Writing an E-Newsletter that Gets Results
电子简讯带来丰厚回报
Here’s a newsflash: sending regular e-newsletters can be a cost-effective way to build relationships with customers and prospects. Just make sure you do not bore or annoy them in the process.
简报:定期发送行业电子时讯是同顾客和潜在顾客建立关系的经济有效地方法,但前提是你得确保在这个过程中不会打扰到顾客,或者使他们厌烦。
By Inc Staff | Jul 30, 2010
E-newsletters allow a business to stay in touch with its customers on a regular basis. They give you the opportunity to establish yourself as a "thought leader" in your area of expertise, be that in designing toys for rare parrots or providing software to keep your personal finances straight. They are also a great way to create viral marketing, because if your customers find the information useful they may forward your e-newsletter to others, thereby helping you grow your customer base.行业电子时讯能帮助你定期地与顾客联系。在你的专业领域,它能使你有机会成为一个“有见地的领导者",无论是设计鹦鹉玩具或提供个人理财,样样精通。它也可以是病毒式营销的有效方式,因为假如你的信息对顾客有用,他们会发送给其他人,从而帮助你扩大你的客户群。
"Done right, they will give you a return far better than any other marketing strategy," says Tamara Gielen, an independent e-mail marketing consultant who has worked for such companies as Cognos, eBay, and OgilvyOne. "But success largely depends on two things: relevance and permission. Sending irrelevant messages to recipients who didn't give you permission to e-mail them will not only hurt your brand, it is also the fastest way to get blacklisted with the major ISPs. The last thing you want is to be perceived as a spammer."塔玛拉,一个曾为Cognos,易趣,奥美等公司服务过的独立电子邮件营销顾问,他认为“只要使用好了,行业电子时讯给你的回报远比其它任何营销策略更多。”然而其是否成功取决于两个:关联性和允许性。假如在没获得顾客允许的前提下,还把不相
关的电子邮件发送给他们,那么,你的品牌不但会极大地贬值,甚至会被列入主要互联网服务供应商的黑名单中。最后你成了一个垃圾邮件发送者。"
So, how do you get permission, and how do you create relevant e-newsletters?
那么该如何获得顾客许可,如何创建切题的电子简讯?
The following guide will cover how to get permission by building an opt-in e-mail list, how to create compelling content and attract readers, and how to choose an e-mail newsletter provider
以下的指引将包含如何创建一个许可性电子邮件地址表,如何书写有诱惑性的内容来吸引读者,如何选择电子邮件通讯提供商。
Dig Deeper: E-Mail Marketing Solutions
Get Permission: Build an Opt-In E-mail List
获得许可:创建许可性电子邮件地址表
The first order of business is to build a quality list of customers -- customers who have given you permission to send them e-mail newsletters. "Collect this information wherever and whenever you are making a connection with a prospective customer," advises Eric Groves, senior vice president of global market development for Constant Contact, an e-mail and online marketing tool provider. If you have a store front, for example, have a sign-up book by the register and ask people to fill it out and include their e-mail address so that you can send them your e-newsletter. "There's been research done that if a local business asks a customer for their contact information, over 60 percent of the time they will give it to you," Groves says.首先要做建造一个顾客质量列表--哪些顾客允许你寄给他电子邮件。Eric Groves是电子邮件和网上营销工具提供商Constant Contact的全球市场开发的高级副总裁,他建议“无论何时何地,当你在接触一个潜在客户时,都必须收集此信息。”举个例子,如果你有一个网上商店,就建立一个注册表格,顾客可在此填入电子邮件地址,这样你就能与他们电子通讯。“调查结果显示,如果一个本地商家向顾客索要联系信息,百分之六十以上的顾客会同意。
Collect e-mail addresses from your prospects and customers at a variety occasions, such as the following.
在不同场合向你的顾客或潜在顾客收集电子邮件地址,具体如下。
Promote your e-newsletter prominently on every page of your website and in each transactional or customer-support e-mail, Gielen says.
Gielen认为,在网站页面上,创立自己的电子简讯和进入每一个交易网站或者是customer-support电子邮件
Use paid search to drive prospects to your e-newsletter sign-up page.
利用付费搜索来把潜在客户导向至行业电子时讯注册页面。
At trade shows, events, or meetings, ask your customers and prospects to sign up for your e-newsletters.
在展览,项目,或会议时,说服顾客或潜在顾客报名参加你的行业电子时讯。
Use your business's Facebook page to collect contact information for people who want to sign up, Groves suggests.
利用Facebook收集有行业电子时讯需求的客户的联系资料。Groves建议。
Identify third party e-newsletters that target your prospects and customers and investigate how you can work with them to promote your own e-newsletter, says. "Work with third parties to drive their audience to a page where they can sign up to your e-newsletter either by having them send a dedicated message on your behalf (this is often referred to as 'list rental') or you could include a banner in their e-newsletters (often referred to as 'e-mail advertising')."
确定第三方电子简讯,它和你有同样的目标客户和潜在客户,与它们一起工作你能怎样审和提升属于你自己的电子简讯,Gielen说。“与第三方电子简讯一起工作来驱动他们的读者能在一个页面跟你签订合同,他们也可以用你的名义发送一个专门用的信息(这个通常被称为“出租表”)或者你可以在他们的电子通讯里面包含一条标语(通常被称为‘电子邮件广告’)。”
Give something in return when someone signs up for your e-newsletter, such as a discount, a white paper, or a free report, Gielen says.
Use all offline channels you currently have to drive e-newsletter subscriptions, whether they be direct mail, advertising, catalogs, flyers, or feedback forms, Gielen says.
只好利用各种线下途径来驱动电子简讯的订阅,例如他们亲自邮寄,广告,目录,传单,或反馈表,Gielen说。
Be careful with rented lists. "Make sure the list owner sends the e-mail on your behalf. If the list provider promises to give you a list of email addresses, walk away. It's not worth the risk of getting blacklisted because the list is old, contains spam traps and lots of bad addresses," Gielen warns. Most email service providers, such as Constant Contact, won't even allow companies to import rented lists into e-mail newsletter products because it would violate terms of service, Groves says.
对租用其它电子邮件地址表要格外小心,Gielen警告说,"要确保地址表拥有者能代表你的利益来发送电子邮件。否则即使地址表提供者承诺给你一列电子邮件地址,那也宁可不要。因为过期的信息技术清单不值得去冒被获得列入黑名单的险,包含垃圾邮件陷阱和坏地址,从而害得你被列入风险黑名单,那就得不偿失了"。大多电子邮件服务提供商,例如Constant Contact,甚至不允许把租用地址表电子引进到其邮件通讯产品中,因为它违反了服务条款,Groves说。
Remember that permission is important, so don't add an e-mail address to your list unless you have the owner's explicit permission to do so.
记住许可的重要性,除非顾客同意,否则不要随便把他的邮件地址加入到表中。
Gielen advises to use a double opt-in process when you're collecting email addresses in places other than your own website or when the email capture is part of a contest or sweepstakes. "Double opt-in means that you ask people to confirm their subscription before you add them to your list. That way, you can be sure that all the e-mail addresses that end up on your list are correct and the people on your list are truly engaged." she says. "On your own website, your Facebook page and your blog there's usually no need for a double opt-in process." Gielen says. However, she does recommend sending an email that welcomes the news subscribers, tells them what they can expect and how they can unsubscribe."
Gielen建议在你的网页之外,或者获取邮件地址是竞争的一部分时,采用双向确认形式来收集邮件地址。“双向确认意思就是在把顾客的邮件地址加到表中之前需要取得顾客同意,这样你就能确保你表中的所有地址都是正确有效的和人们在你的清单上是真实有用的。”“当然在你自己的Facebook或博客上是不需要此动作的。但Gielen推荐还是要给顾客发邮件表示欢迎订阅,将可获得的服务内容,以及如何退订。”
Dig Deeper: Finding and Using E-Mail Newsletter Templates
Be Relevant: Create Valuable Content
获得联系:创建有价值的内容
A successful e-newsletter consistently provides value to the recipient by offering relevant content to the readers. "It's not about you, but sharing what you know," Groves says. "If you do it well, recipients will forward it on to others."
一个成功的电子通讯常常提供使读者满意的有价值的相关内容。“这不是关于你的,但分享你知道的,”Groves说。 “如果你可以处理得好这些,收件人会把它转发给其他人。”
Keep in mind that your customers may be solicited via e-mail with scores of offers every day. They eventually tune out the "buy from me" pitch. But they're more likely to read something that helps them become more knowledgeable about a subject that interests them. "Different content offering might include how-to guides that help readers get better at what they do, tips on how to get the most out of the product or service that you sell, background articles on topics that your readers find interesting, surveys, contests and sweepstakes, and promotions such as discounts or free shipping," Gielen says.
请记得你的顾客每天都会通过电子邮件提供大量的报价,他们会对最终的买卖不理会。但他们会喜欢读些有助于让他们变得更加有见识的感兴趣的主题。“不同的内容,包括如何引导读者可以怎样做得更好,怎样发挥最大的产品或服务,你的读者在个人背景里找到感兴趣的话题,调查、竞赛、赌博和促销活动,也可以搞折扣或免费送货的服务,”Gielen说。