An email sent out by Marks & Spencer reads: ‘We have been informed by Epsilon, a company we use to send emails to our customers, that some M&S customer email addresses have been accessed without authorisation.

‘We wanted to bring this to your attention as it is possible that you may receive spam email messages as a result.

‘We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause you. We take your privacy very seriously, and we will continue to work diligently to protect your personal information.’

One of the largest companies in the world that specialises in email and internet marketing, Epsilon has over 2,500 and sends over 40billion emails annually on their behalf. Play.com uses a company called Silverpop, again US-based.

Dr. Stefan Fafinski of the University of Leeds, an expert in internet security, warned users to be vigilant and scrutinise each email they receive. ‘Spammers will have a list of good, known and verifiable email addresses that comes straight out of M&S. Once they have names as well as email addresses, the spammers can personalise the emails they send out to look much more like a genuine company communication.

‘People who open these emails may then follow a link to what looks like an official website.

‘They may be asked to update their billing information, credit card details, the three-digit security code, maybe their mother’s maiden name or the answer to a personal security question.

‘That gives them all the information they would need to steal the identity of the customer and access their accounts.’

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However, that figure fell to as little as 0.1 per cent in contrast over the Christmas holidays, equating to a paltry 70 million emails globally. As of Monday 10 January though the figures were back with a vengeance – 70 billion recorded spam messages throughout the day. And Paul Wood, Symantec senior analyst, thinks these volumes will only get worse:

“This is a marked increase. It’s still not the same as spam levels before Christmas but it’s a sign that, for whatever reason, Rustock [the botnet responsible for just under half of all web spam] had simply gone quiet. It is very unusual that they would go quiet of their own accord – which is why this stands out much more than previous occasions – but there must be a reason for it, which I suspect we’ll get a sense of it in due course.”

It’s a shame because, from a search marketing point of view, email marketing can be very profitable, especially if you craft a unique campaign that captures your target customers’ imagination. Email marketing is as much a part of search marketing as PPC and affiliate marketing. But how do you do that without them turning their nose up at you and banishing your emails to the spam folder forevermore?

A large dash of creativity is key when it comes to email marketing, such as the kind you can find from a good web design company. The typical spam email is comprised with terrible grammar, a made-up sob story or just blocks of text. Show your email isn’t spam with bold images that show off your brand and entice them with high quality pictures of the current deals you are offering.

Entice them with well-thought out content that encourages them to visit your site, but make it personal too, so it doesn’t look like a mass sales pitch. The beauty of email marketing is that if people like what they see, they’ll forward it on to their friends, broadening your overall reach!

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One obvious consideration in marketing is cost. Advertising in radio, television or in the popular press can be prohibitively expensive. By contrast, many of the internet marketing options are very inexpensive; it does not cost much to set up and run a blog related to your business, and email lists can be very inexpensive and effective, and can involve an opt-in list of people who actively want to receive your information. The traditional method of direct mailing is more hit-and-miss, as it is not targeted at interested individuals.

Word-of-mouth is very important when it comes to internet marketing. The hugely popular social networking sites can mean that you can have customers signing up to groups or pages showing their allegiance to your brand, and encouraging their friends to do likewise. Blogs allow customers to interact and leave comments. This dynamic word-of-mouth promotion is much more likely to occur with internet marketing than traditional methods.

At Click Consult, we know how to harness the advantages of online marketing, making your campaign as powerful and cost-effective as possible.

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Google lists videos in search results now, so the more ways in which you can get a link to your video appearing on social media sites or anywhere on the web, the higher your page ranking. At internet marketing agency Click Consult, we have the expertise to help you make the most of social media in marketing, optimising your website for search engines in a variety of ways including the use of viral videos.

Videos can contain music, comedy, political comment, art – anything that shows your product in an individual and thought-provoking or sensational way is likely to be passed on to someone else with the comment, “check this out!”. Look through your email inbox some time and count the number of emails from friends with links to quirky, amusing adverts or the latest celebrity slip-up cleverly combined with a product endorsement. Did you pass these on?

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When you have confirmation from your subscriber that they do indeed want to receive your emails, you can then move onto making your emails as tantalising as possible to the recipients, whilst building trust and respect. Don’t waste time creating fancy subject lines that don’t really tell the reader what is in the email. If you have an important piece of information that your subscriber will want to read, place it in the subject heading. When you create the body of your email, keep it brief without adding lots of filler which gives no value to your emails at all. Most people are extremely busy and if your email rambles on about insignificant detail, the reader will delete the email.

Here at web marketing agency Click Consult, we make sure that all your emails are relevant to the recipient with information that adds value to that person’s life. We have many years of experience in the creation of email marketing campaigns and will receive high percentages of emails being opened and read.

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One of the most obvious places to start building trust is by ensuring you have the person’s permission to send them communications. You can also make your welcome email to them a confirmation email so that the person can confirm they definitely want to accept your emails. On your initial email to a subscriber you could also make it clear that you will not give their details to any one else without their express permission.

Provide instructions for your subscriber to show them how to remove themselves from your list. It may seem like a negative move, offering to remove them – but if they are not interested in your emails they will never make a purchase anyway. You are also proving that you are not trying to trick them into making a purchase or into receiving loads of unwanted emails.

Here at web marketing agency Click Consult we will create an email marketing campaign that builds on your brand name from the beginning right through to the completion. We have many years experience and will show you how to create a rapport with your subscribers. Building a list of subscribers that are eager to receive your communications is the first step in building a successful campaign.

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By outsourcing your campaign you will also see the benefits arrive much more quickly than if you decided to run your campaign in-house. A professional company will have experienced consultants who can set up your email marketing campaign very quickly. Here at Click Consult we have professional consultants who have many years of experience creating campaigns that are effective, and will see a return on investment very quickly.

If you decide to undertake the creation of an email internet marketing campaign yourself you will also have the expense of extra human resource to manage the campaign. The resources you hire should have knowledge of the software and the creation of an email marketing campaign as well as knowledge of copywriting and how to create an email that will deliver the message to recipients effectively.

If you decide to outsource your campaign to a professional web marketing company, care should be taken to select a company who are happy to discuss requirements and their marketing methods with you. Outsourcing with a professional company who have your company interest at heart will save you money as well as increase your return on investment.

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Another common mistake is sending out too many emails, overwhelming people with offers and information so that they eventually become tired of their in inbox being flooded and opt out of your communications. You should also take care that the offers and information is relevant to all your subscribers. For instance, sending an offer that is tantalising to someone who resides in the United States but only making the offer available to residents of the United Kingdom is just annoying and inefficient, resulting in the loss of a customer.

Here at internet marketing company Click Consult, we will create an email marketing campaign for you which ticks all the boxes, reducing the amount of time and effort you have to spend to achieve positive results.

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By using an opt in method for Internet marketing you are ensuring you have permission to send information out to subscribers and won’t risk being accused of sending spam emails. If you build a list of subscribers who have all given permission for you to communicate with them, this shows that they are already interested in what you have to say and are more likely to become a customer. By being honest from the very start you will build a solid foundation for your business. Be upfront about the opting out procedure so that a person can remove themselves from your list.

You can collect permission to email from existing customers. Ask if they are satisfied with their purchase and whether they would like you to keep in contact with any future offers. New customers can be attracted by offering a special discount or a product that isn’t available elsewhere, they can only receive the product by providing contact details and permission to email. Here at web marketing agency Click Consult we can help you to build a successful email marketing campaign in order to maximise your income.

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There are many ways to capture a person’s interest such as offering information that will lead the person to believe that you have the answer to a problem that they have. Many of us turn to the internet if we have a problem, believing that we will find the solution either free of charge or at a low cost. If you can get your information out there on the internet then you will capture interest.

Some people enjoy reading unusual stories or facts that you can easily share in the form of a newsletter, which also contains information relevant to your merchandise. Most people enjoy the thought of receiving something for nothing. This can be an ebook, a newsletter or a competition with a relevant prize from your company. A mini course will offer a taster of what you offer leaving your subscriber hungry for more information.

Include details of whatever you are giving away or your newsletter on all communications from your company as well as on your website and business cards. All methods of capturing email marketing subscribers to your list can be provided by marketing companies such as ours at Click Consult. We have tried and tested methods for creating your email marketing campaign ensuring that it will be a success.

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