By Sandy Bucher, Media Engineer, Sonnhalter
Many of our clients use the custom e-blast, or direct message tactic, to deliver their message to prospective customers. The definition of an e-blast (email blast) is a single sending of an electronic message to many people. The best type is the custom, targeted or direct e-blast sent to an opt-in list that you specify.
Here are some benefits of utilizing this type of marketing:
- The message is yours, and yours only; you’re not fighting for attention with other advertisers.
- You choose who will receive your message – selecting by job title, business or industry, geographic area, etc.
- The message can be varied; it can introduce a new product, or talk about several products, or announce a special offer.
- The message can direct the reader to a specific place like your website or specifically to a dedicated landing page on your website, where they can sign up for valuable content you could offer them, such as a white paper or an e-book.
- The contact information gathered from those interested parties could then be added to your database for follow-up action, building up your database.
- Using the opt-in email lists of specific trade publications is beneficial as opt-ins have agreed to receive marketing messages and promotions through email, and they will be more likely to read your message.
- Metrics – After your message is sent, the reporting will show you how many people opened and viewed the e-blast and how many people clicked on a particular link in your message.
- The cost is usually less expensive than sending out a printed direct mail piece, as you don’t have the cost of printing and postage to factor in.
So if you have a special offer or new product you want to tout, utilizing targeted, custom e-blasts with an opt-in email list is one way to accomplish your mission.