3.06 Understand the use of direct marketing to attract attention and to build brand

Why Use Marketing? Sending promotional messages across computer networks is known as marketing. The reasons businesses use marketing are many, including: Keeping current customers Educating others Building brand awareness Enhancing business image Engaging in vital marketing Creating discussion

Options for Sending The four primary options businesses use to send are: 1. Opt-in (a.k.a. permission-based)  Individuals give a business permission to send them the promotional s, product announcements, or newsletters.  The most common use of opt-in marketing is subscriptions. 2. Double opt-in  Double opt-in takes the opt-in approach one step further by requiring recipients to confirm that they really do want to be a registered subscriber.  Upon completing the subscription process, individuals receive an that they must respond to in order to be added to the list of subscribers.

3. Opt-out  With opt-out marketing, it is assumed that individuals want to receive until they indicate otherwise.  Generally, the contains an explanation of the process that must be followed to be removed from the list. 4. Spam  Spam consists of unsolicited or junk .  In most cases, spam bogs down networks and wastes people’s time.

Common Uses of Marketing Businesses use different approaches with their marketing efforts. Some may use all of the approaches, while others may use only a few. Businesses often use marketing for:  Announcements  Newsletters  Bulletins  Suggestion selling  Reminder service  Handling requests  Obtaining feedback  Order confirmations

Challenges of Marketing Challenges of marketing include:  Developing/Obtaining customer lists  Sending duplicate s  Having undeliverable  Experiencing diminished effectiveness  Obtaining responses  Spreading viruses  Battling filters  Sending unauthorized subscriptions  Creating angry recipients  Managing lists

Plain Text versus HTML Plain Text:  Most likely, the that you send and receive most often is plain text.  Plain text s consist of words on a screen.  The key to successful text-based s is proper formatting. 1. Sections are separated by lines. 2. Only those symbols that appear on the computer keyboard are usually used. 3. Text is justified left. 4. Hard returns are used at the end of each sentence or paragraph.

Plain Text versus HTML HTML:  HTML stands for Hypertext Markup Language, which is the code used to create web pages.  The same coding can be used to create e- mails that contain colorful logos, graphics, background designs, animations, sound, banner ads, etc.  It takes longer for HTML s to load than plain-text s.  Not all clients support HTML.

Capabilities of  The capabilities of depend upon the type of software that is used.  A basic client can be used to send a plain-text with an attachment.  A more sophisticated software program is needed to send out personalized s.  To make use of all of the capabilities of e- mail, different software components (e.g., e- mail client, database, automation program, etc.) must work together.

Capabilities of  Non-interactive content 1. Non-interactive content is basically static. 2. The recipient can’t shape his/her own experience by linking to other locations within the or to a web site. 3. Plain-text used in correspondence among friends, family members, and coworkers is a good example of non- interactive content.

Capabilities of  Links to other places within the message : Hyperlinks make it is possible to link a word, graphic, or other element to another place within the .  Links to web sites : Hyperlinks are also used to link from somewhere within the to a web site.  Attachments : An attachment is a computer file (e.g., Word document, PowerPoint presentation, jpg photo, etc.) that is sent with an .

Capabilities of  Streaming media 1. is capable of delivering sound, video, or animations that play when the recipient opens the message or clicks on a “play” button. 2. The media is “streaming” because it moves in a continuous flow over the Internet to the recipient’s computer. 3. Streaming media is not delivered through very often because it is expensive to produce and requires the recipient to have a high-speed Internet connection.

Capabilities of  Individualized addresses 1. Rather than having your address delivered to thousands of strangers, it is possible to place only your individual e- mail address in the “To” field before sending the message. 2. This helps businesses to personalize their so that readers feel that they’re the only ones receiving the .

Capabilities of  Personalization 1. Personalization technologies attempt to make customers feel unique and special—by inserting personal information such as name, title, and purchasing history within an message. 2. Certain computer programs can extract the personal information from a database and automatically put it in the proper place within the messages.

Capabilities of  Automated : software can be set up to perform certain functions (e.g., send personalized s to entire customer list, create list of undeliverable addresses, etc.) at specified times.

Capabilities of  Autoresponders 1. Use of autoresponders results in less time spent on routine tasks and more time to grow a business. 2. When a person sends a message to a specified address, the autoresponder replies with a certain message. 3. Common uses of autoresponders are to:  Confirm orders and newsletter subscriptions  Answer frequently asked questions  Make customers aware that the business person is unavailable until a certain date

8 simple marketing strategies for the sports industry Our latest guide, '8 simple marketing strategies for the sports industry' has been written specifically for marketers in the industry. Featuring some great best practice examples from Tottenham Hotspur, LA Fitness and Surrey County Cricket Club, this is an unmissable guide for any marketer within the sports sector. James' guide looks at 8 strategies marketers can focus on in order to gain the best possible results from their marketing campaigns. These strategies are: 1 Capture 40% of visitors will complete a sign up form if they perceive a benefit in doing so - in this guide you can find out the best way to capture that all important data! 2 Manage expectations Let sign ups know what they can expect to receive 3 The welcome This is what your customers are most likely to respond to - so make sure you're making the most of it 4 Personalization Learn how you can use personalization to grab the recipient's attention 5 Design Tips on alternative text - your recipients are far more likely to open your s if you use it! 6 Use social media marketing and social media can be used to compliment each other perfectly, are you making the most of the pairing? 7 Automations How to use automations to engage with your recipients at the most emotive times, like a fan's birthday, clever marketing software can do this for you. 8 Get the basics right! Taken from Pure 360 Website.