Question

Topic: E-Marketing

Zero Response From 300,000 Opt-in Email

Posted by Anonymous on 10/1/2004 at 1:00 AM ET 100 Points
I am starting to believe that no one is making any money from the internet except the support companies..i.e hosting, promotion, e-marketing "experts" etc . Are the successs stories we hear of all just anecdotal?

I have many web ideas ready to go, so for one of them I started with a simple opt-in email campaign. The subject was quite catchy, although probably not perfect, and the body was quite well copywritten. However out of a 300,000 post I did not get one single response, and the product only costs $4-$5.

Yes I could try again with a different subject and wording, but I feel as though this would be a complete waste of time and money.

Question:

Is it common for this sort of poor/zero response or should the email company (been around for 3 years) come under suspicion, and next time take my $99 else where?

Thankyou
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RESPONSES

  • Posted by Pepper Blue on 10/1/2004 at 2:01 AM Member
    Hi Cupcake,

    Sounds to me like you are spamming.

    It is IMPOSSIBLE to send out 300,000 emails to a permission-based list and not get a single response.

    By example, the open rate response of our customers, spanning B-to-B and B-to-C, is from 40%-65% - routinely.

    Clickthroughs (many variables here) is from 10% to 50%.

    Unsubscribes around 1%.

    Spam reports <1%.

    Why?

  • We/our customers deliver only to permission-based subscribers. Some of them double/confirmed opt-in.
  • We/our customers provide relevant, value-added content, product and service offerings.

    My point: The above doesn't just hold true for us and our customers. You will find this is the hallmark of all successful email marketing programs.

    $99.00 isn't going to buy you much, in the world of Internet marketing, you get what you pay for.

    Quality and experience costs more, but it delivers a positive ROI.

    Contact me by clicking on my name if you would like to discuss this further.

    I hope that helps!
  • Posted by Blaine Wilkerson on 10/1/2004 at 12:25 PM Member
    You got ripped off. $99 for 300,000 names? Come on...

    The best way to make money from an e-marketing campaign is to build your OWN opt-in list from your site visitors. This is known as the beginning of a database marketing program.

    Plus, you need to consider your audience. Just because YOU like the product and think it is a steal at $4 each, the public may not. More importantly, the people you are trying to sell to may be the wrong folks! Have you performed any kind of preliminary thinking/research into who is going to by your product? Simply going from your "gut", or your own ego (usually fueled by a desire to succeed - which can cloud inevitable consequences...for example, thinking everyone will love your product just because you and your friends think they should).

    In short, there is more to marketing than finding a cheap product, buying a cheap list, blasting emails, then collecting your fortune. I would spend the $99 on on some good marketing books.

    Good Luck.
  • Posted by SteveByrneMarketing on 10/1/2004 at 1:33 PM Member
    cupcake,

    Great input from above. You might also consider spending your budget on Search Engine Marketing (SEM) instead of email broadcasts (they come to you verses you go to them) For many situations today SEM will have a higher ROI than email. Plus when folks visit your site through a SEM program, you can provide a sign-up-for-email section to capture true opt-in email addresses.

    Just an option,

    - Steve
  • Posted by Chris Blackman on 10/2/2004 at 12:37 AM Member
    Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam...

    Ditto all above. Cannot buy opt-ins. The only opt-ins of worth are double opt-ins. THAT is permission-based marketing.

    Your mails wound up blocked and in the waste bin with the Viagra peddlers, loan-providers, home-business operators and the Russian mafia.

    By even buying such a list you have exposed yourself to risk of disrepute.

    Instead, why not tell the group here what you are trying to sell, and maybe we can come up with a better way to sell it...

    If all else fails, buy yourself the back collection of Monty Python videos, a plastic Viking helmet, and a dozen cans of....
  • Posted by Chris Blackman on 10/3/2004 at 7:18 AM Member
    Well,since it sounds like you are looking for a recommendation, I would recommend Pepper Blue as a conscionable, ethical e-mail marketing expert on this forum.

    I would hope you can trust anyone here... But Tim Pepper is acknowledged as a leading exponent of the e-craft here, and he won't do you no wrong...

    There are others, too. Just look at the top 25 experts in e-mail marketing as a guide. Amandavega and Jett are other experts I know you can rely upon too...

    No, I don't get commission and I'm not a relative!

    Cheers

    ChrisB



  • Posted by Pepper Blue on 10/4/2004 at 1:08 AM Accepted
    Hi Cupcake,

    ASVP/ChrisB is right, we are not related nor strategically aligned in any way, we do however share a common thread of believing in operating our businesses to the highest ethical standards.

    You don't have your profile filled in so I can't contact you, but as I mentioned in my previous post, contact me and we can have a straightforward discussion on what email marketing can and cannot do for you.

    There is no reason you should be looking at your past experience as being representative of what other email marketing professionals such as my company will provide you.

    What you have experienced is definitely not typical of how an email marketing program is supposed to work.

    The reality is that it is well known and documented that email marketing, in almost all situations (there are always exceptions) provides a ROI that is greater than any other type of marketing (SEO and SEM are also very good and their ROI is comparable and sometimes even better)

    Click on my name following "Posted By:" above if you would like to discuss this further, I would like for you to have an opportunity to have a good experience!

    I hope that helps!
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