Customer Reviews

Marketing With Email

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I picked up this book because I have always found e-mail to be an effective way to begin and develop relationships with interesting people I would never have otherwise met. That's one of the many reasons I like to write reviews on Amazon.com. Since most books about the Internet are extremely simple and out-of-date, I had low expectations. Imagine how pleased I was when I discovered that this book not only answered many of my questions (such as how to get started with e-mailing to opt-in lists of people who have given permission to be contacted with information in certain subject areas) but also provided information that I did not imagine existed (such as sites for posting e-mail press releases and statements of competency to reach the media). Best of all, the ideas here take little capital and expertise so most people who are active on the Internet can use them.

Here is the table of contents to give you a sense of how the book is organized:

Chapter 1: E-Mail Newsletters

Chapter 2: Discussion Lists

Chapter 3: Online Networking

Chapter 4: Signature Files

Chapter 5: Autoresponders

Chapter 6: Customer Relationship Management

Chapter 7: Promotions and Direct E-Mail

Chapter 8: Online Public Relations

Chapter 9: Advertising in E-Publications

Chapter 10: E-Mail Marketing Rulebook

Chapter 11: Technical Know-How

Chapter 12: Measuring Results

Chapter 13: Opt-In List Brokering

Chapter 14: Worksheets

Chapter 15: 20 Recommended E-Mail Publications

As a result of reading this book, I began to wonder if I should also offer a free e-mail newsletter of more analytical and detailed book reviews covering those books I like best, with the reviews organized to be easier to access. Your opinions on that subject are most welcome!

The technical support in the book can save you some money on implementing by allowing you to do more of the work yourself. You are also directed to examples and organizations that can help you. I wrote down more than 30 web sites I want to investigate as a result of reading this book. That's about 27 more than I got out of the last 400 books I have read.

Another positive feature of the book is that it is anti-Spam. If you are like me, you get about 40 Spam messages a day that have no connection to any interest you have and seem to be created by people with little talent. One reason I have been slow to use more e-mail marketing is because I am very anti-Spam and didn't want to become a Spammer even by accident.

The best advice from the book is to build your own lists from people who reply to you and give you permission to contact them again, and use those to establish and maintain mutually supportive relationships. That makes sense to me. My web designer has been urging me on with this idea for years, but I never quite got the point before. Now I see what I should be doing. Even though I have read and liked Permission Marketing, the idea just hadn't clicked before.

Even if you don't plan to do e-mail mass marketing, the ideas in here for online public relations will make the book valuable all by themselves.

The authors also offer you access to their web site for more information and help.

A revised edition is planned for a few weeks from now, and I suspect that it would be a good idea to see what is in that edition as well. I wouldn't wait for that one, however, to get started. You can make significant progress in the meantime with this edition.

After you have finished reading this book, ask yourself what is the one thing you could do today that would help get valuable knowledge out to those who need it most. Then take that action. I also urge you to make that question and action step a daily process thereafter. This book should make you very capable of doing this!

I perused all the books at the store before choosing Shannon's. I was looking for an internet marketing book that focused exclusively and in-depth on e-mail. Nothing else was even a close second. Each chapter is really a book in itself, and you learn incrementally, chapter by chapter, about the subject.

I thought I knew a lot about email marketing after working the Internet space for 4 years - but the minute I opened this book I learned new applications to consider. The resources listed are extremely helpful.....I've recommended this book to many "experts" and "novices" alike and gave one to each person on our staff. A big thumbs up!

Cindy Gray....president, emediagroup.net

Shannon's book on email marketing is one of my top 5 favorite books to recommend for anyone who is starting out and trying to navigate email marketing strategies for their business.

Two thumbs up. :-)

Shannon's book is everything I thought it would be and more! It's a great guide for both beginners and seasoned professionals. Lot's of great examples and planning guides. I've already told a couple of people to run right out and buy it. And, I'll probably tell more!

I am a technoid (See my about me area) so when I first started reading this book and Kinnard described the tools I thought the book was going to be fairly boring. Later when I entered in the chapters on marketing I was thrilled with an entry level book.

I needed (and still need) good ideas to help me market my business. I used my highlighter a great deal in this book. In almost every one of the later chapters I found really good ideas. Also the structure of the book was wonderful. The beginning of every chapter is a series of descriptive or narrative paragraphs, case study, resources and a cheat sheet. The structure that Kinnard uses makes this a tool for reference as well as a good read.

Finally, I think Kinnard has an excellent style. I think one of the great tasks of writing a book like this one is that most of the audience really is not interested in reading the material. We just want to know it so that we can use it. So, time spent reading and learning about email is tiresome. Kinnard does a good job of making the paint dry quickly.

E-Mail is probably THE most important means of communication today with over 2.1 million going out per day, and that importance will only grow in the future. In this book, Shannon Kinnard shows you how to effectively setup an e-mail marketing campaign that will keep customers coming back. She includes many case studies which are very useful and practical for any type of business. You will be able to relate these to many facets of your business and improve your marketing strategy in turn. This is a must have for anyone that wants to stay ahead of the game in today's electronic world. Trust me -- I have read other books on e-mail marketing, and they just don't touch on all the points or go in-depth like this one does.

I have been selling Email marketing programs at 24/7 Media for three years. This book is a great resource on the topic. I plan on buying copies for all of my clients.

As a web designer for small businesses, the task of bringing visitors to a site often falls into my lap. It's a daunting task and with internet marketing still in it's infancy it's difficult to look to anyone as an expert. Ms. Kinnard is worth her weight in gold; demonstrating how to handle the new field of e-marketing and expertly giving how-to advice.

Many of my clients are regional shops and businesses that do not have the big business (big $$) marketing budgets. Not only do I often find myself referring to this book often, but I recommend it to all of my clients as well.

Business owners are often one of the biggest draws for a business; their personality, eye for detail, or craftsmanship is what attracts customers. By reading this book, my clients are able to market themselves, which my all accounts is a win-win scenario.

If you own a business or if you represent a business that is trying to increase their market share on the Internet, make this mandatory reading.

There are many, many books about the Internet currently being sold and I felt fortunate enought to find Shannon Kinnard's book. The sub-title "A Spam-Free Guide to Increasing Sales, building Loyalty, and Increasing Awareness" is 100% accurate. To top it off, the password to gain web-site access is wonderful. Ms. Kinnard answered my question asap and gave me a solid answer to my question. Well worth the cost!