Cat's Eye Marketing Blog

Get More Customers with E-Letters Rule #2: Pick Your Delivery Partner with Care

Okay, this rule has nothing to do with creating killer content that makes your readers keep clicking their inboxes on the day your issue comes out, to see if it's there yet.

Still, if you don't get this one right, you risk losing some of your precious subscribers, the ones who just might become your customers.

Last week I told you what I know about collecting readers, a pretty important topic in the whole scheme of things. Today it's finding the right company to zip your wonderful content across the web and safely deliver it to the people who eagerly await its arrival. The most common term for a service that delivers your e-letter, allows automated follow-up e-mail messages to your subscribers, and manages your list is an autoresponder.

Why your choice matters

Building your list of interested prospects is hard work. Earning their trust is made more difficult by all those carnival barkers and creepy Internet hawkers.

Don't hand your list over to just any provider. Find one you can stick with over the long term. Because if you need to change autoresponders down the road, your new provider will most likely require that your readers re-subscribe. And when that happens, research shows that you can lose as many as 75% of your subscribers. Scary, huh?

What to think about when deciding:

1. Consider the purpose of your e-letter. Do you want word-of-mouth referrals for an offline business? More online sales? New customers? Your purpose will determine the features you go with.

2. Figure out the features you need. Deliverability rates are crucial because you don’t' want an overambitious spam filter eating your excellent content. Some other things to consider: adding attachments, tracking e-mail open rates and clicks to your website, and payment functions.

3. Compare features and prices. Consider going with a paid version. You'll get more of what you need. Start exploring and comparing with the links below.

4. Think long-term. For instance, you may not be selling products like e-books right now, but you may need a payment function as your business grows.

5. Consider customer support. This is crucial because any malfunction may cost you subscribers and future revenue.

Shop around

Here's a list of four companies to consider. All are reputable, and different people—very successful, all of them—recommend different ones. If you want to check them out, here are the links (paid versions described):

1. AWeber- Recognized as a leader. Extremely high deliverability rates. Broadcast mailing for e-letters. Unlimited follow-up messages. Toll-free customer support. Other features.

2. 1ShoppingCart- Good deliverability rates. Broadcast mailing for e-letters. Unlimited follow-up messages. Web and phone (toll-free) customer support. Other features.

3. Constant Contact- Very good deliverability rates. Broadcast mailing for e-letters. Auto-generated messages. Toll-free phone and online customer support. Other features.

4. GetResponse- Recognized, along with AWeber, as one of the best. Broadcast mailing of e-letters. Unlimited use of autoresponders, follow-up messages, and number of subscribers. Toll-free phone support. Other features.

I'm not sayin' these are the only good services out there. Just four that come highly recommended.

Next week we focus on how to decide on the frequency of your e-letter and find the right balance between content and promotion.

5 Rules for Getting More Customers with E-Letters

#1: Raise Your Hand and Ask Nicely 

Be sure to get all five rules for getting more customers with e-letters. Sign up for a free subscription in a reader or by e-mail.

 

 

Get More Customers with E-Letters Rule #1: Get Permission First

I heard from a couple of people last week who are thinking through that whole marketing with e-letters thing.

"Do I even want to go there? Aren't they a huge time suck?" one said.

"There are too many of them and so few worth reading," another friend said. "Why would I want to add to the clutter?"

I told them, yes, a good e-letter does take some time. And yes, there are too many of them. No, wait. There are too many spammy ones. The e-mail marketing universe is crammed with dull, or downright hypey, "newsletters." They fill inboxes with marginally helpful content that often was never requested in the first place.

Why would you want to add to that?

You wouldn't. But, if you sent out an e-letter regularly, one that your clients couldn't wait to read—even e-mailed you if for some reason they didn't get their issue—well, that would be amazing, wouldn't it?

How would you pull something like that off?

Rule #1: Raise Your Hand and Ask Nicely

Be the nice one, the helpful one, the one who takes your subscriber by the hand and shows her how to solve those pesky problems she has.

But before that, even, ask her permission to send it. Because it's the only way to get a list of qualified customers. It's called opt-in. 

Whether you are an online company or are using e-mail marketing to grow the client list for your offline business, don't even think about sending your e-letter out until you get that "yes." Because that would be spamming.

And don't worry as much about the number of subscribers as the quality of your prospects.

Building your list from scratch will leave you with the people you want, the ones who are truly interested in what you are selling. To build your list, try:

1. Putting a sign-up form on different pages of your website. I personally don't like those annoying pop-up windows, but they have been proven to increase sign-up rates, so if it's you, go for it.

2. Buying pay-per-click ads to drive traffic to a landing page. A landing page is a specific web page whose sole purpose is to explain benefits of your e-letter and ask for subscribers.

3. Giving something of value in return. Offer a free report, e-book, or audio as a sign-up gift. We give our subscribers a free e-book, 7 Ways To Be the Best Networker on the Planet.

4. Including a link in your e-mail signature line. Example: Subscribe to our free Decorating on the Cheap e-letter and get the report, "5 Ways to Brighten a Room with Accent Pillows."

5. Using print pieces. Include the e-letter sign-up address on your brochures and business cards and in newspaper ads.

6. Promoting in your blog posts. Tie different blog topics in with a reminder at the end of your post: For more useful information on this topic and others, sign up for our free weekly e-tips.

7. Writing articles for online directories. Places like EzineArticles.com provide opportunities to establish your credibility. You can link to your e-letter in the "About the Author" section.

8. Cross-promoting with other like-minded businesses. If you know someone with related products or services, consider trading links in your blog posts and e-letters.

Next week, we'll dive into what to consider when choosing your e-letter delivery provider.

For more fresh marketing ideas, click here to sign up for Marketing Hotspots, our free weekly e-tip.

And if you are in the Seattle area, watch for our free Biznik event coming in January: "Marketing with E-Letters: Give Your Readers What They Want." You must be a Biznik member, but it's free. Sign up here.

Keeping the Teenager, Gave the Baby Away

We started this blog last January when our new baby, marketingyoursmallbiz.com,was born. He was a contentious kid, kept us up at night. A needy child was he.

We were thrilled when he took his first steps at nine months. But then came more work: following him everywhere, cleaning up after him, slapping band-aids on his knee when he fell. And he expected so much of us: burping, rocking, taking him every freakin' place we went. All he wanted was all our attention, all the time.

Standing in the background, alternating between silent glares and fitful outbursts, in ways only an overdramatic teenager could pull off, was Cat's Eye Marketing, our 15-year-old. We had raised her from her beginnings in Ocean Shores, Washington, to the overachieving child she is today, with 13 different awards to her name.

But she was not happy. We never had time to listen to her dreams, give her the praise she deserved. We were too busy taking care of her brother.

I bet you know where this is heading.

Taking care of marketingyoursmallbiz.com was an exhausting, but rewarding experience. We learned so much. The most important thing being, we missed what we loved most to do: working directly with solos and small biz owners to help them successfully brand and market their businesses. 

Meet Our Teenager 

After much soul searching we have decided to put our full energies and passions back into Cat's Eye Marketing, our 15 ½ -year-old marketing communications business. We are excited about offering exceptional print and web design, copywriting, photography, and other support to help you market in smart ways that improve your bottom line.

Five days ago, we launched our retooled website, www.catseyemarketing.com. You'll find samples of our work and helpful stuff, like how we can help you get more customers.  We'd be ecstatic if you would  leave a comment here at the blog and tell us what you think. 

Some good news: If you are signed up for Marketing Hotspots, our free marketing e-tip, you'll continue to receive it every Tuesday. What's more, we have now opened the archives to everyone, so you can access every single past issue as well. If you are not a subscriber and would like to sign up, just go to www.catseyemarketing.com and click on the e-tip button on the bar at the top of the page.

Bob and I are grateful for your support and want to thank you for taking the time to read our blog, as busy as you are.

Stop by again soon. We'll be unveiling lots of cool services from Cat's Eye Marketing and, of course, bringing you, our blog and e-tip readers, more tools and strategies to tell your story and get the sale.

All I Am SAYin', Is Give Print a Chance

Just like peace, print deserves a chance, too.

Last week, I proposed the death of print as we know it, just to see if I could get some kind of reaction. I did.

In the black hole of advertising, where a gazillion dollars disappear each day, Mr. Who-Do-You-Think-You-Are, the 4-color brochure, was a star. We used them for everything: mailing them out in mass, pushing them into people's hands at networking events, seeing how many counters we could pile them up on.

"Oh, just a minute. I'll get you a bro-chure."

Then along came the web. Cheaper, faster. All of a sudden  we could fire off an e-mail or create a few sentences on our home page and our customers would be persuaded to open their pocketbooks, right?

Not  exactly. It's a jungle of information, misinformation and exaggerated sales claims out there. It's hard to know who to trust. And people hawk their stuff online like carnival barkers.

Something to touch, feel, smell

This is good news for you. It means that you actually have a better chance of getting noticed with your printed piece. If you know why you're writing it, who you're writing it for, and what customer problem you are solving, you'll be competing with a lot fewer businesses.

Last week, I talked about the special feeling I get when someone takes the time to aim a brilliantly written and designed marketing piece, new ink smell and all, at me. I tend to pay attention.

It's not in my crammed full in-box. It's in my hand. I can, as a designer friend of mine said, gaze in awe at "a beautiful brochure, flawlessly designed on supple paper." Okay, "supple" was a little weird.

Sometimes print just works better

Three print pieces that still pack a punch:

• a brochure- Sometimes a client is already looking to buy, but just needs all the facts to make the right purchase. So they know what they want and they are just shopping around for someone who has all the product features and specs they need. This makes a brochure the perfect tool. 

• a targeted direct mail postcard- Postcards are so versatile. You can promote a sale, introduce a new product or service, drive traffic to your website, reward your most loyal customers or promise top solve a specific client's problem. They get read more often because the message is short and  your prospect will at least scan it before tossing. With a strong message, you have many more readers and potential buyers.

• a multi-use marketing folder- While a brochure can become dated quickly, a snazzy  presentation folder with pockets for value-focused inserts can be a brilliant solution. Pieces to consider (or not), depending on the client: About Us/Bios; a buying guide that positions you as an industry leader; some case studies or customer success stories; a list of products and services; company profile/history; a copy of your newsletter; and, of course, a business card with an optional, handwritten note of introduction.

I predict that print, especially the expertly designed and written pieces, will become more important again. Why? Because it rises above the Internet noise and sets the smart business owners apart from the fire hose of spammy information that lands in our in-boxes every day.

What about you? Do you see new uses for print? Are you being more selective in your use of it? What about you designers out there? Are you finding creative ways to market with ink and paper?