“Email is, like, so 2002!”

“Email is my gold mine!”

“Email is essential to our customer outreach!”

The quotes above represent the debate over the success of email marketing.  For some, it is a past-time of marketing because no one checks email anymore.  That is to be argued, probably the same way people say, “people don’t watch TV commercials anymore” or “no one reads direct mail” or “no one clicks on Facebook ads.”  While alot of people may have a strong opinion about the demise of certain methods, we can’t assume it’s all dead.  Not a big fan of Yellow Page advertising, but still, there are SOME people who still read those (although a very small number).

For some small businesses, email marketing is a lifeline to communicating with current and new customers.  You hear it on the radio commercials for Constant Contact all the time – it’s like email marketing is the new thing!  So I wanted to share some ideas:

• BIG WIGS USE IT - Some of the biggest names in marketing still use email marketing (and use it effectively with good results) – Duct Tape Marketing founder, John Jantsch, shares his take on “How I Use Email Marketing” (and notice John’s poll results!)
• INTEGRATE – use your email marketing to drive people to Facebook, to your blog, and ultimately to your website.  However, while its tempting to dump alot of connection points in your email, you also have to recognize your audience’s attention span.  Don’t give them so many links, articles and touch points that they don’t do anything
• DRIP, DRIP, DRIP - now for some industries, I hear people talking about “drip campaigns” as a canned set of generic email content that is pushed out to the subscriber.  Yuk!  Who wants to read that.  What I mean by “drip campaign” is to share something valuable with your subscribers on a consistent basis.  Perhaps you send out emails weekly, monthly or even quarterly.  But they are a repetition that hits your audience with a consistent reach to keep you “top-of-mind” with them.  We have had several clients come to us and comment that they had been receiving emails from us for 6-9 months before they actually laid out any money with us.  The emails serve as a reminder of your potential to be their solution – and when they have a need, you’ll be the first person they think about!
• STOP PROMOTING – actually what I mean is “stop promoting 100% of the time!”  There’s a balanced approach to all your communication (same applies to Facebook posts, too) – rather than being so self-focused and narcissistic, consider being a H-E-L-P-E-R:
  • H – drive people to a relevant resource on your HUB (there’s the “H”) which is your website – think about a good video or ebook
  • E – EDUCATING your audience breaks barriers where constant self-promotion pushes people away
  • L – LEAD and LAUGH; post content in your emails that challenge people and demonstrate your leadership; also humor works well
  • P – yes, you can PROMOTE, just do it in balance with the other things
  • E – ENGAGE – invite your readers to connect on Facebook and Twitter and actually communicate in their world (on their blog)
  • R – it doesn’t hurt to show a RELATIONAL side of your business – showcase employees, client-of-the-month, featured strategic partner
• TRACK – email marketing service providers like Constant Contact afford you the opportunity to measure the success of your emails.  Play around with the subject titles, the time of day the emails are published and the length of the emails.  Test differing versions to see if you get higher open rates.  Stop using Outlook to send your emails (they are likely going into spam folders!)

-Randy

Have you heard of the “Marketing Hourglass” ?  Created by John Jantsch of Duct Tape Marketing, it is a simple illustration of the marketing process.

WATCH THIS 12 MIN SLIDECAST ABOUT THE MARKETING HOURGLASS (press “green arrow” button to play the audio – and click the “x” to take off the scrolling ads)

As well, ss I shared with this person, here are 3 things to do right now that cost nothing but move your potential customers (and your repeat clients) more toward KNOW-LIKE-TRUST-REPEAT-REFER:

1. Get back to blogging! This is your best form of online “real estate” to educate, inform, inspire and compel. You can then repurpose a blog post on to your Facebook Page and your personal FB profile as well.
2. Speaking of that – keep plugging away at Facebook. FB is a hotbed for word-of-mouth referrals. People can easily talk about you in their status updates (encourage . . . no, ASK/TELL your clients to do TAG you in their status . . .so that your FB Page shows up in your status).
3. Do you have a email marketing system for regular communication? We use Constant Contact – about $15/month but a 2-month FREE TRIAL gets you using it through the holidays for NO COST!!! Periodic communication with your potential customer throughout the holiday remind them of your value (as long as you don’t constantly self-promote . . . use that blog as educational content to share in your emails).  This also keeps you top-of-mind at whatever time they are ready to move forward with you and pay you money.

So, there are no excuses today!  Get busy marketing . . . and enjoy the fact that it’s costing you nothing!

- Randy

Last week, I got to spend 3 full days alongside 30+ Duct Tape Marketing coaches and consultants in Kansas City, MO where DTM was first launched by John Jantsch.  (read full press release, “Fort Worth Duct Tape Marketing Consultant Optimizes Small Business“)

Curious about the name “Duct Tape Marketing“, many people ask me about it.  You can read this story of Duct Tape Marketing on fellow Australian Duct Tape Marketing Consultant, Richard Duffy’s site.  It’s a simple metaphor that means marketing should be “simple, effective and affordable just like duct tape.”  ( . . . plus it replaces the boring alternative like “John Jantsch Marketing“.)  Don’t examine or critique the metaphor beyond its simplicity – it has become for hundreds of thousands of people all over the world the best source for small business marketing advice.

I’m thrilled to be a part of the organization since 2008.

I’ve certainly blogged about Duct Tape Marketing on this blog, so I wanted to spend today talking about what’s in it for me:

1. COMMUNITY – Donny and I are a team – but we’re not a full-size marketing agency with dozens of creative folks to bounce ideas off of, so it’s helpful to have a community of marketing consultants on whom we can call on for advice, counsel or collaboration (there are 50+ DTM consultants worldwide . . . more on that below).
2. COLLABORATION – in addition to weekly (sometimes daily) interactions on our internal project collaboration forum (where we tons of ideas and share tools, tips and resources), we just spent 3 days face-to-face together talking about working on join projects together, brainstorming over lunch with fellow DTM consultants about joint coaching seminars, and talking about innovative ways that we can help every small business in America!
3. DIVERSITY – I need to correct #2, because we share a common vision to impact business around the globe!   We have Duct Tape Marketing consultants outside of just the United States, but in Canada, Australia, U.K, Hungary, Bahrain, and Columbia! That’s a wide variety of experiences with small businesses from a variety of industries and cultures.  That rich diversity helps all of us in the network to coach better, offer higher quality consulting and create more innovative strategies to help you!
4. STRATEGIC PARTNERING – outside of our local strategic partners, Duct Tape Marketing is approached by small business suppliers all the time to become exclusive vendors for the Duct Tape Marketing organization – most recognizable is the most recent announcement that Constant Contact is now the preferred strategic vendor of Duct Tape Marketing for delivery email marketing services. When I’m a solo marketing guy, it’s not easy to partner up with such nationally-recognized vendors.  But being a part of the Duct Tape Marketing network affords us exclusive access to provide unique benefits to assist our small business and non-profit clients.

There are probably more than just four reasons, but I wanted to give you a few of the reasons we remain committed to Duct Tape Marketing.  We look forward to finishing strong in 2010 and helping many small businesses in 2011 install this very simple, effective and affordable small business marketing system!

-Randy

A shameless promotional plug:

You can launch a FREE 60-Day trial with Constant Contact by clicking this link.  They do not even require a credit card upfront to get started!  While there are a plethora of email marketing services, we’re excited about partnering with the obvious national leader in email marketing services.

** FOR FUN:  READ THIS GREAT ARTICLE FROM DELIVER MAGAZINE ALL ABOUT DUCT TAPE MARKETING (Click on image to read PDF) **

]]> http://www.marketingtwins.com/duct-tape-marketing/duct-tape-marketing-wants-in-it-for-me/feed/ 0 http://www.marketingtwins.com/email-marketing/valentines-day-email-marketing-how-to-treat-your-customers/ http://www.marketingtwins.com/email-marketing/valentines-day-email-marketing-how-to-treat-your-customers/#comments Thu, 04 Feb 2010 12:00:04 +0000 updater http://www.MarketingTwins.com/?p=4702

Here are a few relevant articles about email marketing and Valentine’s Day:

Email Marketing Tips For A Valentine’s Day Sales Boost

Valentine’s Day Email Marketing Promotions

Valentine’s Day Email Marketing Tips

Valentine’s Day Marketing Ideas for Ecommerce

And finally, here’s a debate going into your romantic dinner out:

Twitter friend, marketing blogger and fellow small business marekting consultant, Jay Ehret, shares his thoughts on how Valentine’s Day should be viewed by the restaurant owner – and it’s NOT about making alot of money on Valentine’s Day but creating long-term customers.

Jay also shares a link to another article from a restaurant blogger, John Foley, who says Valentine’s Day is your day to make positive cash flow.

Which is it?  Does it have to be either/or?

Image credit: bitter tonic

This fun event honors select men and women under the age of 40 who are helping to shape the future through their business and community involvement. They are leaders today and are sure to be part of the next generation that will make Tarrant County a great place to live and work.

Who will you nominate?

______________________________________________

One of our clients is having their annual Dinner & Auction tomorrow night.  We are currently involved in their website redesign as well as printing all the materials for this event.  It is also a charity that is closely tied to our Greater Things Initiative, so we are thrilled to support them.

______________________________________________

MARKETING RESOURCE SPOTLIGHT:

When it comes to getting a hosting account for your website, we suggest using HostGator. Excellent customer service, affordable prices and more!  Monthly hosting at less than $10/month . . . can’t beat it!

If you are looking for one of the very best email marketing programs around, you can’t beat one that allows you to send emails to up to 500 contacts for less than $10/month . . . hey this $10/month seems to be a theme today.

Have a great weekend!

-Randy

* Be watching next week for a rollout of a series of coaching program announcements as well as “The Boot”!

Step 1: Narrow Your Market Focus

Step 2: Communicate Your Difference

Step 3: Packaging Your Product

Step 4: Create Marketing Materials that Educate

Step 5:Advertising, Referrals and PR: Your Lead Generation Trio!

We’re coming to the end of this series on “7 Steps to Marketing Success” – powered by the proven principles of Duct Tape Marketing.  As the economy wears on and I hear more stories of hardship in people’s lives and businesses, I am convinced that these principles work.   And if by chance, you’re CONSIDERING starting a business of your own, why not do it NOW!   Your mind will tell you that you should wait for “better economic times” – but when will that be?  Do it now and you’ll be glad to have a say-so in your future!  As a small business owner and one who started in n0t-so-great economic times, I am loving the independence and getting to do it with my brother, Donny!  Sure, there’s uncertainty, but it’s alot of fun, too!  Click here if you want to access a great resource from Jonathan Fields – it will change the way you work and live for the rest of your life!

OK – check your website now.  Would you consider your website more “informative” or “interactive“?  The former uses your website to tell everything about you and your store/product/service.  When people come, they have no doubt what you have to offer.  They peruse and they leave.  On the other hand, what about having a site that your visitors interact with?  The key that successful sites have discovered is to convert your site’s visitor to a hot prospect by capturing their email address!

Sites that do not collect this vital link back to their prospects are losing the opportunity for follow-up.  Perhaps someone visits your site because they saw a direct link somewhere.  But, when they arrive, perhaps they are not in the purchasing mindset.  If they leave, you have no way of reaching them again.  But if you draw them into your database, then they have given you permission to send them new updates, information on new products/services, and, voila!, one day when they’re ready, they’ll buy.

Email marketing systems are affordable and pretty easy to manage on your own.  Just put up a sign-up form on your website to collect email addresses.  Most people offer something of value in exchange (recognizing this email address is valuable to you) – perhaps a free report, free e-book, coupons, free sample, something fun or informative, etc…  So create something that your visitors would find interesting and valuable and make it available to them.  Email marketing must be permission based to be effective – no one like spammers.  In this way, your website is working for you 24/7 – this is especially important if you have a storefront where you have limited store hours.  People surf the net at all hours, and alot of your prospects are likely doing it in the evening after their kids are in bed!

Sign up for our FREE MARKETING REPORT just to the right of this post!  Here’s a longer post concerning the power of email marketing – you’ll also find out who we use to handle our email marketing campaigns!

NEXT UP – Step 7 – Live by a calendar – manage your brand!

- Randy Vaughn – Fort Worth’s Only DUCT TAPE MARKETING Authorized Coach

.
In order now:

Step 1: Narrow Your Market Focus

Step 2: Communicate Your Difference

Step 3: Packaging Your Product

Step 4: Create Marketing Materials that Educate

Step 5: Advertising, Referrals and PR: Your Lead Generation Trio!

Step 6: Website that works 24/7 – Email Marketing

Here are some great coaching tips regarding a simple 5-step process for creating fail-proof permission-based email marketing that will lead you on a road map to email marketing success! 

Step 1.  Start using permission-based email software such as iContact (the permission-based email system we love!) that allows you to easily create newsletters, automatically manage subscribes, unsubscribes, bounces, and view reporting statistics like opens and forwards.  iContact has whitelist agreements with major ISPs so clients can enjoy industry-leading deliverability (you won’t be viewed as sending spam!).

Step 2.  Decide on the type and frequency of email communication you will be sending. I recommend sending at least a monthly newsletter (at minimum!) but consider every 7-15 days if possible when sending relevant content to your subscribers.  You can even send multiple newsletters if you sell different types of products or formats.  Take us for example: We send out a “Marketing Twins Hightlight” bi-weekly and “A Word From the Marketing Twins” on the off weeks.  

Step 3.  Add a sign-up form to your website so you can start collecting subscribers and import any existing lists of subscribers that have already requested your communications. It is generally safe to import the names of anyone who has done business with you in the past year, provided you will be sending content relevant to what they purchased.  Make the sign-up form easy to find on your site and offer an incentive for people to sign up (like we do – you get a FREE REPORT!) as well.

Step 4.  Choose a good email template by using the templates provided within the email software, having your in-house team create one, or using the custom design services of the email software company. iContact provides over 300 design templates within the software that can be used free of charge.  In addition, the Marketing Twins can help you create your own banner to use in your template that includes your logo and basic contact information to give your emails a great, consistent look.  Let us know if we can help!

Step 5.  Develop quality, relevant content for your newsletter or message and send it out to your list. Continue sending your newsletters, announcements, or promotions with consistent frequency. As your list grows, you will notice increased traffic (and if applicable, increased sales) on the day of and the days following an email send.   That’s one of the benefits of using software like iContact – you can track and get great easy-to-read results!

So what are you waiting for – get started today!  If you are unsure about taking on this task yourself (or don’t have the time), we have affordable Email Marketing Packages where we come alongside to help you launch your email marketing!  Plus, right now, iContact  is even offering a 15% discount through the end of the month so now’s the time to take advantage.  Click here to start or contact us to get the emails going!

-Donny

p.s.  Don’t forget to register for our next FREE Double Take LIVE Broadcast with Beijing Olympic Gold Medalist, Stephanie Brown Trafton (Women’s Track & Field).  The call is Wednesday, October 8th at NOON CST but is initially limited to the first 50 people to register so sign up NOW!