By Paul Barrs
How long has it been since you sent out a letter to your customers? A few weeks? Months? A year or two? Maybe it was last Christmas.
How long has it been since you sent out a letter to your ?prospective? customers? Yes, the people who haven?t yet even bought anything from you? Maybe even longer?
Though not unique, it is understandable.
For any small business the logistics involved in keeping in touch with a customer base and potential customer base can be overwhelming. Putting aside the cost factor (about .65c per mail piece), there?s the building of the database in the first place, the collection of names, the data entry, the maintenance ? and then the time to actually *write* mailing pieces, craft offers, think of reasons to send etc etc. It all takes time, effort, and especially money.
But what about email marketing, could that be a viable option? Especially for a small business located in say, Maroochydore on Queensland?s Sunshine Coast ? whilst the population may be enough to establish and grow a significant number of businesses, the local tourist trade provides opportunities for massive growth each and every summer.
Summertime however is when the small local business in Maroochydore is most busy. This local business doesn?t have time to have its staff be asking for email addresses. But then, times have been a little tough lately on the Sunshine Coast? the economy is unsteady? customers are spending less? can such a small business afford *not* to ?keep in touch? and ?gently market? to its customers and potential customers?
No. It cannot.
And that?s where email marketing comes in ? for minimal investment (and really, little time) you can keep in touch with your prospects and customers and let them know what it is that you can offer to them on any given week or month; which will depend on your buying cycle. Any less than monthly contact however is a waste of time.
Pause a moment and think about this: most small businesses, especially on the Sunshine Coast, invest a small fortune in print media advertising, each one designed to bring a customer in the door. But if that customer leaves without purchase, it?s up to the next print media campaign to bring them back again ? there goes another $15,000!
But what if you could get their permission to follow them up and offer them personalised buying opportunities that were exclusive to? anyone on your businesses email list? and you can do it all for a fraction of a cent on each dollar. Sounds a little better doesn?t it?
Put aside your fear.
The main reason why the typical local business on the Sunshine Coast doesn?t use email marketing is because of fear, fear bread through misunderstanding. I?m not talking about S.P.A.M. here, I?m not talking about sending buku email to people who didn?t ask for it. I?m talking about getting permission first ? than having the customer confirm their request? in exchange for special offers and unique benefits.
How to Make eMail Marketing Work for You.
Recently I walking into a local business in Maroochydore and was quite impressed to see that they did just this ? and I got 20% off my next purchase when I next went into the store. The one thing that they don?t do however, which could make a huge difference for them, is personalise their eMails.
Simply put, my name doesn?t appear anywhere in the email, despite the fact that I gave it to them when I agreed to sign up. My name isn?t in the eMail, nor in the subject line ? it should be in both.
Also, the emails arrive in bright graphic HTML only. While yes, this *is* my preferred version, many people on the Sunshine Coast don?t yet have access to high speed internet, so they would prefer text delivery, as an option at least.
These few tips can help make a huge difference for you. Remember always that just as you are busy, so too are your customers. I love the fact that I can read ?this week?s offer? in less than a minute ? fantastic. Finally, with this particular local business? I can order online. I don?t even have to go into the shop.
I love that!
Source: http://www.paulbarrs.com/personalised-email-marketing
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