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Major Communications
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Major Communications
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In the soon-to-be-distant past, when a prospect wanted to know more about your goods and services, it took time. There was no quick way to get detailed information to your prospects.
They called or wrote, you put the package in the mail (immediately, right?) and in the best-case scenario, they had your information in front of them in a couple of days. THEN YOU WAITED. Yes, the old world of marketing involved a whole lot of waiting. Then you followed-up, right? Or not. Follow-up was time-consuming and costly, so it probably didn’t get done like it should have.
In the world of the Internet -- and e-mail -- the marketing game has changed.
IMMEDIATE RESPONSE, IMMEDIATE SALES With E-mail marketing, it’s different. Prospects can e-mail for information, you can respond (maybe even via an autoresponder) immediately, and within a couple minutes of their request, they’ve got your information in front of them -- with a live link to your website and e-mail. Incredible!
It’s all very personal -- and immediate. E-mail allows you to serve your customers and prospects like never before! AND it allows you to make more sales, faster, than was ever possible the “old” way.
SO, WHERE DO YOU BEGIN? With a list. Spam (unrequested e-mail) is severely frowned-upon. Don’t do it. It’s bad for business. Instead, I recommend that you BUILD YOUR LIST. How? Every way you can.
When someone calls you, ask for their e-mail address -- and permission to send them tips, information, special offers and product updates. Your website should contain a box, prominently placed, where visitors can register with you -- both in your guestbook and for a FREE subscription to your information or e-zine. So that you have a reason to request e-mail addresses, and so people see a returned value for giving it to you, develop valuable information relating to your product.
“How to use X more effectively.” or “Making the most of your Y” Even better, start publishing your own e-zine. That’s an informative, client-centered newsletter that you send out via e-mail TO A LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS.
Of course, the other things you send out to your subscriber list are product updates and special offers -- and lots of ‘em! With e-mail, it’s perfectly acceptable (as long as you’re sending out something of value, and not just “ads”) to keep in contact with your list weekly, semi-weekly, even daily.
You’ll be amazed what this kind of up-close and personal, consistent contact does for your sales!
FOLLOW-UP
E-mail is the perfect medium for follow-up. When someone requests
information from you, via a targeted special report, trial offer, etc.
don’t just send them the one transmission. Follow up.
Send a second transmission asking if they got your information, and if they have any questions. If you don’t hear from them, send a third, and a fourth, and so-on. It’s a well-known fact that the majority of all sales are made after the fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eight contact. DON’T GIVE UP! It only take a few seconds to shoot out a follow-up transmission. And an increasing number of sales will be the result if you do it.
STREAMLINE YOUR EFFORTS
There are tools available for streamlining your e-mail marketing
efforts. The listserver is key. The listserver is a program which
enables you to send a message to a specific list of people -- with the
click of one button. That list can contain 100, 1,000, even 10,000 names
-- and the cost (in time and money) is the same (next to nothing).
Autoresponders are another way to disseminate information quickly and easily. In the case of the autoresponder, when a prospect enters their e-mail address, to request information, the autoresponder sends a designated message -- IMMEDIATELY. It’s automatic. You don’t have to do anything. Just read the e-mailed report of a new prospect. Names can automatically be added to your listserver -- you don’t even have to do that!
E-mail marketing holds more potential than the average mind can even fathom. With e-mail, you can skyrocket your sales -- and for a FRACTION OF THE COST of traditional marketing methods.
The medium is here. The tools are available. It’s affordable, efficient, and totally doable for even the smallest of businesses. There is absolutely no reason not to capitalize on this incredibly powerful marketing wonder.
Mary Sweeny Is A Marketing Writer & Consultant And The Host of the complete MARKETING SUCCESS SITE!
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