Here’s a fact: E-mail marketing has the highest ROI of all online traffic generation methods. With a return of $57.25 for every dollar spent, the ROI for e-mail marketing is more than 150 percent greater than that for non e-mail online marketing (Source: DMA, 2007). With such a great return, those using e-mail as their primary traffic generation method are making significant profits, resting comfortably on top of the CPA industry.
Even with those impressive return numbers there’s still plenty of room to grow. Consider some of the key aspects of mailing that don’t always get the attention they deserve, things such as deliverability, ‘From’ and ‘Subject’ lines, and irrelevant messages to name a few. Each is a vital aspect to the overall email and should be used to enhance the message, not detract from it.
First and foremost, deliverability is the number one issue when it comes to increasing your ROI. Affiliates that have mastered hitting the inbox every time are very rare. It has been said that on average 20 percent of all e-mail winds up in the junk folder. I don’t know about you, but for me anything found in my junk folder is an automatic delete – it never has a chance. One thing to keep in mind: When you’re losing out on one-fifth of your target list that can really hurt. Say for instance, you’re making $10,000 a month of your e-mail marketing but 20 percent of your e-mail winds up in the junk folder. If you do the math, you’ll see that you could be losing $2,500 a month and $30,000 for the whole year.
Choosing the best ‘From’ and ‘Subject’ lines is extremely important. This is the first part of the message the user will see, and you really want it to grab their attention. It’s crucial not to mislead the user, always make sure that they use accurate descriptions. Experienced Affiliates know the best way to figure this out: they ask their Affiliate Manager what’s performing best. A good Affiliate Manager will be able to use their experience and expertise to determine which ‘From’ and ‘Subject’ lines will produce the greatest results. Another great resource to further your understanding of proper affiliate practices is the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) website. Here you will find information on industry standards, with an emphasis on educating the online marketing community through experience and research.
The goal of e-mail marketing is to provide your list with meaningful content. This will help build a mutually beneficial relationship between yourself and the subscriber – the kind that brings credibility to your company, while gaining trust and loyalty from everyone the e-mail reaches. Give your subscribers targeted campaigns and truly offer value in each and every email you send. Follow the guidelines mentioned here and you’ll immediately start to see an increased return on your e-mail marketing investment.
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