Marketing on the Internet

1. Email Marketing

Email is an effective way to reach new and existing customers at a low cost.

1.1 You can build a list of email addresses to market to.

• You can only send marketing emails to people who have explicitly opted in to receive them.
• Encourage customers to sign up to your mailing list by providing a prominent 'sign up' option on your website.
• When customers order from you, ask if they would be happy to receive your newsletter.
• You could maintain a different list of supplier email addresses.

1.2 There are many ways you can use the email list(s) you build up.

• Send regular newsletters containing information about your latest products and offers.
• Include information about your company to build customer loyalty.
• Send one-off messages containing special offers and voucher codes.
• By collecting other information alongside their email address, you can send more targeted mailings. For example, email people who have not purchased from you in the last six months.

1.3 Target new customers by renting email lists.

• Only use lists where people have specifically agreed to receive unsolicited emails about a certain topic. These are called 'opt-in lists'.
• Use a reputable broker.

1.4 You may need to use specialist software to send your marketing emails.

• You can use standard email software for small mailing lists (fewer than 20 addresses). Make sure you put the recipients in the blind carbon copy (bcc) field, so they cannot see each others' email addresses.
• For larger lists, use an online email marketing service. They are more effective at getting messages through spam filters, and should be able to manage your subscriber list(s) and opt-out requests.
• Some agencies can take care of the design, content and sending of your emails. This will cost much more.

1.5 Think carefully about the design and content of your emails.

• Make sure your subject line grabs the reader's attention.
• Personalised, highly targeted content gets the best results.
• Test your emails in common email systems like Microsoft Outlook and Hotmail. Make sure they look right and all the links work.