Ask an Expert

The other day, while having my favorite meal, (breakfast), I happened to glance at an article in the business section of the Arizona Daily Star, November 26, 2006 edition.

The headline read, "Catalogs remain a viable sales tool" by David Sharp, The Associated press.

Normally, I get all my news from TV's NBC "Today Show". I felt as though I was being attracted, like a magnet, to this article.

Being the owner/webmaster of a relatively new website, launched June 22, 2006, I am always searching for better ways to optimize my site, and increase website traffic. Believe me, I am not an SEO Guru, but, I read a lot of top rated newsletters, and articles about SEO.

After applying SEO best practices techniques to my site, by the fourth month, I was very pleased that we achieved top position in major Search Engines for many relative Keywords/phrases.

The techniques applied, included optimizing all aspects of our site's content: text content, image alt tags, selective linking, relative keywords/phrases, meta tags, especially the title meta tag.

We applied these techniques to each page, and added the very necessary Google site map for the crawlers to "see" all content our site maintains.

After all, each page on our website had different content, thus different keywords/phrases.

Then we began a very active Search Engine marketing strategy, using mamma.com classifieds PPC keyword marketing program, (much less cost than some others we heard about), combined with Exact Seek's non PPC "Express Inclusion" to drive traffic to our website.

The results were exciting, and the cost was very affordable.

But, deep down inside I knew there was something missing. I read an article on the searchenginewatch.com website, that websites are DISCOVERED with keyword marketing (about .52%), and targeted email marketing, (about .48%.).

During these early post launch days, we successfully developed a targeted email list of subscribers to our Newsletter, "Work From Home Marketing Strategies 2006". Our CTR and open rates exceed the national averages. But having a targeted email list, using best practices techniques dictated by the CAN-SPAM ACT of 2003 takes time.

As of January 1, 2004, your marketing e-mail must meet these requirements. If you have questions about your compliance with this law, you should consult your attorney.

We succumbed to a optin bulk mail system to "get our word out"

I vowed our business would never spam anyone. I searched for months to find the best bulk mail system on the Internet. We found two. One was a smaller, but rapidly growing online bulk mail system that allows email campaigns, to their optin list, by a site's targeted CATEGORY. A very unique benefit in that most optin lists of a bulk mail system DO NOT.

The other bulk mail system advertises that it's online system emails to MILLIONS of optin subscribers world-wide. I bet you heard that before.

Without trying to sound like HYPE, let me tell you it works.

We use Go Dadday's "Traffic Facts" online software that provides accurate stats regarding website traffic. The results after we started using our new bulk mail system marketing strategy were phenomenal. Our traffic generated from our Search Engine Marketing increased, while traffic from our bulk mail system took off like a rocket, increasing our website traffic over five times, IMMEDIATELY.

Back to our "catalog therory".

Here are some excerpts from the article in the Arizona Daiy Star:

“. . . if your mailbox is stuffed with catalogs, that's what catalog retailers want you to see. . ."

" . . L.L. Bean is moving toward the day when the bulk of their sales are made online. Yet the number of catalogs mailed to U.S. households has been climbing the last couple of years. Even though some will get tossed, catalog retailers are counting on consumers thumbing through enough of them to drive sales.

"Overall, catalog distribution has grown from 16.6 billion in 2002, to 19.2 Billion in 2005, according to Direct Marketing Association.

The typical American will receive 13 of them this year. . . L.L. Bean expects to mail 50 Million more catalogs this year than it did two years ago, when it shipped 200 Million catalogs.

"It is the best way for us to get lasting impressions in front of our customers." said spokesman Rich Donaldson. "Most customers hang onto catalogs for weeks, using them for reference, making catalogs far more valuable than television, radio and web based marketing and advertising."

" . . The Direct Marketing Association projects catalog sales to grow roughly 7.5% to $144 for the year"

"Those who predicted the demise of catalogs as online sales took off a few years back, overlooked a key fact: you can't make sales if you can't reach your customers. " . . research shows that 50 to 70 percent of online sales are actually driven by the catalogs.

Is a properly structured, well conceived, legally compliant, professionally looking email marketing strategy, using an online, quality bulk mail system, the catalog of the 21st Century?

Jim retired, from a successful 26-year career, about ten years ago. His first unsuccessful attempt to start a work at home business was in 2003. That is the year he began training himself to have a successful Internet, work from home business. He now and owns, and manages three sites for his own work at home business, Opportunities Now Internet Marketing Services, LLC

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Give your Email Marketing Campaign Catalog Properties