|
Server : Apache/2.4.62 System : FreeBSD fbsdweb2.web.rcn.net 14.1-RELEASE FreeBSD 14.1-RELEASE releng/14.1-n267679-10e31f0946d8 GENERIC amd64 User : www ( 80) PHP Version : 8.3.8 Disable Function : NONE Directory : /domains/efusion1/ |
Upload File : |
<html>
<head>
<title>How To Make E-Mail Marketing Click For Your Training Or E-Learning Business.</title>
<meta name="description" content="Here's what it takes to get training and e-learning purchase authorities to open your e-mail promotion and act on it.">
<meta name="keywords" content="e-mail marketing, e-learning marketing, training marketing, e-mail promotion">
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1" />
<link rel="stylesheet" href="fusion.css" type="text/css" />
<script language="JavaScript" src="includes/global_code.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
</head>
<body leftmargin="0" topmargin="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" onLoad="MM_preloadImages('images/sidenav_home_on.gif','images/sidenav_capabilities_on.gif','images/sidenav_answerplans_on.gif','images/sidenav_clients_on.gif','images/sidenav_resources_on.gif','images/sidenav_contactus_on.gif','images/sidenav_evisory_on.gif','images/sidenav_links_on.gif')">
<a name="top"></a>
<table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">
<tr>
<td valign="top"><img src="images/logo.gif" width="140" height="55" alt="E-learning, online learning, distance learning, classroom learning, CBT,
ILT: however you serve it up we'll help you succeed." /></td>
<td background="images/header_background.gif">
<div align="right"><img src="images/tagline2.gif" width="460" height="51" alt="Helping education companies teach better and sell more." /><img src="images/header_right2.gif" border="0" alt="" width="30" height="55" /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" bgcolor="#FFFFFF"><img src="images/spacer.gif" alt="" border="0" width="1" height="1" /></td>
<td rowspan="2" valign="top">
<table width="485" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">
<tr>
<td rowspan="3" valign="top"><img src="images/spacer.gif" width="25" height="1" alt="" /></td>
<td valign="top"><img src="images/spacer.gif" width="1" height="26" alt="" /><img src="images/spacer.gif" width="460" height="1" alt="" /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<table width="453" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0">
<tr>
<td>
<p> <span class="default"> <b> How To Make E-Mail Marketing
Click For Your Training Or E-Learning Business.</b></span></p>
<p>Delete, delete, delete, delete, delete, delete, delete, delete,
delete, delete, delete, delete, delete, delete, delete, delete,
delete, delete, delete, delete, delete, delete, delete, delete,
delete, delete, click.</p>
<p>CLICK!</p>
<p>Yes! A highly placed training purchase authority is opening
the e-mail promotion you sent them. Out of dozens of messages
of all sorts in their mailbox, they have chosen yours.</p>
<p>What was it about your message that enticed them to open
it -- rather than immediately delete it as just so much worthless
SPAM? What will it take to get them to read your message and
act on it? Here's some advice on how to make e-mail marketing
work for you.</p>
<p><b>Getting Your Message Opened</b></p>
<p>The key to getting your message opened rather than deleted
is the "From" and "Subject" line.</p>
<p>Be sure your message looks like it is from a real person
-- not from an impersonal business entity. Here are a couple
of satisfactory efforts:</p>
<p> From: [email protected]<br>
From: John Doe</p>
<p>Try and avoid the following:</p>
<p> From: TrainingGuru.Com<br>
From: Opt In Service Provider</p>
<p>The ideal subject line includes a key word or phrase that
immediately relates to your prospect audience. If you are
promoting to a sales training audience, then consider working
"sales training" into your subject line.</p>
<p> Subject: Who Says Salespeople Can Be Trained</p>
<p>If your prospects are CIOs, then consider putting "CIO"
in your subject line.</p>
<p> Subject: This Certification Even a CIO Could Love</p>
<p>It's critical that your prospects immediately conclude "this
is for me." While you're at it, see if you can include
a promise or intriguing come-on that speaks to the benefits
your training product or service offers. For instance, if
you're promoting a learning management system that's undeterred
by fire walls, you might author a subject line that says:</p>
<p> Subject: Finally, An LMS No Firewall Can Stop</p>
<p>Of course this subject line assumes your target audience
consists of knowledgeable LMS buyers.</p>
<p>Try and keep the substance of your subject lines within 40
characters or less. If you go much longer, your copy will
be cropped by your recipients' inbox margins.</p>
<p>Some e-mail promotion experts will tell you not to use the
word "Free" in your subject line. They are also
opposed to personalization. Why? Because they feel frequent
use by scamsters has turned these time honored techniques
into turn offs. I don't agree -- so long as you use them in
appropriate context. For instance, following is one of the
subject lines I use to promote Training Business E-Visory:</p>
<p> Subject: John, you CAN sell more training - here's how</p>
<p>My goal here is to challenge complacent training company
execs with the slightly cheeky and uninvited use of their
first name. The result: a 10%+ subscription rate -- and no
complaints.</p>
<p>Here's another subject line that draws a 10%+ subscription
rate to Training Business E-Visory, this one leading with
"Free."</p>
<p> Subject: Free Training Business Intelligence Resource</p>
<p>What should you avoid in your subject line? Any extravagant
promise or clever come on that isn't grounded in your audience's
business reality. Here are a few obvious candidates for the
delete key:</p>
<p> Subject: Big Savings, Act Now.<br>
Subject: Succeess Is In Your Grasp<br>
Subject: Get What You Want.<br>
Subject: Banish Failure Forever.<br>
Subject: You May Already Have Won...</p>
<p><b>Getting Your Message Understood and Acted On</b></p>
<p>Some people will tell you that writing effective e-mail promotion
is an entirely different craft than writing effective direct
mail. Generally, that's because they don't know how direct
mail is really read and responded to.</p>
<p>Just because you send somebody a 2-page direct mail letter
doesn't mean they read it through from A to Z. What they really
do is to read the first paragraph or so. Then they fast forward
to the reply form to see what your proposition is. Then they
browse your attachment to see what sort of proof of performance
you have to offer. Then they skim a few more paragraphs of
the letter. Then they read the P.S. Finally they return to
the reply form and fill it in.</p>
<p>If you were to require this kind of hyperactive reading behavior
with an e-mail message, your audience would wind up scrolling
themselves silly. So you need to reformat your message to
cater to your reader's natural inclinations.</p>
<p>Since many readers will want to cut to your reply form after
they've read your first paragraph or two, put a link to your
reply form here. For readers who are more patient, also put
a link to your reply form near the end of your letter. Finally,
for die hard letter readers, include a link in your P.S.</p>
<p>And where should your link go? To a landing page or mini-Website
that is totally focused on supporting the premise of your
promotion letter and on getting readers to qualify themselves
and provide the necessary contact information.</p>
<p>Be sure the landing page repeats any important information
that folks will have missed by clicking through to it after
the first paragraph or so of your letter. Because it's not
likely they will want to go to the trouble of toggling back
and forth between your landing page and your letter.</p>
<p>Organize the supporting information on your landing page
so it surrounds your reply form. That way if someone is immediately
inspired to respond they don't have to wade through it. If
you decide to layer the supporting information on separate
pages in a drill down way, then try and use pop up windows
so your reply form is always visible.</p>
<p>As for your reply form, don't request any information you
don't really need to qualify and contact your prospect. And,
if you request their e-mail address, be sure and indicate
that you will hold it in confidence and not share it with
any 3rd party.</p>
<p>Whatever you do, don't dump prospects on your general Website
homepage. If you do, you run the risk that they will go off
on an extended surfing expedition and erroneously conclude
that you can be of no help to them. In fact, it is generally
better not to provide a link to your homepage from your landing
page. Better to summarize the general Website information
that supports your offer within the confines of a closed landing
page loop.</p>
<p><b>Some Additional Thoughts</b></p>
<p>Your e-mail letter should come from a real person (preferably
your president) and should be written in a one-to-one way.
Be sure and include a signature section at the end of the
letter including the writer's name and title. Also be sure
and include full contact information (address, phone, e-mail
address). In a virtual and uncertain world, this will help
make your firm seem more substantial and legit.</p>
<p>Format your e-mail letter in ordinary text. Don't use HTML
(coding that makes an e-mail look like a Web page). This takes
away from the impression of a personal, one-to-one correspondence.
(However, you may want to consider rich media communications
on other occasions).</p>
<p><b>Questions You May Have</b></p>
<p>Q: Does e-mail marketing mean I can dispense with traditional
direct mail?</p>
<p>A: Probably not - because of a practice known as "Permission
Marketing" also known as "Opt In."</p>
<p>While list owners will cheerfully sell the mailing addresses
of their entire file without asking for permission, reputable
firms will not sell e-mail identities without each person's
express permission. This convention stems from the efforts
of Internet pioneers to limit rampant commercialization and
to protect people's privacy. There's also a pragmatic reason.
With inboxes increasingly crammed with unwelcome solicitations,
few individuals would be willing to disclose their e-mail
identity unless they are assured there will be limitations
concerning how it will be shared.</p>
<p>As a result, many list owners have yet to make e-mail addresses
available. And, where they have, permission requirements have
reduced the number of e-mail identities available to a small
fraction of the overall file.</p>
<p>What this means is that if you want to reach all of your
prospects, you will need to use direct mail to supplement
your e-mail promotion efforts. Also, you may not find e-mail
"opt-in" prospects to be of the same quality as
traditional direct mail prospects.</p>
<p> Q: Will e-mail marketing be a financial windfall for me?</p>
<p>A: E-mail promotion costs nothing for envelopes, stationary,
printing, and postage. So, even though external e-mail lists
are typically 3x more expensive than direct mail lists, you're
likely reaching your prospects for 1/2 to 1/3 the expense
of a full blown direct mail package.</p>
<p>Will you be inundated by responses? Several years ago, e-mail
marketers were reporting response rates 2x - 3x higher than
direct mail -- a downright bonanza. However, as the novelty
wears off and competition increases, e-mail response rates
have come down dramatically.</p>
<p>In my opinion, the cost of an e-mail inquiry will eventually
stabilize at about the same cost of a direct mail inquiry.</p>
<p>What sort of results can you expect? Try promoting your training
offerings to a qualified e-mail list and see. If you are able
to attract qualified prospects via e-mail at less expense
per inquiry than traditional direct mail you're in business!</p>
<p>Q: What is the primary advantage of e-mail marketing?</p>
<p>A: Speed!</p>
<p>It can take 2-3 weeks to produce a direct mail campaign.
Plus another 4-6 weeks for all of the responses to trickle
in. In contrast, an e-mail campaign can be launched the week
it is conceived -- with most responses on hand within 3-5
days.</p>
<p>This means you can get leads out to your salespeople almost
immediately. And that you can promote time-sensitive offers
like Webinars and showcase seminars in a more timely way.
It also means that you can determine whether a promotion campaign
should be rolled out or nipped in the bud while there's still
time to act on this information.</p>
<p>Q: We have been totally unsuccessful with direct mail marketing.
Will switching to e-mail marketing give us the breakthrough
we need?</p>
<p>A: Sorry, probably not. Both delivery methods require the
same planning disciplines. Check out "Not Enough Sales
Leads? Try This 'Less Is More' Approach" in the back
issue area of our Website (<a href="http://www.sellmoretraining.com/012600a.html">http://www.sellmoretraining.com/012600a.html</a>)</p>
<p> Q: Are you saying that our e-mail promotion copy should
be the equivalent of two text pages in length?</p>
<p>A: Not at all. Simple inquiry promotion needn't be any longer
than a few paragraphs. Webinar or seminar or merchandise offers
will require longer copy. The main thing to understand is
that you need to insert links to give your reader the opportunity
to click away to your reply form early on in your message
as well as periodically throughout your message, including
the PS.</p>
<p>Q: We've come up with 2 exciting alternatives for a subject
line. Is there any way of testing which line is best?</p>
<p>A: Absolutely.</p>
<p>One way to test the click through appeal of alternative subject
lines is to divide a test e-mail promotion among your subject
line candidates. Whichever candidate draws the most clicks
is the one to use when you roll out.</p>
<p>A less expensive way to test subject lines is to develop
each subject line into a headline for a Google AdWords ad,
purchase several key words that apply to your target audience
and pit each headline against each other. Within 7 days and
for a cost of less than $200 you'll have your winner. (We'll
be addressing Web advertising in a future E-Visory).</p>
<p>Q: We're interested in brand awareness as well as inquiries.
Is there any way to measure the number of people who click
through to our reply landing page but don't respond?</p>
<p>A: Yes. Ask the firm that the list owner uses to send out
your e-mail for this information in advance. As a rule of
thumb, for inquiry offers you can expect 3x-4x as many people
to click through to your landing page as actually wind up
completing your reply form. However, this can vary widely.</p>
<p> <span class="default"> </span><a href="evisory.html">Return
to back-issue index</a></p>
<p><a href="index.html">E-learning or Classroom Learning (Home Page)</a></p>
<p><a href="contactus.asp"><b>Subscribe for Free</b></a></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> </td>
</tr>
</table>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top">
<table width="140" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">
<tr>
<td><a href="index.html" onMouseOut="MM_swapImgRestore()" onMouseOver="MM_swapImage('SideNavHome','','images/sidenav_home_on.gif',1)"><img src="images/sidenav_home_off.gif" border="0" alt="Sell More Training & E-Learning, Here's How" width="140" height="34" name="SideNavHome"></a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="capabilities.html" onMouseOut="MM_swapImgRestore()" onMouseOver="MM_swapImage('SideNavCapabilities','','images/sidenav_capabilities_on.gif',1)"><img src="images/sidenav_capabilities_off.gif" border="0" alt="Capabilities" width="140" height="34" name="SideNavCapabilities"></a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="dialup.html" onMouseOut="MM_swapImgRestore()" onMouseOver="MM_swapImage('SideNavAnswerPlans','','images/sidenav_answerplans_on.gif',1)"><img src="images/sidenav_answerplans_off.gif" border="0" alt="Answer Plans" width="140" height="34" name="SideNavAnswerPlans"></a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="clients.html" onMouseOut="MM_swapImgRestore()" onMouseOver="MM_swapImage('SideNavClients','','images/sidenav_clients_on.gif',1)"><img src="images/sidenav_clients_off.gif" border="0" alt="E-Learning & Training Clients" width="140" height="34" name="SideNavClients"></a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="people.html" onMouseOut="MM_swapImgRestore()" onMouseOver="MM_swapImage('SideNavResources','','images/sidenav_resources_on.gif',1)"><img src="images/sidenav_resources_off.gif" border="0" alt="Resources" width="140" height="34" name="SideNavResources"></a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="contactus.asp" onMouseOut="MM_swapImgRestore()" onMouseOver="MM_swapImage('SideNavContactUs','','images/sidenav_contactus_on.gif',1)"><img src="images/sidenav_contactus_off.gif" border="0" alt="Contact Us" width="140" height="34" name="SideNavContactUs"></a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="evisory.html"><img src="images/sidenav_evisory_down.gif" border="0" alt="E-Visory" width="140" height="34" name="SideNavEvisory"></a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="links.html" onMouseOut="MM_swapImgRestore()" onMouseOver="MM_swapImage('SideNavLinks','','images/sidenav_links_on.gif',1)"><img src="images/sidenav_links_off.gif" border="0" alt="E-Learning & Other Links" width="140" height="34" name="SideNavLinks"></a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><img src="images/sidecrn.gif" width="140" height="12"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> </td>
</tr>
</table>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
</body>
</html>