Check out Trada’s other posts in our online marketing series: How to Market Your Business on Twitter, How to Market Your Business on Facebook, How to Market Your Business with a Blog, and How to Market Your Business with Video. Leave us a tip of your own on marketing with email, and the best comment will win a $25 Amazon gift card. Comments must be made by Sunday, January 29 at 11pm ET.
E-mail marketing is an extremely effective tool — if used correctly. I learned from the lessons of hard knocks on what to do and what not to do. As with everything, it’s always better to ask the experts. This time we asked experts from Marketo, SendGrid and social media agency Room 214 for their thoughts on how to use email marketing, understanding regulations and how to create email marketing lists.
Meet the Experts:
Tim Falls, a Community Manager for SendGrid, an email delivery system that simplifies the process and produces better results. Check out his SendGrid’s blog and follow him on Twitter @timfalls.
Maria Pergolino, Sr Director of Marketing at marketing software automation system, Marketo. Check out the Marketo blogs and follow Maria on Twitter @InboundMarketer.
Ingrid Getzan, Group Practice Director at social media agency Room 214. Check out the Room 214 blog, Capture the Conversation and follow Ingrid on Twitter @igetzan.
Email marketing is one of the most heavily regulated online marketing components. What do companies need to know before getting started with email marketing?
Ingrid Getzan: Companies need to know the very basics; go with a trusted email software company, don’t buy lists, don’t use certain words in the subject line that will be marked as spam, know an acceptable frequency to send emails, and most importantly, know your plan.
Too many businesses send out emails because they think they should, without having a clear agenda of what they would like to communicate. There is no better way to get blacklisted then sending out irrelevant or spammy emails – a sure way to kill your email marketing efforts immediately. Sit down and figure out at least a 6 month plan of what you want to tell to your subscribers. Figure out why they want to receive your email and make the information within your email valuable to them. Don’t just pick a template or extend promotional offers to them – make it exclusive and worth their time.
Maria Pergolino: Get familiar with Can-Spam Laws – this goes far beyond the laws in your country, extending to anywhere you market. Just because you are in the US, doesn’t mean can ignore laws in other countries you sell your goods. To learn about Can-Spam Laws, check out this great guide by the FTC. [Read more...]
I am not a big fan of New Year’s Resolutions, especially the typical ones, like losing weight. But the resolutions I enjoy the most are the ones where I’m learning and having new experiences. This year, I want to focus on spending each month learning about a skill set that is ancillary to my job but not core. I don’t have to become an expert but knowledgeable enough to understand the basics. I’m going to kick off January with design and plan on reading books and speaking to several experts, so the next time I review a brochure or want to make changes to the blog, I can offer better counsel or a better explanation of what I want.
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Ben Ruedlinger is the VP of engineering of Wistia, which is 
Chuck Lepley is a Colorado native who spent 6 years in Los Angeles as a TV Producer before returning to Boulder to pursue an MBA degree in Marketing and Entrepreneurship. In L.A. he was a TV Producer for shows like “On-Air with Ryan Seacrest” and networks including E! and FOX. Chuck now works as the Marketing Manager for 
Drew Frey runs all things social media for Vail Resorts, suffers from a crippling case of FOMO, and avoids ketchup and mustard at all costs. Follow him on Twitter personally 
Peter LaMotte is President of GeniusRocket a creative agency based in Washington DC. First hired by GeniusRocket to run their marketing, Peter eventually became President of the company at which point he changed the business model from a crowdsourcing company running video and design contests, to a creative agency powered by the creativity of vetted professional community. You can find him on Twitter at 
Sarah Jane Griesemer is the Community Manager at Occipital, a 
This week, Trada hit 
