Member Article

30-Day Starter Plan for Email Marketing with iContact

For all the new communications tools social media has brought, email is still a pillar of marketing; some would argue email was among the earliest social mediums. According to the 2012 Social Media Marketing Industry Report, 87% of marketers still use email ? and for good reason: it works.

?For every dollar marketing spends on email marketing, it gets $40 in return,? said Geoffrey Alexander, director of ecommerce at iContact, which Vocus (NASDAQ: VOCS), a leading provider of cloud marketing software, acquired earlier this year. ?Social media helps build awareness, but email provides an opportunity for a more personalized conversation to close deals; we see the success of social deal sharing sites as validation of this idea.?

Although professional marketers tap email as a proven and powerful vehicle for reaching targeted segments ? throughout the buying cycle, from initial engagement and sale to loyalty and retention ? Alexander believes many small- and medium-sized businesses (SMB) still struggle with simply getting started. That?s why the company has launched the 30-Day Starter Plan for Email Marketing, to complement its 30-day free trial offer.

?The pain point we see the most is confidence: simply tackling the challenge of what to say, how to design it, and who to send it to can seem daunting,? added Alexander. ?But that?s a perception problem that can easily be solved with the right resources. The starter plan is aimed at demystifying email marketing and helping those SMBs get up and running quickly.?

The starter plan notes that email marketing is a permission-based marketing solution, meaning it should be used to reach only individuals who have granted permission to receive marketing information. The plan is designed to help take those new to email marketing from ?rookie? to ?pro? with a 10-step guide that also offers suggestions on how email marketing can be used ? from product updates and promotions to daily deals and customer surveys, among others.

Over time, and with experimentation, SMBs will learn the finer details of best practices in email marketing, such as the best time for their organization to send emails, what content resonates and how to segment audiences to tailor messages to specific needs.

?The biggest hurdle is simply getting started,? said Alexander. ?Once started, marketers will quickly realize the potential for developing lasting, personalized relationships with customers and prospects through email marketing.?

As added piece of mind, the new or seasoned email marketer will have access to iContact?s award-winning support team. Whether it?s a question about uploading a list, choosing a template, understanding reporting or complex technical challenges, the iContact team serves as a valuable resource and makes themselves easily accessible via phone, chat or email ? whichever method is preferred by the user.

The starter plan is freely available online, with registration, and can be found by visiting the iContact website: https://www.icontact.com/email-marketing-how-to.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by John W. Hayes .