Web Marketing All-in-One For Dummies, 2nd Edition
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E-Mail Marking Providers (EMPs) allow you to accomplish much more with your e-mail marketing than you otherwise could on your own. Some EMPs even provide various levels of outsourcing for higher prices if you don’t want to do your own e-mail marketing. Here are a few examples of the kinds of benefits that EMPs provide:

  • Give your business a professional look. EMPs can help you create great-looking e-mail communications without programming knowledge. Most EMPs provide templates with consumer-friendly layouts to accommodate any type of message.

    Some EMPs provide template-creation wizards that allow you to control all your own design elements for a low cost, and some EMPs either include professional services to help you with semicustom designs or allow you to completely outsource and customize your template designs. Here are some of the templates that EMPs usually provide:

    • Newsletters

    • Promotions

    • Announcements

    • Press releases

    • Event invitations

    • Greeting cards

    • Business letters

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  • Keep your marketing legal. EMPs are required to incorporate current e-mail laws for customers to easily comply. Reputable EMPs take compliance a step further than the basic legal requirements and adhere to more professional standards that reflect consumer preferences. Examples of professional standards include the following:

    • Safe one-click unsubscribe links

    • Privacy statements

    • Physical address added to e-mails

    • Sending from a verified e-mail address

  • Help you with logistics and reporting. EMPs can help you manage the data and feedback associated with executing your e-mail strategy. Here are some examples of ways that EMPs can help you manage your information:

    • Storage and retrieval of subscriber information

    • Reports on deliverability

    • Automated handling of subscribe and unsubscribe requests

    • Tracking information on blocked and bounced e-mails

  • Help with content: EMPs want you to be successful because if your e-mail messages are effective, you’ll likely reward your EMP by being a loyal customer. Many EMPs have resources available that can help you develop your content and use best practices. Examples include

    • Online communities

    • Webinars

    • Tutorials

    • Classroom-style training

    • Consultation

  • Teach you best practices. EMPs can give you valuable information on consumer preferences that would be too expensive or impossible for you to obtain on your own.

    EMPs send a lot of e-mails on behalf of their customers, and they’re good at staying up to date on consumer preferences and professional standards. Some EMPs are willing to share their knowledge to make your e-mails more effective. Some things you might find out include

    • Best times and days to send

    • How to improve your open rates

    • How to avoid spam complaints

    • What to do when e-mail is blocked or filtered

    • How to design and lay out your content

About This Article

This article is from the book:

About the book authors:

John Arnold is the author of E-Mail Marketing For Dummies and coauthor of Mobile Marketing For Dummies.

Ian Lurie is President of Portent, Inc.

Marty Dickinson is President of HereNextYear.

Elizabeth Marsten is Director of Search Marketing at Portent, Inc.

Michael Becker is the Managing Director of North America at the Mobile Marketing Association.

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