| There are very few strategies that can mean more to | | | | www. mycompany.com/signup ) at which you have |
| your small business than creating an effective | | | | setup and 'lead capture page' on your website to |
| customer/prospect email marketing program. | | | | obtain the prospect or customer email address in |
| Depending on your level of experience in implementing | | | | exchange for something of value, such as a white |
| an email program, this process can seem rather | | | | paper on a topic of interest to your company, or a |
| daunting. It need not be. | | | | video download, or even some favorite recipes from |
| To simplify the construction of a great email marketing | | | | your staff. This approach is called an 'ethical bribe' and |
| program, we need to break the tasks down into three | | | | is used quite widely. When you invite the site visitor to |
| major areas of concern: | | | | provide their email address, you must assure them that |
| 1. Collecting email addresses of prospects and | | | | you will hold their address in confidence and will not |
| customers of the business. | | | | share it with others. |
| 2. Organizing and maintaining a database of your email | | | | Organizing Your Email Addresses |
| addresses. | | | | However you collect the email addresses of your |
| 3. Developing a coordinated set of marketing emails | | | | prospects and customers, you must ensure that you |
| and offers. | | | | have verified their willingness to be on your list, have a |
| Ways of Collecting Email Addresses | | | | way of organizing the email addresses by prospect or |
| To be effective, an email marketing program must | | | | customer type or other demographic criteria. Do not |
| have the email addresses provided to them by the | | | | attempt to build such a capability yourself! There are |
| email recipient. In other words, your prospect or | | | | many "Autoresponder Services" to choose from |
| customer should tell you that they wish to receive | | | | which provide a set of very cost effective tools to |
| information from your company! This is really the only | | | | manage your email database. Check out the systems |
| process that will work on a ling term basis. To simply | | | | provided by Aweber.com, 1ShoppingCart.com, or |
| send out unsolicited emails to various names on a list is | | | | Developing a Coordinated Email Messages and Offers |
| called SPAMMING, is highly ineffective, and your | | | | You can pre-load a set of customer or prospect |
| company should never be guilty of such practices. | | | | messages of any number and you can set the internal |
| To collect email addresses of your prospects and | | | | at which they will be delivered automatically to your |
| customers, there are several approaches that work | | | | specific prospects and customers. Such messages |
| quite nicely. Many small businesses will ask their visitors | | | | can be used to educate people about your company's |
| to provide their email address whenever they | | | | products and services, to inform them of upcoming |
| complete a registration form, contest entry form, | | | | events in your area and even to entice them to your |
| customer survey, or special offer. A confirmation email | | | | business through effective offers and coupons. |
| is then sent to the prospect to verify their address and | | | | The time that it takes you to develop and implement |
| their willingness to receive information from your | | | | an effective email marketing campaign will likely be the |
| business. You will be amazed at the success that you | | | | most productive time that you spend in your business |
| will receive in such a well constructed campaign. | | | | this year. There is no reason not to take action now! |
| Likewise, you can promote a URL address (such as | | | | |