Email Marketing Definitions
I’ve mentioned email newsletter briefly before. This is so important, that I’m going
to do a series on Email Marketing and how it can help your business.
The major difference between email marketing and the other marketing methods
is that people opt-in – or choose – to receive your marketing message. This is
GOLDEN. It’s like an open-door invitation to share your information and expertise
with your customers. That, my friend, is something you just can’t pay for. It is also
a way to build a relationship with current and future customers.
Before we get into the How-Tos, lets look at the definitions:
- Email List: An email list is simply a collection of email addresses. Most marketers will also collect the person’s first name with the email address so that the email can be personalized through automation software. ie. Instead of just saying “Hi”, you can say “Hi, Tom!” in the emails. It’s also possible to collect information such as location or phone numbers so you can further segment your list and market to them based on certain criteria. This is also important currently, due to the increase in SMS texting and marketing.
- Opt-In Form/Squeeze Page: An opt-in form or squeeze page is an online form where visitors to your website or blog fill in their contact information to join your email list. With services like Aweber, that information is automatically added to your email list with no action on your part – automation is great!
- Subscriber: Someone who has joined your email list, typically by filling out an opt-in form. They are now part of your “list,” and you can contact them via email with offers, information, updates, and more.
- Email Service Provider (ESP): A company that provides the email software you can use to send out emails. In this report we’re talking about Aweber, a top-ranked online ESP.
- Autoresponder: A list of email messages that goes out in sequence, automatically. For autoresponders, it doesn’t matter how many people sign up to your list or when they sign up. They’ll get message #1 automatically, then message #2 a set time later, message #3 a set time later again, etc. It’s a great way to automate parts of your business.
- Broadcast: A broadcast email goes out at a specific date and time. It’s different from an autoresponder as it’s a one-time deal. Everyone on your list receives this broadcast message at the same time, regardless of when they joined your list. These are often used for sales notifications, special offers, time-sensitive announcements, and the like.
Like any specialty, email marketing has its own vocabulary. Knowing the basic
terms will help you understand what we’ll be talking about in this series. In the
next installment we’ll look at how to get subscribers.