Is Email Marketing Worth the Investment of Time and Funds?

Despite the hype around social media, Email List Marketing continues to be one of the most successful direct marketing techniques.  Email is low-cost, targeted, generates high response and is quick and easy to measure.  Research indicates that email generates $18 CAD for every $1 invested  (Marketing’s contribution to the Canadian Economy, CMA 2008), which is one reason that it remains a key opportunity for digital marketers.

Doing a quick search online will show you that there are many services out there that provide the means to send your digital marketing. However, what they don’t do is:

  • Provide you a way to collect a targeted list
  • Help you understand effective email marketing or marketing in general
  • Teach you to design quality target email content
  • Use it with Search Engine Optimization (SEO) in mind

In short, you could play around for years trying to discover what works and what doesn’t work only to anger your potential customers in the process.

Also you must be aware that there are, at least in Canada, rules and regulations as outlined by Insustry Canada.  Email lists must:

  • Be voluntarily collected
  • Double Opt-In
  • Contain an automated unsubscribe link (Auto Opt Out)

By the way that last point ensures that you cannot do this in your MS Outlook or Outlook express.  As well it’s important to note that your Internet Service Provider and even your website & Email hosting plan almost surely limits per hour and per day how much email you can send from your local computer.

Other problems with email marketing from your own computer are that MOST website hosting providers “Muskoka Graphics Included”  limit the amount of email that can be sent in an hour per domain name.  This is to prevent RBL lists from listing our servers as sending spam, thereby ensuring that email sent will not be delivered.  This means an outside email provider must be used.  There are several we recommend with   Mail Chimp topping the list,AWeber and Constant Contact are also as good, but the price differences can be astounding.

Let Muskoka Graphics show you how important it is for your business to include this in your website and in your monthly marketing campaign.