Information professionals in all sectors need to be able to effectively market their services to a range of user groups. Far too often emails get missed or overlooked by the very staff they are there to serve. To counteract this it would be best to be able to send specifically targeted content to users’ using a more advanced form of email. There is a way to do this and this type of email is generally known as email marketing.

So why use email marketing?

• It’s often the way commercial companies send information to users to keep them informed of their products and services
• It looks more professional
• It has greater impact than sending normal emails
• emails can be scheduled for delivery
• You can add images and links into the campaign template and create text in a range of fonts sizes and styles to improve the impact and readability for the users’

There are many software types and services you can use but one of the most well known is MailChimp.

So why use a service like MailChimp?

• It’s makes it super easy for you to design you campaign
• It allows you to create lists of people you want to target with your campaigns
• It’s used by many company’s
• Its a slick service that works well
• It allows you to send good number of campaigns for free per year (other paid options are also available)

What other specific benefits does this have for Information Professionals’?

• It can enable you to limit the number of emails you send out as these types of email can also contain more content
• You can create a campaign about a new service you are offering (my first campaign was on a new eBook platform I had configured and recently added to the list of eresources)
• You could use them to create a newsletter containing key information on your information service that could be sent out periodically