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As specialists in small business marketing we are constantly asked questions about accountable, measurable marketing tactics. Here you can find some great examples of marketing strategies that you can implement into your company tomorrow
As we approach summer and the sun has come out at last, it's easier to be more positive about the business climate. I certainly sense a renewed vigour and optimism in the small business community.
Many of us are taking the time to look at the future instead of just focusing on the here and now - literally in survival mode. I'm constantly asked about the real value of email marketing. There are so many pluses and minuses on how to successfully use email and which technology to use that I've put together a guide on successful emailing which is my gift to you.
Where email marketing scores well for a small business is:
1) It's very cheap to send emails.
2) The software available is fantastic to measure and track all activity the email generates.
Indeed you can track and measure who opened the email, when and what they clicked on both within the email, what articles they read and who went onto the website.
The most sophisticated Software now allows you to link with your google analytics so for the first time you can see what specific effect your email campaign has had in driving people to the site and what they did when they were there.
3) It's instant - You can agree the content and send it out immediately (Beware - this can be a really bad thing too if a campaign is ill thought out!)
4) The best email solutions now ask you to check the email against a spam filter so you stand the best (although not guaranteed) chance of getting your email to the recipient.
Where email falls down is that:
1) The content rather than the software is sub-standard. Uninvited, boring and irrelevant content which does not interest or add value to the reader is purely spam!
2) Email marketing is unfortunately badly abused which means that most people don't take notice of emails from a sender they don't know.
3) It is therefore hard to build trust or credibility with one email - your one chance before they unsubscribe!
4) It can be easy to misinterpret a message through just words.
5) Most businesses don't have an ethical data capture strategy within their business. They ignore all the customers and prospects who really want to hear from them and simply use out-of-date database that they have managed to get from somewhere.
How you can get your copy of the Golden Rules to Email Marketing
Personally, I see email marketing as a gift to small businesses. We can seriously punch above our weight and present our best image directly to our customer, but we need to think seriously about what we say, how we say it and when we send it.
I have developed some golden rules that I get all my clients to follow that help you achieve results through your email marketing. If you would like to receive a PDF of the Golden Rules to Email Marketing, simply click here and drop me a line with your details. No catches - just my gift to you on a lovely summers day.
Here’s why your Satisfied Customers may not be Loyal customers
We all work towards the goal of having satisfied customers but will these customers stay loyal to you? Shockingly the answer is probably no. Here’s why…
Here’s why customer relationships are critical to your success
IMAGINE selling your product/service to one person at a time and that this person only buys from you once in their life time… This is the hardest form of marketing there is - FULL STOP!
Let me explain…
Put simply you work hard to build the relationship and the trust with the customer as they buy your product/service and then they walk away never to be seen again. This means that you spend your life recruiting more and more customers. How much easier would it be if your customers came back to you time and time again, bringing with them their friends, family and colleagues?
Top 10 ways to get more response from your campaigns
Regardless of whether your campaign is on-line or off-line, advertising or direct marketing, you must constantly be analysing the response to your marketing activities. Here are 10 practical ways to get more response from your current marketing activities.
You have had a fantastic new idea. You have researched the market, the potential customer base and you know exactly what it is that you want to do. So all you need now is some customers.
There are 7 simple steps to successfully launching your new venture...
7 ways to gain excellent results from your marketing
FACT:Research shows that most SME companies do not have a marketing strategy in place to grow their business. Why? Because like it or not, most SMEs believe that you need big budgets for marketing – This is not true!
