HTML emails aka e-Newsletters
Targeted email marketing really does work. We have consistently seen open rates of 20-25% with our clients that use e-Newsletters. These are huge numbers considering a 1-3% response rate with direct mail is statistically a home run. e-Newsletters are a great way to share your news, discounts, and drive your customer to your website to buy your product or service.
Here are a few tips when using an e-Newsletter.
Content is king. Make sure you publish useful information for your customer. Constantly selling, selling, selling, will turn people off, and soon your e-News will be deleted upon its arrival in their inbox. Give them something useful or educational they can use to grow their business.
Make your list. A good email list is gold. Ask for email addresses in all your sales and marketing activities. A year ago, it was easy to simply buy a list. Today, most list companies will only rent the list. This means you can only use the email addresses once, and the list company controls the list so you cannot view the data. So grab those emails addresses whenever you can.
Help customers save. Create a coupon your customers can use for a discount or a value-added service and add it to your newsletter. Even better, link the coupon to your website so viewers are driven to your website in order to download the coupon.
Keep it short and sweet. Keep your e-Newsletter concise and full of content. Many companies fill up their first few e-Newsletters with everything but the kitchen sink. This is a big mistake. #1 – the person creating the e-news will burn out from the extra work, and #2 – Most people are scanners of information, so don’t give them too much to read. They will click-off sooner than later.
Call us for help. e-Newsletters are inexpensive to distribute and a great way to reach out to your customers. But creating the first one can be overwhelming. Let us help you!
We can create a newsletter template you can reuse each month. We will set up your email marketing account (Constant Contact, Mail Chimp, etc.), create distribution lists for you, and even write the content. Call us at (918) 366-3342 or email Debra Laizure at dlaizure@laizuremarketing.com to get started today!
Understanding Facebook’s Ad Policy and Review Process
One of the reasons that users feel comfortable sharing this information is the level of trust they have in Facebook. This trust needs to be carried throughout users’ experience with Facebook including their interactions with ads.
Facebook’s ad policy and guidelines are based around the philosophy of maintaining users’ trust. It’s important that users have full disclosure when they are viewing an ad and do not feel as if they’ve been misled after interacting with it.
Making sure your ad is clear and informative not only maintains users’ trust but is also a great best practice to help improve your ROI (return on investment). When your ad is displayed to the users who are likely to be the most interested in your ad and those users click on your ad after knowing exactly what is being advertised and what is expected of them, they’re more likely to convert or spend more time on your landing page.
To help enforce our policies, our team reviews the ads that are created. Because of this process, you may notice that your ad is “pending review” before it’s able to run on the site. Most ads are typically reviewed within 12 hours, and may be reviewed sooner when submitted during normal business hours. Once your ad has been reviewed, you’ll receive an email letting you know whether the ad was approved or disapproved.
When in doubt regarding Facebook’s ad policy, check out our guidelines.
Customer Service via Twitter & Facebook?
Social media is a two way street. It is a great way to get information and news out to people you want but it’s also good customer service. How does it make you feel when someone says something nice about you? Pretty great, right? And you remember the compliment. In fact, you will probably remember the compliment if you ever need something in the future….
Facebook business pages (or fan pages) make quick testimonials easy. By “friend-ing” someone you can be up on their latest news and they are up on your latest news. You can also give them an occasional “shout-out” to let them know you are #1 thinking of them, #2 care about their business, #3 are interested in a long-term relationship, because you are going the extra mile to make their business a success.
So be a friend (Facebook) or follow (Twitter) your customers today. Then write something to uplift and promote their business. They will appreciate the kind words, and appreciate you for doing it.
Is Social Media a fad?
Do you still think social media is a technological flash in the pan? That it’s for teenagers and is used only for entertainment? Click Here to learn more about the social media revolution.
Then call us at (918) 366-3342 to see how we can increase your business through social media and search engine optimization.
What is whatis.com?
www.whatis.com is a self-education tool about information technology, especially about the Internet and computers. Designed for IT specialists and computer programmers, www.whatis.com is a total geek-fest. However, it’s also an excellent resource for small business owners like you and me.
For instance, their cheat sheets and quick reference section (click here) is my favorite place on this website. Need to know an acronym used in manufacturing? Want to know more about Blogging terminology? Maybe you need a refresher tutorial for Excel. It’s all here and more. But be careful…you might get all “techy.”
Persuading a Prospect
According to sales coach Hilton Johnson, it’s easy to reduce sales resistance. The next time your prospect hesitates to move forward with your proposal, say this: “Based on what you’re saying, this is probably not for you. Shall I close your file?” Selling is a game, and fear of loss is a great motivator. Not that I’ve done this to any of MY clients 
.
Signage Works!
Do you have a brick and mortar location? Can you be seen from the road? Is your sign easy to read? Keep this in mind: A 1-inch letter is easily seen 100 feet away. Use 2-inch letters for 200 feet, and so on.
“But” vs. “However”
The way you use the words “but” and “however” can make a big difference. The word “but” usually precedes a negative thought – “Your product is incredible BUT it’s too expensive.” People block out the compliment because they are ready for a letdown. “However” is a softer transitional word. For instance, “You’re service is great, HOWEVER I’d like to see your customer testimonials before I buy.”
Prevent Mistakes
Wait 24 hours before sending any important information. This includes an important email, direct mail campaign or a brochure to the printer. You are probably too close to the project to see any mistakes. Time away to refresh your perspective can make a huge difference. Or better yet, ask someone else to proof it to reduce any embarrassing mistakes.
Copy writing 101
I’m always surprised at common writing mistakes. Here are a few to avoid:
- Not using a headline or photograph to highlight key points or benefits
- Using too much text – clients will skim information so use bullet points instead
- Excessive use of industry terms especially acronyms
- Puff-speak to make your information sound smarter (my personal pet peeve is the word “utilize” when “use” is the same thing)
- Forgetting your contact information including phone numbers and website address
