1. Introduction

Founded in 1999, ION Technologies has developed an unrivalled reputation as one of the leading innovators of email marketing software in the world. Recognised in a recent Chartered Institute of Marketing awards ceremony, Subscribe is now in its fourth generation and the latest edition provides all marketers with the most advanced permission based email marketing solution.

Email marketing growth is projected to to grow to $7.3bn (USD) in 2006 and is continuing to revolutionise direct one-to-one marketing. It is the only personalised method of communicating with your customers and potential customers that provides feedback on how many people read an email or expressed an interest. Around 65% of marketers say they plan to increase their use of email marketing within this next year. Email is swiftly taking over traditional direct mail, with over 100 million emails sent each month this figure is projected to increase substantially. As a marketer you should read on and discover the benefits of email marketing the Subscribe way.

2. The Two Options Available to Email Marketers

2.1 OUTSOURCED MANAGED EMAIL MARKETING
Using an Advertising Agency or Email Marketing Agency has its advantages. This option requires no in-house technical knowledge and the person on the other end of the phone in theby larger organisations that simply wish to agency is able to answer every question. This option is typically used by larger organisations that simply wish to deploy email marketing as a part of an overall marketing campaign or wish to ship the entire function of email marketing onto the experts.

The true advantage of this type of service is speed of getting your message to market with zero delays from any internal department. All technical requirements are the responsibility of the Agency and Marketing executives are left to do what they do best.

Then main disadvantage of this type of email marketing is that it is costly as it requires manpower in the Agency but, If budget permits and your customer data does not need to be kept strictly private, then this is a viable option.

2.2 IN-HOUSE EMAIL MARKETING
If you are sending over 10,000 emails per month, in-house email marketing is probably the most cost effective and controlled type of email marketing you can deploy. Purchase a product such as Subscribe and utilise its functionality remotely using your web browser. ION Technologies are your technical eyes, ears and hands and will manage all of your technical problems should they arise. You can host it in your own network or in a server farm starting around $250 per month.

The disadvantage of using this type of solution is that the capital cost is higher in comparison to an Outsourced Unmanaged Solution; although this argument tends to vanish as the number of emails being sent increases, as

there is no cost per email on this type of solution.

The advantages other than zero cost per email include increased data security; better white listing options giving higher delivery rates and better branding as all emails come from your domain name.

3. What you should consider when choosing a email marketing solution

There are a few fundamental questions that, when answered, will easily
point you in the right direction to find your ideal email marketing
solution. The following pointers will help you make a decision on the
solution that best suits your needs.

CAMPAIGN MANAGEMENT
It is essential as a marketer that you have complete creative control over the structure of your campaigns. You will require mailing list management tools for viewing, editing, modifying and updating lists.

Flexible delivery options that control how mailings are sent, including email address headers, data filtering and timing options to allow automatic broadcast at scheduled times to avail of quieter periods in network utilisation or targeting customers at the optimum time to maximise open rates and clicks.

PERSONALISATION / BRAND PROTECTION
Few marketing channels enable you to send one message to 50,000 people with 50,000 personalised sets of content. The rewards of brand loyalty and brand affinity are large and it is therefore important that your solution offers

the flexibility needed to create dynamic and impressionable messages without detracting from your brand values.

OPT-IN
The Opt-in email subscriber is the most valuable kind of customer or potential customer you can target. Someone that is already aware of your brand, product or service and has given you active consent to target them with your marketing material is the perfect person to receive your email

marketing. To promote and automate the opt-in process is important; visitors to your web site should have every opportunity to sign up. It is important that you choose an email marketing partner that has opt-in options available.

EMAIL TRACKING/ REPORTING
A very important aspect of any campaign for a marketer is ROI in real terms. A good email marketing solution will allow you to display all your statistical information graphically which should include :

• number of subscribers

• number of unsubscribes

• number of bounces

• number of opens

• click through rate

• campaign comparisons

More sophisticated systems include campaign comparisons and should also compare an individual clients performance to other similar clients right through to sale conversions and feedback.

ANTI-SPAM
91% of internet users are more likely to give their business to an organisation that follows ethical email practices and respects their privacy. From a trust perspective it is important that the recipient has ability to

subscribe and it is important that your mechanisms are clear and work almost in real time. A reputable email marketing solution will have the ability to communicate directly back to the source databases almost instantly removing those that choose to unsubscribe.

FAQ’s
How can you get the recipients to open the email?

State clearly and succinctly what you are offering and how it will benefit them. Throughout your campaign planning, put yourself in their position. What makes you want to open an email? What makes you want to click on the link? If you know your audience, then you know what they want.

What calls to action will the audience respond to?
Think about your audience and what they might respond/convert to. If you’re targeting a high-level audience (CEO, President), don’t offer them a free software trial download. Write in a style that speaks to them in the manner they are used to, as if you were speaking to them face to face. Try to keep the message short.

How do you focus your email message for conversion?
If you’ve done some search engine optimsation, you probably know your target keywords. Use the most effective keyword(s) in your subject. Repeat the keywords in your message body.

How can you avoid spamming your own email list?

Even if you are collecting email addresses as visitors submit request forms or make purchases from your web site. Indicate clearly your Privacy Statement to ensure visitors that their email address will not be sold or distributed. Be selective about how often you send them email and send the message from a real person rather than a generic email address. Always give them the opportunity to opt-out with any email campaign.

What type of results or ROI can you expect?
A rate of 3 - 8% of recipients to conversion is a successful campaign. However, using a new rented list could capture only 1% while your own in-house list developed from previous campaigns and purchases could reach 40%.

How do you manage your own email database?

It’s ideal to be able to maintain your email list in the same CRM tool used to manage your prospects and customers. Subscribe has sophisticated in-built list management tools and can export/import from external databases.

ABILITY TO MANAGE TOTAL PACKAGE
Subscribe Email Marketing Software can automate the entire email marketing process, from opt-in, list management, broadcast and marketing feedback. Our email marketing solution integrates directly into your web site. This allows visitors to sign up for email newsletters, selecting subjects that are of direct interest to them allowing the marketing department to target the email campaigns at groups that have expressed an interest. The
built-in Survey builder allows you to quickly create on line survey forms without any technical expertise and gain valuable customer feedback. The email response management tools give you total vision of every aspect from opt-in to broadcast, to reporting and feedback.

OFFERING FLEXIBLE SOLUTIONS
Software Only
By purchasing a licence to run Subscribe Email Marketing Software on your own server, you ensure your data is kept safe, there is no cost per email sent, you have full control over every aspect of your campaign and your email delivery rate is extremely high as you’re not sharing a server with someone that may be spamming!

Software Hosted
Perhaps you already have a web server, running your company web site. Subscribe opt-in email marketing software will easily co-exist with your web site. Let ION take care of ALL of the technical elements by performing
the installation as well as fixing any problems in the unlikely event that something goes wrong.

Fully Managed Outsourced Solution
ION Technologies can manage your entire email marketing strategy for you. With our years of expertise in email marketing, we can take over the entire one-to-one email relationship management on your behalf.