Techniques That Get Your E-mail Opened

YOU CAN’T GET THERE FROM HERE. If you need to jump start your programs and are just starting to research opt-in e-mail lists, you shouldn’t modify your position about permission—always make sure the list you’re renting is opt-in. However, you will need to adjust your expectations regarding targeting criteria. Opt-in e-mail lists still do not offer the level of demographic selectability available on traditional lists. So, the methods you used to target prospects for off-line lists may not be viable when targeting online. E-mail lists though, do offer an extensive range of psychographic, or behavior-based, targeting criteria. Since many opt-in lists are generated from consumer behavior and activity at another Web site, the site at which the consumer joined can tell you a lot about a user’s profile. Think beyond age, gender and income when building your list criteria. Behavioral characteristics are a strong predictor of response. Bottom line: Experiment, test and think outside the box. The way people behave online does not always mirror the way they behave in other shopping channels.