As a business owner, you need to think about how you are using email in your business. You are probably using email for communication, however, we are going to discuss how to successfully use email as an integral part of your marketing.
Jimmy D. Brown, a very successful marketing professional states "Email marketing is the most powerful tool for creating wealth both online and offline. Really, nothing comes close to it." Note he said offline as well as online. You may have had the misconception that email marketing only applies to online businesses. However, as an offline business owner, you need to wrap your mind around this powerful tool.
Since the bottom fell out of our economy in 2008, we have had to take a close look at new and innovative ways to promote our businesses. Email marketing could be the best tool to create our own economic stimulus package and bail us out financially in trying times. Learn as much as you can about email marketing and use it wisely.
Why aren't more small businesses using email?
- Many don't know where to start
- You may be afraid of being perceived as a spammer
- You aren't sure how to write and format a marketing email
- You may not be sure how often or when to send your email
- What are the legal issues involved with email marketing?
After all the most important thing is to get the email opened and read. You need to step out and start mining your gold. Bill Gates says "If your business is not on the Internet, they your business will be out of business." And this includes the effective use of email marketing.
Mining gold does not mean that you are going to start sending to a list of people who may not even know who you are. It means, creating something from every opportunity or contact. Nurture the relationships with your prospects, leads and customers that you are already interacting with. You will see an increase in your business simply by "mining" these contacts.
Take a look at your customer list. Contact each one and tell them what you are planning for your email campaigns. Make sure you are giving something of value back to your customers and ask them to "opt-into" your list. In other words, ask their permission to receive emails from you. Follow this same process with your referral sources, networking contacts, etc. This is referred to as permission marketing.
Don't forget about the relationships you are building via social media. As you start communicating with friends, connections and followers you can ask their permission to be added to your list. Remember that people are inundated with emails, so make sure that you are giving something of value.
What are some examples of giving value? One of our target niches is businesses that use Microsoft Office. I have trained on this product for years and am certified in several office products. Once a week, I send tips that are often not found anywhere else that will increase efficiency with this software suite. What tips or advice could you offer to your email list?
There is a local restaurant that was emailing weekly specials to their email list. Over time, they noticed that their open rate was starting to drop. They starting adding a weekly recipe email and the open rates soared. They have some unique southern dishes and people were excited to get these recipes that could not be found anywhere else. They also started emailing about local events in the area. They went from emailing once per week to four and five times per week and their open rates went up and so did the customers coming to the restaurant!
Bottom line is you need to start small with a list of a few customers or existing contacts. Create an email campaign that gives value to your list and start the process. There is no time like today.
