I love any and everything related to the Internet! I love email, surfing, message boards, chat rooms, email lists, Associated Content, and everything else I cannot think of at this moment. Therefore, I decided to take my passion for people and the Internet and turn it into an opportunity. I became the owner of an online Christian bookstore!!
As with any new venture, I was so thrilled! The possibilities that ran through my mind were endless and I began to brainstorm marketing methods to use to advertise my new bookstore. Since it is not a brick and mortar establishment, nor will it ever be, I quickly eliminated most print forms of advertising and decided that at least 90% of my advertising would be via Internet marketing and advertising resources.
I quickly decided that e-blast services would be an excellent way to advertise because, since the subscribers have already authorized the receipt of emails via this medium, my advertisement would not be considered spam and easily deleted. The price of e-blast services vary greatly. Although I have not received quotes from every service available, thus far, the prices I have received range from $80.00-$2,800.00. The prices are amazing considering that only includes transmitting the email. If you need someone to design an ad for you, additional fees will be charged.
I initiated contact with the owner of an e-blast service, who boasted of having 63,000 subscribers. I thought, “This is it!” I did not expect all 63,000 to see the ad or make a purchase from my bookstore however, with that many subscribed, I thought I could have a decent number of hits on my website therefore, I followed the procedures to arrange my e-blast. I waited with great anticipation on the day my ad was scheduled to be transmitted and, when it did, the hits started adding up. Every time I refreshed the screen, more and more hits were computed. I was excited until at the end of the day, I totaled approximately 300-350 unique hits, which I thought was pretty lack luster for a business that was supposed to have 63,000 subscribers.
I remained optimistic, for a minute, and decided to try another e-blast service because after all, not all e-blast services are created equal. Recently, I purchased the services of another e-blast business that lists on their website as having 11,000 subscribers. I was a little more excited about this one because, although it did not have the same number of subscribers, it was for women only. Since it is no secret that women are more prone to shop and spend, I thought I would reap better results. Not hardly. I only received 100 unique hits, which is another bad return on my investment.
So, as the saying goes, we live and we learn therefore, here are some questions to ask when considering an e-blast service:
1) Ask how many subscribers are registered with their service and, once you are given that information, ask how many of the emails are active. Think about how many times you’ve registered with an email address, deleted the email address, created a new email address, and forgot to go back and update your information on the many websites, group lists, and message boards that require an email address. Even on my website, if an email is sent to my subscribers, I will receive a notice if an email was not received by the receipient. Therefore, I am certain they have more sophisticated software to manage their subscriber list and are able to generate reports to gather that information and provide to clients.
2) Ask if the list is updated frequently and when was the database last updated. Again, you want to know if they invest time into ensuring that everyone subscribed is actually receiving emails. In my case, they may have had 63,000 email addresses in the database however, 62,675 may have been dead email addresses. You need to know they are actively managing their list and not passively. Quality is what counts, not quantity.
3) Finally, ask if they track activity and gage how knowledgeable they are regarding internet marketing. In other words, are their subscribers more prone to check emails on a particular day of the week? Have they researched internet trends and can they recommend a day when people are more receptive to respond to advertisements sent via e-blast. I am not a marketing person however, since I hate Mondays, I believe the rest of the world hates Mondays as well therefore, I would not schedule an e-blast advertisement for Monday because people may be too cranky to care. It works for me however, that may not be sound marketing advice. Just ask.
Overall, some exposure is better than no exposure and unfortunately, you can’t make subscribers read their emails. However, asking the right questions when seeking to use this type of Internet marketing tool will help to make your realistic expectations a little more realistic.
