Internet Marketing Discounts: Zen and the Art of Email Marketing

There will always be an overwhelming amount of information swirling around the email marketing universe. New tactics, practices and services will constantly vie for your attention, even when your newsletter content was due to go out yesterday and your sign up form could desperately use a redesign.

From time to time, you probably wonder, "How can I possibly be responsible for deploying an email campaign when I can barely keep up with the constant chatter about what's new and fresh?"

Never fear! Email marketing doesn't have to be as overwhelming as it might sometimes seem. If you take a Zen approach - one that focuses on making the process simple - you'll find that you actually look forward to working on your campaign, if only for a few moments of peace!

Are you dipping a toe in the email marketing waters simply because everyone else is? Because your boss heard from a friend that it can do great things for your business? In other marketing mediums that would not be an acceptable reason for participation.

You wouldn't spend millions on a Super Bowl commercial because someone told you to. You shouldn't invest time and money into email if you're not sure why you're using it in the first place, either, even if it is the most cost-effective marketing method out there.

Decide why you're emailing and set a goal for realistic goal for your campaign. Maybe you want to inspire brand recognition or build your prospect list. Perhaps you're looking to increase profit, or give away a free report to website visitors. Whatever it is, establish your purpose and stick to it.

There's no time like the present to make your campaign shine. Forget about making your newsletter look like the one Target sent last week. You're only one person, and you only have a limited amount of time to make your message happen.

The quest for "perfection" often debilitates individual emailers. If you're easily discouraged because your message isn't highly styled or doesn't include lots of pictures, don't beat yourself up. It's ok!

Do what you can with the time that you have. Only have twenty minutes? Focus on the meat of your message: the points that you have to make and the offers you must to extend to your readers no matter what.

Take a good look at how new subscribers are added to your list. Start by going to your website and walking through the sign up process as though you've never seen the page before in your life, or by watching a friend search around for your form.

Is it hard to find, or hidden by lots of text and links? Do you inadvertently drive visitors from signing up to receive your newsletter because it's simply too difficult to do?

Never let that happen again! Remove any and all obstacles from sign up. De-clutter your website. It's one of the easiest ways to ensure that new visitors will see your form and sign up to receive your information.

As with anything important in life, email marketing requires a certain stick-to-itiveness. You can't expect it to do great things for your business if you aren't willing to give it proper attention.

Sending a message here and there is really not an indication of a serious campaign. If you want your company to be seen as an authority in your field, you need to put in the effort to create a timely, relative newsletter.

Make a plan. Create a newsletter schedule and stick to it. If you inform subscribers of your message frequency when they subscribe, consider it a contract. You have to honor the commitment so that you aren't coming up short of their expectations.

While it's always important to grow your list and increase your business' following, at the end of the day, always remember to be grateful for the things you already have.

Think about the subscribers who are already on your list, the clicks you've already tracked and the content plans you're making for your next newsletter.

Take a look at what other email marketers are thankful for - they've kindly shared their blessings with us!