Email marketing might seem boring in a whiz-bang era of newer technology like social networks. But in a post at the Return Path blog, Stephanie Miller argues that nothing could be further from the truth. 

"Bah, I say, bah humbug!" she declares. "It's not some 'future' thing that hasn't been tested and reaches a potential audience in the tens or hundreds or thousands. Email is ubiquitous for both B2C and B2B, proven, and incredibly profitable." So profitable that she started her recent presentation at Hollywood Digital by showing an image of a large stack of cash.

So don't let yourself think of email marketing as the proverbial redheaded stepchild. There's nothing more exciting than success, and the best way to achieve that thrill of victory is with best practices:

• Focus on the subscriber experience. Send relevant, permission-based messages, and give them the opportunity to tailor content and frequency.
• Test social media. Try developing campaigns, for instance, that enable people to sign up with their mobile phones for text and email alerts. Invite interactivity.
• Use your email newsletter to stay connected, like following up on discussions in your Web site's forums.

"In email, where most of the commercial messages we receive are ... uninteresting and uninspired, a little bit of focus and attention will ensure you continue to earn exciting results," Miller concludes.

The Po!nt: Brush up on best practices to fire up your emails. As Miller reminds us: "It's never boring to do successful marketing."

Source: Return Path Blog. Read the full post here.

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