Branded Email Newsletters

By Jaimie Spaulding jaimies@duowebsolutions.com
January 26, 2012

Communicating on a regular basis with current and potential clients is important for any business. Email marketing allows you to connect easily with your consumers with the click of a button. The success of this marketing tool is entirely up to you; we see dealers dropping a print ad into their newsletter and sending it out -- it’s time to raise the bar!

Brand Image is Everything

Click here to watch Heather Blessington's companion video on email marketing now!

Once you have them in your store or on your site, it is important to keep customers engaged. Existing customers spend 33 percent more than a new customer, so it is important to make sure they keep coming back.

Use your email marketing as a tool to:

• Keep existing clients informed of upcoming events and promotions
• Establish a relationship with potential new buyers
• Provide product reviews and information to educate your customers
• Offer special discounts to VIPs

Optimizing your newsletter by adding images, videos and links to your web site and social channels makes the content you are conveying more interesting for the reader and gives you the opportunity to drive traffic to the information you want your customers to know about.

Email marketing is an inexpensive way to maintain consistent contact with your customers at least monthly. Utilize your newsletter to send out additional communications throughout the month targeted to specific customers.

When signing up for email marketing services, make sure that you read the fine print and know exactly what you are paying for. Your email marketing efforts should be cost-effective and based on the number of contacts you have on your list, not how many communications you send out each month. Signing up with an unlimited plan allows you the flexibility of communicating when you want, about what you want.

Defining Custom

Take a look at the email newsletter below. The header has what is referred to as a “dynamic navigation”; meaning it acts just like the navigation bar on your homepage does. With one click, interested customers can be directed to your site without ever touching the keyboard.

The body of your newsletter is customizable as well, with the ability to go from a simple email communication to a more professional look with ease by adding content blocks such as:

• Welcome message
• Article blocks
• Featured item
• Quick link’s
• Contact info
• Event calendar
• Social links and more

Figure 1: Current client utilizing a custom newsletter created by Duo Web Solutions.

#1 top priority in email marketing: Don’t get stuck in your customer’s SPAM folder

Protect your client list and choose an email service that has a no spam tolerance policy. Many powersports vendors offer email marketing platforms, however we highly recommend that you utilize services that specialize in email marketing. Sending emails may sound like a cinch, but in reality there are many rules and regulations surrounding the process, all of which result in your email getting stuck in the junk and/or SPAM folder of your customers Inbox – or worse yet, never reaching the Inbox at all because Internet Service Providers (ISPs) such as AOL, Hotmail, and others block it due to vendors incompliance with their strict sending policies.

Here are the questions to ask your email marketing provider:

Are your IP addresses whitelisted?

The IP address is like a phone number that is associated with the server that sends out your email. If the IP address is whitelisted, it is approved. If the IP addresses become blacklisted it means your emails never get sent out!

What is your bounce rate?

Are they hard bounces or soft bounces? Have your provider explain this in detail – this is critical to the success of your campaign and your ultimate send rate. For example, a hard bounce means the email was rejected permanently. A soft bounce means the email was sent but may have received an “Out of Office” reply message from your customer, therefore it will be resent at a later time.

Have I received any SPAM complaints?

When utilizing a email marketing provider, your contact list must be an “opted in list” meaning that your clients granted permission for you to send them email. If you purchased a list, it is unlikely any legitimate email service will send it for you because that list places them in jeopardy of being seen as a spammer and therefore their IP addresses will be banned and/or blacklisted.

Email statistics are Gold

Most dealers never even look at their email statistics report. This is like throwing money out the window since what is the point of sending an email – when you don’t even know if anyone is reading it? Or receiving it? Or clicking on it? Here is what you need to pay attention to, a process that should not take you more than an hour a month which is worth every second.

• How many customers received your message
• Who Opted-out (the best email providers let you actually see their name and email address!)
• Who opened your email (again, a bit like spying and very fun, check out exactly who opened your message – then add these people to a special VIP list since you now know they are engaged.)
• How many clicks you received on each one of your links and images
• What information customers clicked on and where the link took them
• Did any customers share your newsletter information with their social network? (Time for tweet to thank them for literally marketing your dealership for you!)

Think outside the box. Consider these topics.

• Exclusive online only offers or printable coupon for in store only use
• Show off your fun side! Throw in a funny joke, random thought or share a recipe from the staff
• Feature your customers, new vehicle owners and/or regular visitors to the dealership
• Be creative and fun but most of all - be consistent and your success is guaranteed!