Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Social Media has not Killed Email Marketing. Eblasts vs. PR Distribution Services


A lot of people think email marketing or "eblasts" are dead. NOT.  It's just that you have to be better at writing the copy. (That's a whole new post). Anyway, if you are targeting the African American Christian market, use an eblast service like the one's below (as well as your own list) to get the Word out - fast and efficiently.

Here are Ministry Marketing Solutions favorite "eblast" services.


E-blast Services
(targeting the African-American and/or faith-based African-American markets)
 NOW the above are not "Press Release Distribution" services - but you CAN send out a press release through these services if that's your choice. I wouldn't recommend it.

What is a  press release distribution service?  It's a website that ONLY distributes MEDIA RELEASES (something news worthy) to their lists that would be picked up by the media. They do not send out flyers! A good media distribution service would be BlackPR.com or PRNewswire or ereleases. There are tons. You must know your market!  It is advised that you hire a professional publicist to write your release too! 

An "Eblast" is primarily an online advertisement.  Our company uses eblasts for books, events and other type of consumer products/services. Just like any advertisement, you have to do more than ONE AD to get some kind of result.  Typically a 2  to 4 "eblast" schedule works best. Eblasts are not FREE!


The cost for any of the above services range from $50 to $500.  The higher the cost just means more people on the list and/or the response rate of the list.

Always go for quality over quantity. Protect your brand.


Final Tips:
1. Have a budget. A realistic budget. If you want to sell 50,000 books - know you can't do that with at $500 eblast budget.  The more you want to sell - the more you should budget. KNOW your target market too and make sure it matches the audience of the eblast service you're looking to engage!
2. Ask the eblast service for references of some happy customers. They should have no problem providing a list. If they do, they run - and fast!
3. Know that with any eblast service, the copy and graphics are critical. Scout out the service and see how they design and write their current customers eblasts before you lay down your cold cash.  (Typically payments are made all online - and all the instructions are online to make it a "self serve" idiot-proof purchase). 







See www.PamPerryPRCoach.com too and join www.ChocolatePagesNetwork.com!

Let us know what other services YOU use. Comment


Posted by Pam Perry, PR Coach