There is a real difference between “May I send you an email?” and “Can I send you an email.”  And I’m not just talking about which question to ask your prospective subscriber.

In case you’re wondering now that I’ve mentioned it, WordTask defines “may” as expressing permission or possibility, while “can” expresses ability.  

In email marketing, the first question…”May I send you an email?”  is the essential question you’re asking your prospective subscriber when getting permission to send her an email.  This is where you  need to be really clear about what you’re  asking permission to send, and she needs to be really clear about what she’s giving you permission to send. 

The “Can I send you an email” is an entirely different story.  Your ability to actually Read More→

Have you noticed the recent love affair between email marketing and social media?  Check out a few of your latest emails from your favorite online retail sites.

I’ll give you an example.  I just got newsletters from Staples and Pareto Logic.  Both, along with numerous others I’ve received, provide me the opportunity to join them on Twitter,  Facebook and other social sites…to share and allow others to opt in to be able to receive these emails. 

So…what’s the advantage?  Why not just ask these subscribers to forward the email to a friend? Read More→

There’s all kinds of expert advice on target marketing…including mine. 

But what about the advice of the real expert on your market…you? 

No one knows your target market better than you.  Who is your ideal customer?  What does he look like?  Right now…today. Read More→

What’s love got to do with email marketing?  Well…just about everything. 

Love your product.  Love your subscribers.   Love  what you can offer them, and what they can offer you in return.

Here are the things I love best about email marketing: Read More→

Really, when you stop to think about it…your  garden and your email marketing list are a lot alike.  Both start with bare ground…an opportunity… to grow something.  Both require fertilizer of some type… the  garden may need a load of manure with a pile of worms…and the email marketing list…an ethical bribe.  Just enough to create the right environment for potential growth.  Then, both require care and feeding to mature, to produce fruit…and then seed…for sustainable growth year after year.

Let’s talk a little bit about what kind of a garden you’re growing with email marketing…to make sure your care and feeding matches. 

The email marketing garden you…and I…and most email marketers want to grow…is a relationship garden, isn’t it?  Read More→

I was at a meeting the other day, and several people were complaining about the overload factor of email.  They were complaining about how many emails they get every day that they simply delete.  Interestingly, they all acknowledged that these were email messages from people or companies they had given permission to send them email.

What’s more amazing…they had no plan to unsubscribe, even though they delete the vast majority of emails they get from numerous people and organizations.

This really made me stop and think.  Why…don’t subscribers unsubscribe if they don’t want to receive emails from you any longer? Read More→

Wondering what your email subscribers think about your manners?  Here you are, an invited guest in their home or business, and you want to impress…not distress.

Where’s the book on email etiquette?  Who can tell you what chapter covers which dress code for which occasion?

Is what’s right for Bob’s Hardware Store right for your Weight Loss Now email campaign?

Well, you’ve probably figured out by now.  There is no book on the right email etiquette for every circumstance.  There’s no “Miss Manners Says…” when it comes to what’s appropriate and what’s not. Read More→

One of my favorite hors d’oeuvres is a wrap-up…a delectable bit of seafood or spicy beef, or vegetable…all in a cream cheese or other pate that is spread on a tortilla or bread wrap,topped with chopped greens,  rolled, and cut into small slices…called a wrap up.

Email marketing messages are like wrap ups.  Delectable tidbits of information wrapped in your brand, and delivered in bite-size chunks.  Read More→

So you’ve made the plunge into email marketing.  You’ve committed your time and effort, and perhaps the time and effort of a whole team, to design an email marketing strategy. 

Your strategy is designed to support your company’s overall marketing efforts…and you want to ensure you focus on how to achieve the best results…by establishing a “Best Practices” procedure.  Email marketing is measurable.  You know, because the saying’s been around for years…”You can only manage what you can measure.”  By tracking, analyzing, and optimizing your campaigns, you can steadily improve your results and increase your ROI.  In today’s economy, there’s no better place to put your…reduced…advertising dollar.  And no better place to make sure you establish and follow a “Best Practices” model. Read More→

Email marketing isn’t right for everybody.  Yes, you heard me right.  If you’ve been sending emails and you’re not getting the response you’re looking for, maybe you need to rethink your strategy and eliminate email marketing.

First, let’s talk a little bit about why email marketing is considered as part of an overall marketing strategy.  What are the absolute essentials to start an email campaign?  Well, you must have the following: Read More→