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Email Advantages: The Low Cost is Only One of the Benefits
Most business owners that utilize email will tell you that its low cost and “free” fast delivery are the main advantages of using it.
But in my mind, at least, there are some other very important reasons why email is the communication medium of choice for the solo business owner.
If you are not using of these email advantages, why not give them a try?
They may even be more important resources for your business than the low cost of contacting your customers and prospects.
1. Higher response rates. If you are sending mass emails in an effort to prospect for customers, then this advantage may not apply.
But generally, if you mail to a custom house list of targeted prospects and loyal subscribers that want to hear from you, it is very possible that you could realize a high conversion rate.
Compared to the typical direct mailing response rate of maybe 1% or less, that is a huge and significant advantage.
It means instead of receiving just a few orders for your product, you might receive hundreds!
2. Fast returns. Where else can you send out a written offer and a few minutes later have money from the purchase of that offer sitting in your bank account? No waiting for the Post Office to transport your offer by plane, truck, and carrier. It is within your power (depending upon how convincing your offer is) to sell a product, receive payment for that product, and have the money in your bank account in a very short time frame.
3. Fast and easy testing of your ads and offers. This is a huge advantage for the Internet marketer.
You can split test any copy, headlines, your call to action, various price points, even your web site colors very easily and quickly without a lot of set-up and preparation time involved. You can send paid traffic to your tests and tweak your offers very quickly.
The savings in both money and time is real and means that you can get to your optimum sales message much quicker than ever before.
4. Instant gratification. Where else do you have the advantage of presenting an offer, making the financial transaction, and delivering the product to the customer, all in a matter of a few minutes?
Being able to instantly hand your buyer his product is a very compelling selling advantage that will allow you to convince buyers to make a purchase quickly – probably faster than they would have otherwise.
5. Multi-media capability. If you desire, you can include advanced programming, colors and images, audio and video clips, etc to spice up your email and make it appeal to many of the human senses.
Direct mail never had those same capabilities.
In addition, emails can contain interactive capabilities, links to web sites, and other referral mechanisms so they can be used for affiliate sales and product recommendations.
6. Subscription capability. If you want, an email can be used to find and collect interested subscribers and then “feed” them follow-up messages over time without human intervention (sequential autoresponders).
You can also offer “automatic” unsubscribe alternatives to every email. It is almost like having a full time operator standing by to register or remove interested customers at their discretion.
7. Continual contact. A huge advantage of employing email communications in your business is the fact that you can immediately contact your customers whenever you desire to brand your business, give bonus information or regular updates, or send out an offer. Each message can be quickly and easily targeted to the specific customer.
Many Internet business owners send out a weekly newsletter via email in order to keep in contact with their subscribers, talk about issues and events in the niche, and offer assistance and help with niche issues.
Email is a “killer” application and no group enjoys greater benefit than solo Internet business owners that use it in a host of different ways.
To your online business success,
Steve Browne
www.stevebrownedirect.com
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