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Permission Based Marketing – Are You In or Out?

Permission based marketing is more than just asking someone permission to send them stuff or call them whenever you feel like it. Permission based marketing, or what some refer to as opt-in marketing, is the way that we get through all the clutter and noise to our target market. It’s the simple process of asking, communicating and then delivering on what we promised. And if you really want to make an impact you need to over deliver and add value whenever and wherever you possibly can.

Permission Based Marketing by Clickandmortarblog.com
Did you get permission or did you add your latest prospect to your email list and then hit SEND?

During a connection/outreach campaign for a client I had one of the most interesting things happen to me. I was sending a regular personalized email message to a very small group of people who made up the advisory board for my client.

What happened next was quite the shocker as I received a promotional email from one of the receipients of my message. This was kind of odd considering the fact that the individual didn’t even subscribe to my client’s advisory board list, but instead subscribed me to their email auto-responder!

This is just not right and needless to say got my attention. Not only does this tarnish their reputation, but this is a no no and goes against email best practices. It not only got me a little upset but it cost the credibility and future of working with this other company.

You know it’s one thing if you receive a message from someone and don’t want to opt-in to their list or the recommended list, but to take that person’s email and put it into another email auto-responder by hand is asking for trouble. Further more, if you are still manually entering your prospects email, it’s probably time you made a simple change and have them OPT-IN!

Like I mentioned earlier, Permission Based Marketing is more than just asking someone if you can send and/or contact them whenever you feel like it. No matter if you are utilizing email, direct mail or direct sales methods, it’s like this…

Think as the consumer. Consumers don’t want more junk mail and email. They want what interests them, not what interests you.

Here’s an example:

If you and your family really enjoy water sports and boating then you probably enjoy reading and researching topics and areas of interest pertaining to this sport. So you are more than open to receive and review information as long as it is relevant to your interests.

As soon as this information hits the fringe or goes beyond your water sports and boating, then you start to put up barriers and will stop being open to receiving and reviewing information.

It’s kind of like when you receive a boating magazine that is totally dialed into what your interest is. But then some other publisher rents the list and starts sending you magazine info about fishing and hunting. Fishing is a distant cousin to your boating world and maybe you have interest but it’s really a shot in the dark. Hunting isn’t even on your charts and gets tossed in the round filing cabinet.

A Permission Based Marketing Campaign

What needs to happen is a permission based marketing campaign that says, “Hey, are you interested in information about other topics related to water sports and boating? And would you like to be informed about these topics?” If so, consider getting in touch with the Team at SBM and they’ll make it happen!

Pretty simple concept, yet so many businesses and organizations miss this and just roll on with the old, antiquated attitude of ‘we’re getting the industry standard response’ (which is usually only a couple of percentage points), so why change?

Well, I’m here to say to you today…

That’s a bunch of hogwash and you can do better if you use permission based marketing.

Ask your prospects and customers what they want to learn, know and have interest in. Get to know your prospects, subscribers and clients. Then deliver the best, most targeted information to them. Plus always ask their permission before you add on or increase the volume of information.

Permission Based Marketing – your way to developing a loyal group of subscribers, clients or customers.

Make ee sense my loyal reader?

I sure hope so. If not, let me know and we can discuss it further.

To your success,

Dave Krygier
Publisher
Clickandmortarblog.com

 PS – This article, as is every article here on Clickandmortarblog.com, is Copyrighted by the publisher as listed above and you DO NOT have permission to copy or disassemble this article without express permission from the publisher. 

 

The future of small business marketing

The Future & Your Small Business

The future of small business marketingThe Future…

The year is 2018.

Where is your business? Underwater struggling to the surface to get some air?

Or is your business just above the surface on a sinking boat due to many cracks that haven’t been repaired and a failing engine that hasn’t been maintained?

Or maybe your business is on its last legs in the desert with no water or foodand a case of sunstroke.

Quite possibly your business may be thriving, but a sudden unforeseen catastrophe lands a blow on your doorstep, and this blow hits you where you are weakest.

In any one of the above scenarios, it’s readily apparent that your business is about to expire. Yes – the time has come and your business, your baby, your life’s work is about to breath it’s last and you just cannot believe it.

For all those years you worked so hard and did whatever it took, sacrificing day after day, week after week, month after month. To build and live your dream.

Rewind ( press the button on your DVD) and go to the present day. Your business is doing well, you’re trucking along on the freeway.

The future looks bright. You are having an increase in sales month after month, but there are signs on the road that you ignore and you almost run out of gas.

At the same time you also notice that the tires are pretty worn and there’s a squeaking sound when you press the brake pedal. Yet, you fill up your tank and keep on keeping’ on. After all, it’s only the tires and the squeak can be fixed, right?

Is this your attitude when it comes to marketing your business? Do you really know what you are doing or are you just guessing? Is it mud thrown up on the wall or a targeted focused series of campaigns?

Well, I’m sad to be the bearer of bad news today(late 2013)…

Many small business owners are like the ones I listed above; struggling for air, over exposure to the sun or just staying afloat. If this is you or someone you know, it may not be too late. There may still be time.

Where am I leading with all this Mr., Mrs. or Miss Small Business Owner?

Well – quite frankly it has to do with the web, email and mobile.

And the importance these three play in the future of your small business.

You see I lived through the first wave of the web and email and we embraced both of these channels for six years and successfully sold our small business in the fall of 2001. Today, two of the industries we were involved in are not in good shape. One has been decimated and the other is struggling on all fronts.

All because they didn’t adapt and change when they had the chance. Yes, they didn’t adapt and change, so many have gone by the wayside, many are hanging on by a thread and few are groping around in the dark.

Sooo…

Don’t be one of the thousands of small businesses that have to close their doors in the next five years. Do something now. Take action now and keep your business alive.

Make the changes and embrace the web, email and mobile, now – before it’s too late and you have to shut your doors forever. 🙁

To your continued small business success,

Dave Krygier
Publisher

PS – If anything in this article got through to you and you’re thinking – “what do I do next…”  – Contact The Small Biz Mechanic by Clicking Here Now.

 

 

The Land of Email Marketing Strategies & Tactics

When it comes to email marketing strategies and tactics for small business, maybe it’s time we shed some light on the subject for those of you who are in the land of small business.

Ever seen an email message that landed in your inbox and you just knew it was going to be another advertisement with Sale! Sale! Sale! written all over it?

We all have and that’s why today’s topic is kicking off a series about email marketing and its direct correlation to direct response marketing. Now there’s more than enough articles and info products out there on the web about these two subjects, and even I have plenty of meat and potatoes right here at clickandmortarblog.com should you need some.

My point is this…

If you, the small business owner or manager is going to utilize email marketing in your business to build your customer base, then why don’t you test, use best practices and work towards connecting with your subscribers?

I know this takes time, effort, and planning and good copywriting. Yes – good copywriting is part of the equation when it comes to developing emails that get opened, read and clicked. Decent copywriting and creative can be the difference of an unopened email and one that gets thoroughly read and clicked.

More and more I see small business owners using email to ‘blast’ the people who have signed up or not signed up to their list. And the blasts they send are sale focused, not connection focused. 

This is not engaging, does not build credibility and is frankly very annoying.

The last thing a consumer or businessperson wants is another advertisement landing in his or her email inbox that screams sale! They already receive enough of these as it is and your pitch and shove doesn’t make them any happier or more eager to buy.

Soooo…. 

You, my small business friend, must look at the emails you create and send as more than just a digital version of a newspaper or magazine ad. These messages that are sent through cyberspace to the people whom have entrusted you with their email, are more than just advertisements.

These messages are relationship and bridge builders or at least the majority of them should be. Yes, you read that correctly. The majority of your email messages should be bridge builders and setups for a demolition crew!

The vast majority of the messages you send to your subscriber lists should be to build relationships, bridges, connections and if done properly – sales and long-term streams of revenue.

And with time-tested proven direct response tactics & strategies, you can make this happen in your email campaigns and even in your offline marketing. It makes no difference what business you are in; you can save yourself a lot of headaches and lost revenue by embracing direct response email marketing strategies and tactics that will work over the long haul.

So rest assured my small business friend, you too could attract, capture, connect and convert without screaming sale in every single email.

Look for more about how you can do this, right here at Clickandmortarblog.com (series to be continued) and through our friends at Smallbiz Mechanix.

Dave Krygier
Publisher 

Email Marketing Strategies for Small Business

Even with all the new social media sites, text marketing, video marketing, blog marketing and every other kind of marketing, email marketing is still one of the best ways to communicate and connect with your prospects, subscribers and customers.

But why is it that the emails sent by retailers and service businesses seem to be the same ole’ broadcast with a drab layout and too much information.

This hasn’t changed much since the late 1990’s. In most cases all you will see is sell, sell, sell, sell – blah, blah, blah… It’s a tragedy that I see all the time. From big corporations to the smallest of small businesses, the list is long.

Now you can avoid this if you are going to build your subscriber and customer list by using email marketing.

When it comes to Email Marketing Strategies for small business, here is one you might consider:

With this strategy the idea is to Captivate the Subscriber(who may also be a customer) so he or she really looks forward to receiving your emails. Below are three different examples of how you can do this.

1. Write a Story Board just like you would if you were creating a mini-series for Television. Not that you have to be a screenwriter, but you need to tell the story over a period of time, breaking it down into little gems and nuggets to keep the subscriber’s attention.

2. Write Often and Daily if possible. The more often you write the better you’ll get at it. This method basically goes like this: write an email every day and insert it into your follow- up sequence. The goal is to eventually have an email arrive in your prospect’s or customer’s inbox every day. With this method you effectively polarize the reader, capture their attention and if your content is interesting, they will stay subscribed and purchase your products, services or information.

3. Write in Blocks as this creates continuity. So if you are going to write about indoor organic gardening, then write a series of 10 to 20 messages that covers the topic from A to Z or tells the story. Simply create an outline about the topic and then translate this outline into the individual emails. This method works well with number two from above and you might find that your blocks will fit with certain emails, if they are within the same niche or business category.

No matter what email strategy you use(mine, your own or some other marketer’s), I recommend that you utilize an email auto-responder versus your own email program like Outlook or Gmail. There are lots of reasons for this, but primarily the email software allows you to keep your database up to date, track and sequence your messages and provide a vehicle for permission based marketing.

With all this said I hope you take your email marketing seriously and develop relationships with your prospects, subscribers and customers.

To your email success,

Dave Krygier
Publisher

How to Develop a List Online

How does one develop a list of subscribers online and make it a business? In this post I will share with you three simple steps that will hopefully get you pointed in the right direction.

First we need to ask a few questions…

Why build a list? Why develop an email list of subscribers and clients when you can do other kinds of businesses online?

When it comes to online opportunities, there is certainly no shortage.

Here’s a partial list of ways you could make an income online:

  • Sell physical products through ecommerce.
  • Sell digital informational products.
  • Offer content and then make a commission on the ads displayed on your site.
  • Make a commission on products through Amazon.com or other ecommerce sites.
  • Make a commission on the actions that people take (CPA marketing).

And the list goes on and on…

This leads us back to developing a list online.

Every business has its quirks, positives and negatives. List building is no different. It just takes consistent work on the list builder’s part as do other online businesses.

The thing that separates building a list from other ventures is that the list can become an asset of sorts, if you monetize it. And the way you monetize it is by treating people right and having products or services that they are in need of.

That’s right, you need to treat the people on your list like you want to be treated. The better you treat them and the better you communicate, the more likely they are to buy from you. This is what I call building relationships.

Now one of the things about list building is that you have to continually add new subscribers and then convert a percentage of those subscribers to buyers through the products or services you offer to them.

Here’s the Simple 3-Step Explanation about How to Develop a List Online:

1. Drive Targeted Traffic (searchers) to a Squeeze or Landing Page that has a form for the searcher to subscribe to your list. This page should be focused on capturing the searcher and bringing them into your world. Not telling your entire story and giving away tons of information.

2. Offer Quality Content, Products and/or Services that are produced by you or someone else. Once the searcher has been converted to a subscriber, these products or services should be setup in a sequenced sales funnel along with quality content that keeps the subscriber’s attention.

3. Convert a percentage of your Subscribers into Buyers and you have sales and revenue coming your way. Conversion is the key and you will hear all kinds of formulas and ideas on the best ways to do this. What’s important is that you have a system for converting your subscribers to buyers. Not someone else’s system – but your own. Your conversion rate is your conversion rate and this might be higher or lower than what you see other marketers are saying should be ideal or sufficient.

Simple, right? But know that there are other things that need to be done or what I refer to as the details in between the lines.

So if list building is something you are really looking to pursue or if your list building efforts have not produced much, then go get yourself a copy of The List Building Guide and also check out this page about how to build a list of subscribers.

To your online success,

Dave Krygier
Publisher

Affiliate Marketing & List Building

Affiliate marketing seems to have picked up steam over the last couple of years and there seems to be more and more products with affiliate options. This is really great for the list builder who doesn’t have a product or service to market yet, because the affiliate products can be used in the sales funnel in lieu of self-produced products.

Affiliate marketing and list building work real well together, if the list builder has relevant products in his or her funnel.

For example – If you offer organic gardening information – the products and services you recommend should be related to this topic.  And my suggestion to you is to test as many of these products or services as you can before you heavily promote them.

Now I want to make sure you understand the two sides of the affiliate coin. One side of this coin is where you as a product or service owner find affiliates to market your product or service and when they make a sale you compensate them.

The other side of this coin is where you as the affiliate, market products or services to your email list, on your websites or on other people’s sites. When a sale is made then you make a percentage of the transaction. This is what I am referring to when I mention putting affiliate products in the sales funnel.

When marketing affiliate products and services – make sure you do your homework and research.

You can do what ever you want, it’s your business and as a business owner, it’s your decision as to what products and services you buy and recommend. It’s just that you will be more believable when you recommend a product that you actually use.

I personally find it much easier to recommend products and services that I have tested and used. Over time I have developed a list of affiliate oriented products and services that work for me in my business and recommending them is a pleasure because I know they work and have had success with them.

If you want to know what that list is then check out Dave Recommend’s and see for yourself.

So my recommendation is to be up front and honest about the products and services you promote because long-term is not just about the short sale.

To your online success,

Dave Krygier
Publisher

List Building Guide

How to Increase Email Subscriptions

This article is really directed towards the business that is struggling with ways to capture leads on their website.

Maybe you already have a customer list but haven’t been able to figure out how to further monetize it using email and web-based applications?

Maybe you have yet to develop an online customer list but cannot seem to figure out how to put all the pieces together?

I think many small businesses find themselves at a crossroads where the offline marketing is coming up against the online marketing and they need to figure out how to make the two mesh.

Over the years I’ve seen businesses cheap out on their email lists but invest tens of thousands of dollars on their physical mailing lists because they didn’t have a clue about marketing online.

Oh they might have a Facebook page and Twitter account, so they think they are up on the current online trends, but in reality they haven’t a clue.

Here they have their existing customer both in an offline and online database yet don’t know what to send him or her except sales and promotional mailers and emails.

They miss the boat, week after week, month after month and year after year.

And continue to scratch their heads as to why they can’t seem to figure out how the Internet really works.

If this is you and you are ready to make the change and capitalize on the fact that you have people who are visiting your sites regularly, then here’s what you need to do to increase email subscriptions:

  1. Put a subscribe link (opt in box or form) on every page of your site. This way you are giving the visitor an opportunity to join your list.
  2. Add a free gift (information, trial offer, service, etc…) to entice the visitor to subscribe. People are inundated with offers so make it special.
  3. Put the subscribe form on your blog and post a link on any social media sites that you currently use. This way your opt-in forms are getting maximum exposure and your subscribe rates should increase over time.
  4. Write and send an offer to your existing subscribers that they can share with other people they know. To redeem the offer the new visitor will need to subscribe to your list.

Need more subscribers to opt-in to your email list – subscribe here – and find out how to do this.

Dave Krygier
Publisher

Online Marketing Training

When I first ventured back online – for the second time, I went in search of people to help me. I had tons of questions because it was like being woken up from a two decade long sleep; kind of like falling asleep in the early 1960’s and waking up in the late 1980’s.

It was a tough road let me tell you. Searching for real people that had real online business building experience and offered online marketing training. You know, experienced people who would answer questions and provide help without the $5k to $10k price tag?

There seemed to be lots of products for sale on how to do this and how to do that, but when it came to actual live help and assistance I was stone walled with support system software, hired employees, outsourced workers, fees that were in the stratosphere, no help here or simply no response at all.

But with every adversity comes an equal or greater benefit and I eventually found legitimate resources and mentorship from seasoned online veterans who also had offline experience.

Now I’ve always been one to seek out people who had experience in an area that I was looking to excel at. When it came to golf, I took lessons; tennis – tennis lessons; guitar and vocals – lessons. I always took lessons and learned from people who had been there and done that.

When it came to the web and online marketing training – this was an entirely different animal and boy was it hard to track down. But persevere I did and mentorship I did find.

That’s why I came up with Rule #3 – Being Available.

What does this have to do with your small business, Internet marketing and list building? Being available to your clients and subscribers is what will separate you from most of your competitors. Online and offline.

Most of the competition is looking to get away from human interaction in any way shape or form. They look at the Internet as a way to eliminate this interaction and create walls.

I challenge you, my subscriber, to break down those walls and create solid connections from the very beginning of the relationship when you make first contact.

  • Being available is how you develop relationships with your subscribers and clients.
  • Being available is where you can make a difference in someone else’s life.
  • Being available is creating a true connection with solid online marketing training versus a string of emails with sales messages.

Build your business – be available, and help those who ask for your help.

Dave Krygier
Publisher

PS – If you are still searching, looking and serious  – subscribe here  – and I’ll see what I can do to help you in your online journey.

Traffic for List Building – Part III

As I dig deeper and deeper into this topic of traffic for list building, please understand that there are so many different ways to drive traffic to your website and squeeze pages. In part three of this three part series I am going to give you some insights about where to find your buyers so you can use targeted traffic to bring them to you.

By the way – if you missed Traffic for List Building Part One and Traffic for List Building Part Two, click on the links and then you’ll have a clearer picture of what I’m writing about in this article.

My main focus in this article is on the buyer. Focus on your buyers.

Focus on your buyers and ask yourself the following questions:

Who is he or she? Where do they hang out? How old are they? What are their interests in your niche or subject? Is there any other information to be had about this person?

You see these are important questions and you need to narrow your focus and do some research in order to find these people. Remember, they are people, just like you and me and they have needs just like you and me.

The example I am going to use here is if you are in the niche that has to do with organic gardening and specifically how to setup and grow an organic garden.

If organic gardening is your specialty, then you are looking for buyers who have an interest in organics not traditional methods. This is where you start, with organics. Then you dig deeper and find out what’s hot in the organic marketplace and how it relates to setting up and growing an organic garden.

Now I can keep going but hopefully you see where this is leading and brings us back to targeting the buyers and bringing them to your website or squeeze page. Once you know who the buyers are, then you can develop and implement a traffic strategy that brings them to you.

Maybe that strategy is based on content and search engine optimization?

Maybe it has to do with pay per click and banner advertising?

Whatever method you choose – research and do some testing before you take the plunge and make sure that your traffic is targeted so you will have subscribers who are really interested in your niche.

For more …..info about how you can supercharge your list building activities, check out the List Building Guide and also receive list building tips, tactics and strategies.

Dave Krygier
Publisher

Email Marketing for Small Business

            “The Secret Most Small Businesses Need to Know”

As a small business owner or professional have you ever wondered what it would be like to have a rapidly growing email list of subscribers and clients?

Now if you already have a growing list of subscribers and clients, then congratulations and stay the course. But if you are still one of the many offline companies struggling with email marketing, then this post if for you because I am going to share three steps on how offline companies and individuals can better use email marketing in their businesses.

As I’ve mentioned in previous articles and posts, offline businesses for the most part do not understand how to market with email. Some are great at marketing to their existing client lists through direct mail and direct response marketing, but when it comes to utilizing email they simply don’t have a clue.

Why do these businesses continually miss the boat?

Personalization is one the missing components. I see it all the time. Instead of saying Dear Dave or Hey Dave or just simply Dave, what do they do?

They simply bunch us all together with no personalized greeting and then send e-blasts that are so convoluted and crammed with information that you need a backhoe to get through it.

It’s like they need to say everything all at once, instead of communicating with a more targeted approach. The approach that more clearly and concisely states the offer(s) and calls for a response.

On the other hand you have big corps like the airlines – they kind of get it but still don’t personalize enough or find out what we, as consumers really want to receive. They just assume since you fly with them that you’ll be interested in other kinds of offers, some having to do with travel and some not at all.

It’s a mass-market approach versus a targeted approach.

Ok – let’s wind ‘er down…

It really boggles my mind that more companies and marketers don’t survey very often or at all, and use their email platform to do the heavy lifting. Surveying can make the difference and it’s worth doing every so often to see what customers and subscribers are thinking.

Sooo…

If you are involved in a small business that already has an existing list of clients, you can turbo charge your email marketing efforts just by tweaking a few things:

1. Personalize each and every message that you send to your email list.

2. Add & mix in quality content messages that build up to your sales and promotional messages.

3. Survey and Segment all your lists so you can better serve those that have chosen to stay subscribed.

BTW – if you are using email marketing now and haven’t implemented the three steps above; put them into action as soon as possible. If you are not using email marketing and want to learn how, subscribe to the List Building Guide and get started now!