Rich Sloan's Amazon Blog

Life without a Newsletter

12:30 PM PDT, August 28, 2008

We use Google Analytics at StartupNation to understand the patterns and behavior of our site traffic.

And one thing's clear: To the extent that having repeat traffic at your website is valuable to you, whether you're already in business or want to know how to start a business, email marketing is critical to achieving success.

A few weeks ago we had a snafu with our email newsletter distribution. It was programmed to go out on the usual day at the usual time, and due to matters beyond our control (at our provider) it didn't go out until late that evening.

The chart generated by Google Analytics for visits at our site that day was basically flat, whereas newsletter days typically generate graphs with a huge spike in visits.

It reminded me, empiracally, how effective email marketing can be and what life as a website owner would be like without having a newsletter.

Here are some tips for effective email marketing:

make it permission-based - send it only to those who've expressly authorized you to send them emails
exeriment with subject lines - send one group an email with one subject line, and another group an email with an alternative subject line. Then check open rates to determine which type of subject line performed best. Roll out more subject lines of that variety in future newsletters.
personalize your emails - it's documented that open rates increase if you personalize subject lines and internal content in an email. Use the recipient's first name, make a reference to a product they've previously purchased, do all of this in an automated way using functionality of superior email marketing providers.
perfect the send time and day - your readers may respond better to emails on a weekday rather than the weekend. You may also enjoy a improved open rate (reflecting the volume of recipients opening your emails) if you send out your email early in the morning or during lunchtime. All depends on who your recipients are.

These are just some pointers. If you want an excellent resource on best practices for email marketing, check out Ryan Allis's blog at StartupNation. He's one of the fastest growing providers in the industry.

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Initial post: Aug 28, 2008 3:52 PM PDT

C. T. Tengler Cherepy says:

Good afternoon Rich...
Thank you for your continued business wisdom that you share. I attended a MSFT small business for women conference in Miami and have found 'Startup Nation' an invaluable book. Thanks and thank you for signing it for me.

Hope you had fun in FL and are now enjoying the Bay Area.

Take care,
Christine

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In reply to an earlier post on Aug 29, 2008 7:21 AM PDT

Rich Sloan says:

Great to hear from you, Christine! For anyone interested in the book, it's linked in my profile here (above right). I'd be happy to sign anyone's copy if it means it makes you a little more excited to START IT UP!

stay in touch, Christine, through our private messaging system at StartupNation. My profile there is www.startupnation.com/profile/Rich. You have to log in to StartupNation to use that messaging system...

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