Archive for Building a Database
It doesn’t matter what your newsletter says….
Posted by: | Commentsnow before you start, firstly yes I’m taking this out of context, however there are several more important reasons for sending a regular newsletter other than the content.
These are:
1. How often are you talking to your clients?
If your clients, customers and prospects aren’t hearing from you at least every 90 days, they are hearing from your competitors. I believe with the speed that information travels these days it’s more likely to be daily, or weekly. If you have a membership based business I would seriously consider at least once per week to your membership base and a fortnightly newsletter to potential new members. Regular contact is imperative to business success.
2. Not everyone will read your content every time
Your readers will generally fall into one of these categories:
- read only the subject & delete the email but they see your name
- open the email and scan it but they see your name
- read only the main article or your introduction but they see your name
- read the whole thing but they see your name
Do you get my point? They don’t need to read the whole newsletter to see you name. But each time they do something they are still seeing your name and your company name and that is the important part.
With our own Brilliant Web Design newsletter we get 1 -2% of our list take up offers but we get 10-20% response with requests for more information or quotes. This is now starting to happen more and more, after 12 months of regular newsletters.
I have heard stories of people who have been on lists for 5 years and never read the newsletter but one day opened one and booked into a $1500 seminar. Why? Because over 5 years of weekly emails they saw this person and their company over 260 times! That’s the power of a regular newsletter.
3. Regular & Repetition is the key
Create a schedule and stick to it. People have joined your list for a reason and are interested in your topic. I have subscribed to many, many newsletters – I think over 100. Do I read them all each week? NO WAY! But I scan some of the subject lines and read what I am interested in. It’s a great way to find information for your own newsletter. I read what is relevant and interesting to me and my clients at that time.
Before I had my own business I was in direct sales and my manager said to me once that “Persistence Beats Resistance”. So just keep going, and eventually it will work for you and your business.
4. Your Subject Line is King
Remember that I said I have subscribed to over 100 weekly newsletters. In order to get my attention they need a great subject line.
Some of the ones which have caught my eye are:
So Natalie, what’s YOUR greatest challenge?
10 Quick & Easy Marketing Tips
How to make money teaching how to make money
7 tips for attracting traffic with YouTube videos
YIKES! Are You Having a Summer Sales Siesta?
Keep a note of all the subject lines you have been attracted to and model them for your business. Magazines are also a great source for subject lines, they spend thousand of dollars researching what sells their magazines -model their approach.
Your subject line will determine if people open your email or not.
5. Never use an attachment or make people click on a link to read the main newsletter – BECAUSE THEY WON’T!
If your aim is to get people to read your newsletter then you need to make sure that the whole newsletter is contained within the email. Your readers shouldn’t have to open PDF’s or click on links to view the main newsletters. Many people now read their emails using the reading panel in Outlook, so they can scan the email in one glance. If you have a PDF or a link – if won’t even get scanned. Just don’t do it!
So, your action step is to start a regular newsletter. Need help? Call Natalie now on 0408 545 516 or email me.
9 Essential Elements to a Successful Website
Posted by: | CommentsWebsites are becoming the new business cards, vital for first impressions and to give clients more information than you business card can. There are so many web designers around with pricing ranging from a few hundred to several thousands. You need to make an informed decision and know what you want and don’t want on your website. Ideally it should be build with by an online marketer instead of a web or graphic designer. Generally web and graphic designer will make your site look fantastic’s, however that doesn’t guarantee any success with your site. Below are 9 essential elements your website should include.
1. Clean and Simple Design, Layout & Navigation
A confused mind says NO. What does this mean for you? If your website is too busy, has things flashing at people, they are not sure where to click or find information, they will leave your website and find your competitors. As with your business card, simple is best. With lots of white space. Don’t over crowd your page. Keep the navigation in the obvious places – left panel or top. Include a return home button on each page.
2. Capture Form
People do business with people they know, like and trust. Online this can take some time to establish especially for service or higher price items. This is why an capture form is vital to your online success. Once you are able to capture visitors details you can send them a regular newsletter and build a rapport and trust with them and hence gain more sales. Your capture forms needs to be located above the fold (in the top part of the website which users can see without scrolling) and ideally give away a free report, audio or video as an incentive to sign up. People don’t like giving out their email address but they love receiving free information.
3. Content Management System
The world is changing quickly and you need to be able to edit your website quickly. The easiest and most affordable way is via a content management system. Using a web based system you can edit the text on your website when ever and where you like. Most systems are as simple as using Microsoft Word and require no programming skills. With a content management system there is no excuse for having out of date information on your website. You may pay extra for hosting however the extra per month in the long run will be cheaper than getting a web designer to make changes.
4. Contact Us Form
Unfortunately SPAM (unsolicited emails) are a fact of live in the technology age. SPAM spiders crawl the web for email addresses, so for this reason is very important to never, never, never have your email address on a website. This is why a “Contact Us Form” is vital on your website. It allows users to contact you via email and saves you the SPAM headaches. On your contact us page make sure you provide as much relevant information as possible. By relevant I mean, don’t put your home phone if you don’t use it for business and it could be answered by your 5 year child. If you only have a mobile for business then only include your mobile.
5. About Us Page
Often the most overlooked page, but one of the most important pages is the “About Us” Page. Many users use this page to find out more about the company ie Do I trust this company enough to hand over my email address, credit card or contact them. Include your experience, why you started your business, how you work, etc. Even online people still buy from people, so make your website personal about you and your company. Don’t make it a big corporate front. Use your “About Us” page to express this.
6. Testimonials & Case Studies
No one wants to be the first. Make sure you include testimonials or case studies of previous clients and their experience. This relives buyers fears and will increase your sale. When you are just starting out, ask a trusted friend or business associate to trial your product or service (for free) on the condition that they write you a testimonial. Ask every client to provide you with one. To make then as real as possible, include: name, location, website (if relevant), and photo.
7. Blog
A blog is an online journal generally written more casually than a normal web page. They can be used for informing clients of new products/services, industry changes, interesting information. The reason I like them so much is they are excellent for increasing your search engine rankings. Search engines love fresh content, and the quickest and easiest way if via a blog. Post regularly can really improve your rankings and also provide more interaction with your clients as they can make comments on what you are say.
8. Google Analytics
Google Analytics is one of the best things you can put on your website and it’s absolutely free. Google Analytics will allow you to track your results. Once you know where you are starting from you can work to improve your websites performance. Google Analytics can tell you a host of things including; number of visitors, number of pages visitors, how long on each page, how they found your website, number one referring websites. You can also set goals and it will track performance and produce a report for you. Many web developers provide you with basic statistics, however Google Analytics has everything you will need.
9. Sitemap
Sitemaps are primary navigation. A user can click on your sitemap and find a link to each page. If you have lots of pages some users will use them to find what they are looking for, however I like them for increasing search engine rankings. You can submit your sitemap to Google and it will increase your chances of being found on the search engines quicker and higher. A sample sitemap can be found at www.brilliantblog.com.au/sitemap
Want to use this article in your e-zine or website? You can as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Natalie Alaimo is a Small Business Marketing Consultant and Online Marketer. Natalie provides small business owners, women and entrepreneurs with straight forward marketing and branding services including one on one coaching and do-it- yourself marketing products. Natalie is a published author and runs several websites, including www.nataliealaimo.com. If you are looking to kick start your business, go online now to get your Free e-book at Brilliant Web Design
Do you have my details?
Posted by: | CommentsI recently attended a marketing seminar and the presenter shared this quote with us. I was unable to find who said it or the exact words but it went something like this. You can take away my business, my equipment and my capital, but leave me my customer and I will have it all back in six months. Many business owners don’t realise that their customers are the most important asset a business has, and with the right marketing you can get them to return more often and spend more when they do. This of course is only possible if you have their details. Do you have a current, up to date database with all the contact details of your customers? I am not talking about an accounting package, but a proper customer relationship management program – like ACT!, Goldmine or at the bare minimum use Outlook or Excel – just make sure you are getting your customers details. There are many ways to build your database some of these include:
• ASK Them: Ask your customers for their details when they order – make it a requirement of ordering from your business. I once went to get my eyebrows waxed and at the end of the treatment I went to pay, at any other beauty salon I would just hand over the money and that would be the end of it. This time however the beautician asked if I had been there before, to which I replied no. She then said “I just have to get your details to finalise the sale”, she then proceed to get my name, address, phone number and email address. Now each month I receive a printed newsletter outlining all their new treatments and customer only specials for the month.
• Competition: Hold a monthly prize draw to win some great prizes from your business. A restaurant could offer a FR*EE dinner for two valued at $60 or a solicitor could offer a free consultation etc. Customers like to win things – just make sure you let them know on the entry form that by giving you their details you will be contacting them again, however you will never rent, sell or give their details away.
• VIP Club: Invite your customers to join your “VIP Club” in which they will receive first notice of sales and specials, VIP only promotions and maybe a discount with each order.
• FREE Report: Give away a FR*EE report or ebook. Create a report or ebook on your area of expertise to give away fr*ee to clients who give you their details. This can be done either via your website or instore and mail them a copy. If you go to www.brilliantwebdesign.com.au you can get a free copy of our ebook “37 Ways To Increase Traffic To Your Website”
• Networking: How many networking functions have you attended this month? Make networking part of your overall marketing plan. Remember that you just can’t add everyone you meet to your email database – you must ask their permission to comply with the SPAM act. Some Gold Coast networking functions include: BNI (www.bni.com.au), Terri Cooper (www.terricooper.com.au) and IBL (www.businessleaders.com.au), also try your local chamber of commerce.
So go right now and check out your database system and make sure it works for your business.
Want to use this article in your e-zine or website? You can as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Small Business Marketing Consultant and Owner of Brilliant Web Design, Natalie Alaimo wants your business to be a success. If you are looking to kick start your small business, get your FR*EE e-book now at www.brilliantwebdesign.com.au
