You've launched your web site. You've implemented a public relations campaign and spent oodles of money advertising in trade journals, magazines and newspapers. But your site's daily visitors are still in single digits and your sales are...well let's just say that early retirement is no longer an option. Now what?
Perhaps it's time to try email marketing. Or, to be specific, an email newsletter. After all, they require minimal effort to produce, and are proven to increase sales.
Of course, there are many other reasons why email newsletters make good business sense. Here's just a few of them:
~ You can create a marketing campaign on a shoestring budget.
~ You can measure
results and find out what works and what doesn't.
~ You can build a personal relationship with a large group of people.
~ Your subscribers pick YOU when they opt-in to your list. ~ You can track customer behavior
~ You can collect user information for specific, targeted campaigns...the list goes on and on.
So what are you waiting for. It's time to take next step and put power of email newsletters to work for you.
Starting Your Email Newsletter Campaign
Before you start any type of marketing or advertising campaign, you need a plan. This is equally true for email newsletters. You don't have to put together a 200-plus page document outlining all your goals and objectives, but you do need to define some basics before you begin.
1. Get to know your audience. It's not enough to say, "they're people who like widgets". Take your cue from magazine publishers. They know exactly who their target audience is, how much money they earn, what social group they fit into and what motivates them to buy. Find out who your customers are, then tailor your newsletter around their needs and desires.
2. Check out your competition. Yes, you do have competition. Find out what they're doing by investing some time to research their product or service. What could you do better? Is there a gap in their service you could fill?
3. Identify your newsletter's purpose. What do you hope to achieve with your newsletter. Do you want to give your subscribers information about your product to help them make purchasing decisions? If so, you must first help them find out more about your product by letting them see how it can make them smarter, healthier, wealthier, or more successful. Or do you want to position yourself as an expert in your field? Your goal here is to provide your subscribers with well-written articles that address issues in your industry. Whatever your objectives, your strategy must focus on your goals.
Creating Content
Now you know what you want your campaign to achieve, it's time to start thinking about content. This is usually where faint hearted run for cover. Fear not. Creating content isn't as difficult as it first appears. Below are different methods you can employ to keep your newsletter content fresh, relevant and on target.
