If you own a business you need to be conducting email marketing.  One thing to consider in this method of advertising your services and products is your audience’s permission in receiving your emails. If you send unwanted mails, known as spam, then your business will be put in danger or will not have a good image. You will drive your target customers away.

How to avoid it?

It’s just easy to avoid it. All you have to do is to make sure that your email records are composed of people who opted in.  Opt-in emails are often referred to as permission email marketing because you have to ask people’s permissions to email them. To define it further, it is a marketing that means sending your advertisements to those who only ask for it.

Single opt-in emails

This means that your target audiences have provided you their email addresses and their approval to send them your newsletter, offers, etc. One advantage is an easier sign up for customers. But the disadvantage… your customer hasnt had time to think about it, and this could mean without a double opt in they are not qualified and they really have no interest in your site apart from whatever freebie you give away to encourage them to sign up.

Confirmed opt-in email

Same as the above but including a confirmation from the subscriber.

1. Your target audiences visit your site and give their name and other information needed to be included in your opt in list.

2. Then an email will be sent to them asking their confirmation of joining. (Generally a click on link within the email)

3. Once they have clicked on the link, their email addresses will be added to your list.

The advantage of a double opt in is a responsive list that have confirmed that they definitely want to sign up to your site.

We recommend UMDirect.com.au as the premier Australian email marketing company to satisfy all your email marketing needs

Whether you want to set up a new business or simply want to update yourself about an industry, it is imperative that you research the firms in that industry to understand past trends, future prospects and the prevalent norms.Our last post discussed social research, industry research is something else you do need to have a look at.

Here’s a step by step guide to understanding any industry.
1.    Identify the Industry:
This may sound very obvious, but before researching an industry it is important to know exactly which industry you are searching for. This can get a little complicated owing to the overlap between industries in modern times. For instance, banks overlap with financial firms, the computers industry overlaps with electronics, and gaming overlaps with computers and so on. First, define which industry you want to find and use keywords specific to that industry when searching industry databases.

2.    Use Surveys and Reports for Industry Statistics:
There are multiple resources for industry research available on the internet alone. In addition, there are various publications of industry surveys and statistics purely for the purpose of research. For instance, Hoover’s Online publishes profiles of more than 200 different industries. Standard & Poor’s Industry Surveys are detailed surveys of more than 50 US industries.

3.    Search for News Reports and Magazine Articles About the Industry:
These are excellent resources for gaining a deeper understanding of the industry and the trends related to it. While statistics can be misinterpreted, or not give you the true picture, articles and expert opinions will generally show you the industry as it is. Plus, hearing lots of different opinions can help you decide whether or not to set up a business in the industry, and your chances of success.

4.    Visit Industry Websites:
Websites of individual firms as well as searchable online databases and there websites belonging to the industry as a whole can be an excellent resource for information about the industry. For instance, IndustryLink.com has lots of links to industry websites. Business.com can also help you search and identify helpful industry websites.

5.    Learn About Leading Firms in the Industry:
Identify the leaders in the industry and study their financial position, their customer base, market share etc. to understand fully exactly what it is that makes them successful, and if you are thinking of setting up a business, this would help you see exactly what kind of competition you are up against.

6.    Use Business-to-Business Marketplaces:
Finally, use this one great resource that has recently come into being. B2B market places are basically online business communities that keep their members and visitors updated on all aspects of their industry, with the purpose of facilitating e-commerce. These will usually give you basic, understandable and relevant information about the industry.

So as you can tell, industry research is a must for anyone contemplating a serious move towards owning their own business.

What is social research?
In the context of businesses and the internet, social research is a method of learning about your target market. Social research uses social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Digg, or a blog to ask questions, to find out customer preferences, and to generally learn your target customers’ opinions about any aspect of your current or future business.

Benefits of Social Research:
Why go for social research as opposed to more conventional forms of research? Here are its advantages:
•    It is easier, quicker and hardly costs you a cent: Most blogs and social media sites are free to join, and once you join them, you can search the groups or fan pages where your target market is most likely to be found. As a member, you will be allowed to post your own content free of cost. This is infinitely easier and much cheaper than designing and printing out questionnaires or forms and going out in the marketplace or door to door to get them filled.
•    It helps you identify the target market and build a reputation before even launching your business: This is why carrying out social research before launching a business is a great idea. The people on social networking sites get to know your idea, and if you present it in the right way, you can make it appear intriguing enough that they will want to buy from you when you actually do start. You get to know which people are most interested in your ideas, and you can with their permission use them as leads in marketing later on.

How to Carry Out Social Research:
There are several ways to do this. Here are some of the quickest and easiest ones:
•    Use your Blog:
Simply post your questions on your blog, if you have one, and let people answer. If you don’t already have a business blog, this is a great reason to create one. This way your business can develop an online following, popularizing you among your target customers.
•    LinkedIn:
LinkedIn has a separate section where you can ask questions and get responses. Sometimes the number of responses can go up in hundreds. Thus you learn a lot from different people’s opinions.
•    Yahoo Answers:
As this is a website dedicating to posting and answering questions, you can not only ask people questions about upcoming business ventures, but also reply to existing questions by introducing your business idea or existing business websites.