Business-to-Business Internet Marketing, Fourth Edition - Lifecycle ...

Generating and Qualifying Leads with E-mail 109
company switched to highly targeted e-mail opt-in lists to reach individuals
with an interest in specific types of IT training, click-throughs
more than doubled, averaging 10 to 12%. The company reported that
almost 10% of the visitors converted to serious sales leads.
Effective Use of Outbound E-mail
Here are some of the most effective ways to use outbound e-mail for
direct marketing.
Customer Communications
Customers tend to be receptive to e-mail marketing, especially if the
e-mail is used as an alert service to give them advance notice or an
inside track on new product developments or late-breaking news. As
such, e-mail can be a very effective way to preannounce products or
upgrades to customers, send a flash about a product update or a problem,
inform customers about changes in service, announce important
news about the company, invite them to a customer-only event, and so
on. As with any good direct marketing, a call to action should be included,
even if it simply states, “To take advantage of this offer, respond
to this e-mail today.” It is generally safe to assume that customers will
find e-mail acceptable if they have given you their e-mail addresses.
Even so, some of these customers may be upset by your use of promotional
e-mail, so you should offer them the ability to unsubscribe.
Follow-ups
Both customers and prospects will be more accepting of e-mail marketing
if it is used to follow up on inquiries or orders, especially inquiries
or orders that were electronically sent by them to your organization. If
the e-mail message clearly states that it is in response to an inquiry or
order, it is generally acceptable if that message also includes some marketing
information and a call to action.
An increasingly common practice in direct marketing is to use a
direct mail, fax, or telemarketing follow-up to an original promotional
contact. In direct mail, the follow-up can be as simple as a double postcard
or a one-page letter. Direct mail testing supports the fact that such
follow-ups usually generate an additional 50% of the original response
rate. For example, if an original mailing generates a 2% response, the
follow-up will typically generate an additional 1% response. The added