Internet Direct Mail : The Complete Guide to Successful E-Mail Marketing Campaigns (Hardcover)

by Robert Bly (Author), Michelle Feit (Author), Steve Roberts (Author) "WELCOME TO THE twenty-first century!..." (more)
Key Phrases: user protection act, conventional direct mail, visual mail, Omaha Steaks, United States, American Express (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Direct marketing via the Internet is the best way to avoid the rising printing and mailing costs of traditional direct mail. Plus, it's more effective! An online campaign will often turn a profit even if the entire mailing produces only 1 percent response or less! If you're ready to try e-mail marketing, or if you're already doing it and want to know more, Internet Direct Mail has all the information you need. From selecting products and offers to writing copy and incorporating rich media-like video clips or audio into an e-mail, Internet Direct Mail shows you step by step how to create, send, and track a highly successful e-mail campaign. This guide also includes the authors' carefully compiled, invaluable lists of resources for:

• E-mail list brokers and service bureaus
• Credit card companies and corporations offering merchants accounts
• Books and software on Web marketing
• Online advertising services

Internet Direct Mail offers insight, advice, and step-by-step assistance from seasoned direct-marketing professionals who have experienced great success with Internet campaigns. Their expert guidance will help you make sound decisions about your offer, your creative, your list, your fulfillment, your method of measurement, and many other issues--allowing you to start and run a smooth, professional, results-oriented e-mail campaign.

From the Back Cover
The Internet has changed the way we do business. Customers expect websites, information links, one-stop-shopping online--and businesses are scrambling to meet their demands. "Be proactive. Embrace the Internet as a powerful marketing tool, and you'll reap the rewards of this new medium," say the authors of Internet Direct Mail. Their practical, step-by-step guide shows you how to maximize the unique features of the Internet to create low-cost, highly effective direct-marketing campaigns. If your company is networked and has a website, nothing should stop you from marketing directly to your online customers and prospects. E-mail campaigns are not only less costly and more effective than paper mailings but also bring you instantaneous results and help you make lasting links with customers in a way that's impossible using "bricks-and-mortar" techniques. Internet Direct Mail is written for those who need to know how to create, send, and track the results of an e-mail campaign. It's also a valuable reference for those who are already marketing online and want to find out how to improve results while avoiding the mistakes that can cost you sales or customer goodwill. Internet Direct Mail addresses the questions and concerns of serious, legitimate marketers, including:

• How do I avoid the appearance of "spam"?
• Will my prospects expect free products?
• Do I need to use fancy graphics?
• How will I get my busy, surfing prospects to stop and open my message?

Here are the tips you need to write simple yet sizzling body copy, create a subject line that's impossible to ignore, and build a strong house e-mail list that may, over time, outperform your current postal list. You'll find that much of what you already know about direct marketing translates easily to the Internet. Internet Direct Mail reviews these basics thoroughly yet never lets you forget that you're dealing with a fast-changing, highly technical medium. You're reminded to consider:

• The online buying habits of your target market
• Opt-in language, to capture your customers for the long term
• Opt-out language, to prevent "flaming" from unhappy recipients
• The technical know-how and hardware capabilities of your customers

Internet Direct Mail explores the advantages of rich media and enhanced graphics in detail and offers reasons not to use these formats. You'll learn the authors' tried and proven-effective rules for composing online e-mail, including how to make it short and sweet, use all-caps effectively, keep the look of text simple and clean, and balance between "tension" and "relief." Whether you are hoping to acquire new customers, announce new products, promote special offers, or generate requests for more information, Internet Direct Mail helps you plan an e-mail campaign that hits the mark. Because these authors believe that the most effective e-mail campaigns are those that dovetail with other online marketing efforts, you'll also find helpful suggestions for enhancing your website, using banner ads to advantage, and exploring links to other websites--all in the context of your company's overall marketing plan. Dozens of examples of successful e-mail campaigns appear in an appendix, showing you what works in black and white. Truly a one-stop, all-inclusive resource, Internet Direct Mail can help you jump-start your direct marketing campaign today! STEVAN ROBERTS is president of Edith Roman Associates, a list brokerage and direct-marketing firm. MICHELLE FEIT is President of ePostDirect, an E-mail marketing firm. ROBERT W BLY is the author of more than forty business books.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (September 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0658001361
• ISBN-13: 978-0658001369
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #186,925 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is the definitive book on e-mail marketing, February 1, 2001

By	Jack Ryan "jack1456" (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews

***** FIVE STARS***** Excellent..... If you are an executive looking for information on how email marketing will impact your business, you'll want to read this book.

If you want to know how the pros are using email marketing buy this book.

It details the differences between opt in permission based lists, and SPAM, and how to avoid the pitfalls that can literally kill your business. It comes complete with information on where you can find the best email lists and email marketing services in the business.

It identifies the different types of copy, formatting, text Vs HTML, rich media, etc, and provides insight into which may be best for your business. I've been asking everyone about timing of our messages. No one was able to give me a clear answer that made any sense. This book gave me great insight into the time and day that is best for me to do my email transmissions... and the auothor's information produced immediate positive results for us.

Aside from the practical knowledge, I also liked this book because the author's share the latest thinking about where this medium is going, and what steps to take today to make sure that your business reaps the rewards of the future.

This book is not just for dot comers. I would strongly recommend this book to anyone involved in the sales and marketing of their company's products and services.

This book is now the definitive resource on email marketing.

30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best E-Mail Marketing Book In Print, January 23, 2001

By	Margie Gold (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews

I bought this book because I know the authors by reputation. My company was a traditional mail order company. We used to sell all of our products through our printed catalog. The Internet has changed all of that. Half our budget is now dedicated to e-mail marketing.

I applied the Author's recommendations and saw my e-mail response rates take off. On the most recent campaign, I saw a 247% lift in response resulting from the use of just one of their techniques.

The book is written in very clear and concise language. It's methodical and step-by-step method worked wonders for my company's program. I've read all the other books currently on the market, they just don't compare. If you're new to e-mail marketing or a serious pro, this book has information that you can put to use right away.

The tips and tricks in creating an e-mail program were dead on. I especially liked the chapters on the type of products that can be sold via the Internet and the characteristics of a successful Internet Buyer. The "Multi-Mailing" idea alone was worth the price of the book.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Important Work - These authors have nailed it!, January 29, 2001

By	Brad Smith (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This book makes for some very compelling reading. It is not often that I read a book that delivers the goods... but these authors have nailed it. It uses both traditional and dot com companies to illustrate ways any company can leverage the Internet to gain customers at substantially reduced costs. This book has everything you need to implement a successful e-mail campaign. From how to identify good email lists to how to create the right message. Including dos and don'ts, front-end tips and back end response analysis. Has just the right balance of technical and practical information. I am a marketing manager working for a 'Fortune 500' company. The information in this book cost me hundreds of thousands of dollars to find out. Some things are so important, I wish I thought of them myself or discovered them sooner. I can't wait to try some of these techniques out and see the effect on my next campaign. I am recommending this book to everyone I know. Buy it!