Do you actively use email as part of your sales prospecting program?
Many business people think sending an email newsletter is a bit ‘spammy’ or just too much work to bother with. Do you agree?
I’ve been sending an email newsletter from Marketing Nous for over 10 years. Sure, sometimes the frequency was less regular than others. But hey, we all know how hard it is to always stick with the schedule.
And I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the results.
Like the time I had a subscriber email me – and hire me on the spot – to undertake a detailed marketing review for their organisation. Turns out my subscriber was the CEO and had been receiving my newsletter for around 18 months. Now he was ready to use someone with my expertise.
Naturally, after his exposure to my messages and hearing my viewpoint over the previous 18 months he was comfortable choosing me.
That’s an easy way to win new business. And it wasn’t the only time that has happened.
Even though social media is growing in popuarity, and people say they get too much email to deal with … do you know that multiple surveys have shown that email is still the customers #1 preferred means of communication with businesses.
Don’t ignore email. It is a powerful, and personal, marketing tool.
How can you use email marketing?
- Send an informative article (ideally written by you)
- Provide a series of emails as an educational course
- Supply more detailed information to help clients use your services or products
- Send birthday reminders (maybe with an offer or freebie)
- Invite readers to events such as seminars
- Include coupons or codes for special deals
… and more if you think about it
Even though there are solid business reasons for using email marketing I still find that many business owners get frustrated (and maybe a little embarrassed) because they don’t know as much as they should about email marketing.
And if you ignore it, every year that knowledge gap gets bigger. More options, more choices.
Here are my ‘quick start’ tips to get you active with email marketing.
- Learn the lingo. Know what common email terminology means.
- Start reading newsletters and marketing emails with a critical eye to see what others are doing.
- Spend some time strategising about the opportunities you have to include email in your overall marketing program.
- Create a plan for what you can use as ‘content’ for your email communications.
- Make a start. It doesn’t need to be perfect (nothing ever is). Learn and improve.
Like all areas of business there is a learning curve to go through. Fortunately using email marketing software is pretty easy these days.
I think the real challenge is to make email a priority and spend time on it.
After working with many clients over the years who struggled to come to grips with the basics of email marketing I decided to do something about it. I have developed the Getting Started With Email Marketing kit. Now available for instant download from my private membership site Business Development Studio.
You can’t afford to ignore email marketing. As a business owner, manager, professional, or sales person you really need to recognise the opportunities for new business, and act on them.