed from within the system. There is also a survey program that can be integrated into the web site and emails through the system.
At Fluid Media we use a service called AWeber. The dynamic form generation for collecting emails and the send message scheduling features are very attractive features.
One other company that we know of worth considering when researching for the most appropriate vendor is MailChimp.
In case anyone is thinking that email newsletters are yesterday’s method of distribution, many of the “thought leaders” in the online space have reverted back to using email as the preferred format. Concerns about comment spam, a lack of intimacy with an audience, and inability to generate a dialogue have driven some to take a second look at email efforts. An email can easily be replied to, allowing for opening a conversation and it can easily be forwarded, helping to spread the information.
Some who have moved towards using email include Jason Calacanis founder of Silicon Alley Reporter, Weblogs, Inc., and Mahalo.com. Chris Brogan author of Trust Agents and Social Media consultant, and Christopher S. Penn co-host of Marketing Over Coffee podcast.
Desiree shares with us a response to the most recent email newsletter that arrived in her inbox as we were recording the podcast! It really brings the point home to our viewers that email marketing can be a very powerful communication tool.
Theme music for The Bella Buzz is Fallen by Digital Chemistry, available for download at the Podsafe Music Network.
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