Let’s say you want to introduce a new product or service to the marketplace, but you have a limited budget. Engaging a social media strategist or running pay-per-click ads on Google are out of the question. So, what can you do?  How about bulk e-mail marketing.

According to industry experts, e-mail marketing is one of the least expensive ways to get your company and your product or services in front of thousands of prospective buyers. But it requires marketing automation tools and some specialized skills to create and execute a series of effective campaigns. Overconfidence or minimizing the expertise needed could cost you in the long run. This guide outlines the key steps to consider.

Five Steps to an Effective Marketing Campaign

Step 1. Getting quality leads

Who is your target market and how will you acquire a list of these prospects to market to?

Step 2. Nurturing your leads

What are you trying to communicate to this target audience?  What is your value proposition?  It will take time and trust to build your base of opt-in subscribers. For best results, segment your list into target groups, then use A/B Testing with a small sample from each group to refine your message.

Step 3. Designing your campaign

Do you have the tools and skills to create a series of e-mail campaigns? Keep your visuals and messaging consistent to build brand recognition.

Step 4. Delivering the e-mails

What system will you be using to distribute several thousand bulk e-mails? How frequently should you send to your list and how will you keep track of the schedule? Follow best practices to help you navigate the rules and regulations on spam.

Step 5.  Analyzing results

How will you measure the success of your campaigns? What reporting structure is in place to identify opens, clicks on a call to action and unsubscribes?

All the above should be in place before you embark on designing and distributing your marketing campaigns. The good news is that there is help.  Some companies will sell you a list of targeted prospects. Others will provide cosmetically appealing templates and mail the campaigns for you if need. But engaging multiple companies can be costly.

There is one company, however, that has put it all together for you as a service. That’s Commence Corporation, a CRM and Marketing Automation company ideal for small to mid-size businesses in need of assistance with marketing tasks including acquiring a quality list of prospects in your target market; creating e-mail marketing templates with a call to action; distributing several thousand e-mails at a time; and providing you with reports that show the effectiveness of each campaign. Commence delivers even more.  The company also provides a license for their popular CRM system for lead management. New inquiries are automatically logged in to the CRM system and rated by qualification. Those who open the e-mail get 2 points, those who clicked on a call to action (such as a request for a free sample, or download information) get 3 points, and those who fill out a form and schedule a time to talk get 5 points. This unique capability enables the sales team to focus their energy on the most qualified prospects based on the number of points.

Commence does it all for you and is affordable too. If you are looking to improve your marketing, build brand recognition and generate more new opportunities for your business you need to partner with Commence. Call 877-266-6362 for more information.