Email marketing software has clearly proven itself as not only an important component of the marketing mix, but also as a pivotal medium for driving up sales. The Direct Marketing Association recently conducted a study that determined there is a return on investment of almost $50 for every dollar spent on direct email marketing. While that statistic is definitely staggering, it begs the questions: What key elements are important to convert emails into sales? And how do you use your email marketing software to achieve that amazing ROI?

The first goal is always to get people to open your email marketing campaign. For the time being, however, let's assume you already have a captivated audience that has eagerly opened your message. Once opened, we'll assume you have spent an adequate amount of time creating compelling copy for your email campaign that clearly explains to your reader exactly what you're offering. Now comes the important part, where you want to take them from your email and onto your website where you can complete the sale.

Many marketers will include big bold calls to action in their email marketing campaigns that explicitly direct the recipient on what to do next. For example, phases like "Click here now" or "Quick! Click To Buy Now. Limited Quantities Going Fast" are all good calls to action. Other marketers however, take a more passive approach and write something a bit mellower, like "Learn More" or "Additional Information". Depending on your audience and the product you are selling, you will have to choose an appropriate method. But, if you find one doesn't work in your email marketing campaigns, then you can always switch to the other.

Just getting them to click is only the beginning of the battle. One of the most important pieces of the puzzle that can make or break your sale and really drive home the effectiveness and ROI of your email marketing campaign is the page you bring the person to, also know as the "landing page".

A landing page does not have to be your homepage. Most marketers have found that with email marketing, much like search engine marketing, often times a custom landing page just for the specific campaign is the most effective. This is not to say that your homepage is not a good source of information, but it may be so cluttered with other distractions (like other products) that the user gets confused.

A custom landing page for your email marketing campaigns should be directly related to the link that was clicked. For example, if the reader clicks a link talking about a certain type of widget you have for sale, then the landing page should focus almost exclusively on that widget. After all, intuitively we know the user expressed interest in this widget, so why would we take them anywhere else but to the quickest route to close the sale for the widget?

Good landing pages for email marketing campaigns have a few common elements:

1. Less Is More You may have tons of products and many things you want to say, but please restrain yourself. The old marketing philosophy of "keep it simple" completely applies to landing pages. By the time someone gets to your landing page, they've already opened your email and clicked on a link, so the last thing you want to do is make them work even more to find the information they're looking for.

Robert Burko is President of EliteEmail.com, the premiere email marketing software for today's small business. Robert has been featured on TV and Radio across North America and has consulted for both small & large organizations around the globe to help them achieve maximum results for their email marketing. EliteEmail.com is part of the EliteAnswers.com business solutions network.

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