e-Marketing - E-mail Marketing
The best way to get consumers involved in a site is to get them to sign up for a free newsletter, a discussion list, or an update publication. E-mail publishing is “primarily a way to conserve the people who have shown some interest in your business by coming to your website or responding to one of your offers” (Wilson, Eight 4). E- mail publishing is a good way to build trust, because consumers rely on the site for consistent, valuable information. This trust results in enhanced brand-retention with your customers, because “as long as the information you supply to your prospects is useful and of good quality, you will build credibility and a loyal customer base” (Rickman 1). Remember, it is best to receive permission from customers before you e-mail them because “people respond better to a marketing message they have agreed to receive” (Wilson, Eight 4).
Un-moderated discussion lists are places where “members send posts to a dedicated e-mail address and every member receives a copy of each e-mail sent to that address” (Foote 1). Members can receive the list e-mails either live or as a digest, listing each posting from that day. There are also moderated discussion lists, where a “list moderator, usually the list-owner, reads each incoming post and chooses to either approve each for forwarding to all members, or to disallow the distribution” (Foote 1). Like the un-moderated lists, moderated lists can be received either live or as a digest. One-way lists, such as newsletters and e-zines, are more tailored to the consumer, but, lack the interactive involvement of the list postings. Marketers should evaluate the type of mailing to use based on the web site’s needs, content, and resources.
As with word-of-mouth strategies, e-mail marketing can benefit a site by creating a community. The Internet, ideally, is a pull system. You attract web surfers to your home page and they come eagerly. Community building is the best way to encourage a grass roots pull for the site and increase traffic. The disadvantage to e-mail marketing messages is that they typically generate a low response. This is largely because these messages tend to ignore what people really want; it doesn’t appeal to their passions, interests, or their need for community (Locke, Gonzo).