Posted by Mitch Tarr on Wed, Aug 25, 2010 @ 05:23 PM
One question I get frequently is "How do I grow my list?" I've shown some great examples of list building techniques here in this blog but I came across one yesterday that I thought was quite well done.
Use an iPad as a data entry screen.
This is a simple three step process and you've added a new way to collect email addresses.
1. Place an iPad at your point of sale. First you need to use the technology to it's advantage. iPads are sexy and cool and people love them.
I've seen (two) businesses that use a small laptop for this purpose but an iPad has a much higher form factor. Not everyone has seen or touched one.
Place a small sign nearby and invite people to join your list in order to get the latest news, info, and offers. (In case you're worried there are ways to secure your iPad so it doesn't walk out the door. Have you ever tried to get one out of the Apple store?)
2. Create a webpage with an optin form on it. You could of course write an App that collects data (there's already one for winery tasting rooms) but let's keep this simple.
Use a simple html web page with a sign up form. Ask for name and email address (any maybe State) and it's as simple as that.
3. Send out an autoresponder message or series. This is a pretty important piece of the puzzle. Keep in mind that signing up for your list on an iPad was only one small part of someone's day. You'll need to remind them they did so and you'll want to start to build a stronger relationship.
I've written lots about autoresponders so you already know how to use them.
I'll be watching for the first iPad I see with this on it. If you see one let me know!
Posted by Mitch Tarr on Thu, Aug 19, 2010 @ 04:10 PM
I was talking with a new client today and it became apparent that one of the characteristics that had made their business successful in the past 30 years was their basic beliefs.
An email marketing consutant (which we are) is no different. I felt it might help if we outline what we believe in so you know what to expect from us.
Human nature is immutable.
I heard this statement more than once from the first marketing man I looked up to--Jay Abraham. I find this to be true. The basic motivating emotions that drive human behavior have been the same for many, many years.
Greed, ego, vanity, fear, have been present for generations and don't show any sign of changing soon. We know how to connect marketing campaigns to these motivators so we know how to create campaigns that work.
Copy Rules!
The brand marketing experts and wonderful graphic designers hate when I say that, but words more than anything motivate action.
I attended a seminar two years ago with a room filled with graphic artists. They all told me I needed a new 'look' to have a strong brand. Instead I rewrote my sales copy and doubled my lead flow.
Next time you're reading a boring (but beautiful) static website that doesn't help you solve a problem you'll know what I mean.
Marketing is a skill and can be learned.
I talk with people who feel they are marketing experts because they see ads all day long and have opinions about which they like and don't like.
But they don't know the seven motivators of action, what AIDA means to a marketing campaign, or 12 styles of headlines that generate interest, or why knowing your cost of client acquisition is important.
I can drive my car, but I'm not a mechanic.
Measurement and Tracking are Mandatory.
Raise your hand if you have an unlimited marketing budget. (Oh, and call me if you do!) All of us have limitations on how much marketing money we spend.
You've heard the expression perhaps, "We know we are wasting half of our advertising budget--we just don't know which half."
By measuring and tracking your marketing activities you can do this. In simple terms, do more of the type that brings the best ROI and get rid of the type that generates the lowest.
In recent years email marketing has produced the highest ROI of ANY marketing channel. As an email marketing consultant we think we're right in suggesting that you replace an under performing marketing channel with email marketing.
You'll get better results.
Posted by Mitch Tarr on Mon, Aug 16, 2010 @ 08:50 PM
I have to say. I am a big fan of IKEA. It's not many things they don't do well and I'd say they have some very smart marking people on board.
Aside from good catalog marketing, attention-getting radio ads, and the loss-leader 99 cent breakfasts, they have a very smart and very advanced email marketing strategy.
See the real estate they use on their home page to entice you to sign up for their newsletter. "Join our List!", they say.
Good copy.
But the really advanced skill is this. As soon as I input my name and email address I am presented with this screen.
Look at those questions. You know that they are segmenting their audience-right from the signup step.
Homeowners, renters, parents, kitchen renovators, engaged couples, you can imagine that they would be more inclined to send wedding product information to only one of those groups.
And that is good marketing. List segmentation is a critical skill to good email marketing. Start thinking about it right from the beginning.
Posted by Mitch Tarr on Mon, Aug 16, 2010 @ 08:33 PM
Sales prospecting is something every small business and every sales rep needs to be doing--constantly.
I see sales prospecting as not one task, but two. Task one is the marketing and task two is the selling.
I once had a sales manager that once described marketing and sales to me in this way.
He said. "Marketing is like the eagle. They soar above everything. They look down and see what's going on. They can see into the distance and plan accordingly. And when they want they choose one thing, like a nice salmon, and swoop in and scoop it up"
Marketing = the eagle.
"Sales though", he said, "is like the buffalo. They travel in groups and head in the same direction. When one runs, they all run. They can't be stopped when they are running. They are a force of nature."
Sales = the buffalo.
Now I can sort of see the analogy but most importantly, I really believe that in small businesses you need to be constantly sales prospecting for new leads. Looking for opportunity. When you finally have attracted a lead in your direction, you switch gears to be more specific and try to move your sales prospect from a lead to a customer.
As Seth Godin would say. "Converting strangers to friends and friends to customers."
So when you are running your business and rushing around finding the work and then doing the work both, stop for a second and decide . . . will you be an eagle or a buffalo today?
Posted by Mitch Tarr on Mon, Aug 09, 2010 @ 11:26 AM
The iPad has made quite a splash this year in all industries and it was only a matter of time before innovative marketers figured out how to use the iPad to increase direct to consumer wine sales.
I've seen a few blog posts recently which highlighted how an iPad can help collect email addresses in a winery tasting room but I recently came across a company who has taken it to the next level.
What Ra-software has done is to really understand and help winery tasting room visitors to remember their visit to your tasting room--and at the same time give your visitor a good reason to leave behind their email address.
What you see on the right is an example of their software application (which runs on an iPad) set up to help visitors remember their visit to YOUR tasting room.
Many visitors to a wine region like Napa or Sonoma will visit more than a single winery. It's not uncommon to visit 4 or 5 wineries in a single day!
It can be easy to forget which wine you wanted to refer back to later.
Ra-software has built an easy-to-use application which solves that problem.
Using the iPad app, a visitor can rate a wine on a scale from 1 to 5, input their email address, and the application sends them an email summarizing their tasting notes!
Just like that, your winery has improved the visitor experience and now stands apart from other wineries in the area.
If the visitor gives their permission, the winery may then add the visitor to their newsletter to keep in touch.
Take a look at their website to read more>
Posted by Mitch Tarr on Wed, Aug 04, 2010 @ 10:30 AM
Guest Post. This is a guest post written by Jim Kukral, author of "Attention! This Book Will Make You Money." Pay attention, he is right on the mark with this post.
Blast is a word you need to take out of your vocabulary. Nobody wants to be blasted. If you want that, go hunting with Dick Cheney.
No, your readers want you to give them what they signed up for. They want helpful, problem-solving information that they were promised when they joined your email list. Blasting them with things that they didn't ask for is a sure-fire way to get a ton of unsubscribes.
Here's a few ideas to improve your email success.
Personalize every email you send. NEVER send an email with the dreaded "Dear Valued Customer/Reader" opening. When someone reads that they know that it's a chain letter and they immediately put it in the mental spam folder. Instead, use your mailing program feature to include the person's name. You do have an email program that can do that for you, right? You are collecting more than just email address, right? At least get their first name. It's VERY important.
Don't oversend. There's a big temptation to send a lot of emails all the time. The truth is that if people hear from you "too" much, they begin to ignore you. Think about it. All those newsletters you signed up for that you get each day in your inbox that you no longer look at. That can happen to you.
Speaking of newsletters. Stop sending, or promoting, newsletters. Nobody wants to read a newsletter anymore. People want quick, helpful, problem-solving information sent to them, not large, heavy emails with 20 different stories.
For over 15-years, Jim Kukral has helped small businesses and large companies like Fedex, Sherwin Williams, Ernst & Young and Progressive Auto Insurance understand how to find success on the Web. Jim is the author of the book, "Attention! This Book Will Make You Money", as well as a professional speaker, blogger and Web business consultant. Find out more by visiting www.JimKukral.com. You can also follow Jim on Twitter @JimKukral.
Posted by Mitch Tarr on Tue, Aug 03, 2010 @ 05:46 PM
Opt in email marketing is all the rage these days. However, I see so many mistakes I thought I would boil it down to five simple-to-follow tips so you can build your lead flow and generate more sales.
1. Offer a whitepaper or report. Many companies demonstrate that they are industry thought leaders by writing blogs and articles but not all take the time to compile this information into a 'useful' report.
It's important this information be useful and not a thinly veiled sales pitch.
2. Place this offer on your site. You should consider the 'advertising' of this offer as a key component of your website. You should have an image of the report cover and you should place the image on every page in a prominent position. Every page.
3. Tell me the benefits your report offers. Spend a few words to show how your report or whitepaper will, 'save money, increase productivity, explain how to increase ROI, shorten timelines, increase quality and help you sleep better at night.' Use a clearly-worded benefit.
4. Measure your opt in rate. If you use opt in email marketing as an important part of your marketing mix, you should measure it. At a bare minimum you should know Number of Opt ins / Number Of Unique Visitors for your overall site and by page. If you want to do more advanced marketing you should test different landing pages and different report titles to try and increase your rates.
5. Use autoresponders. Autoresponders are a cornerstone of opt in email marketing campaigns. You are only doing half the job if you haven't got autoresponders set up to follow up with a potential lead after they download your report or whitepaper.
Posted by Mitch Tarr on Mon, Jul 26, 2010 @ 06:41 PM
I think an email autoresponder is probably the biggest secret weapon in the email marketing arsenal.
An email autoresponder isn't a complicated thing. It works like this.
1. Something happens. Like someone signs up for your newsletter.
2. An email automatically gets sent.
3. Other emails follow to a predetermined timeline.
Here's a simple method for generating additional leads and sales.
Let's say you offer a free report on your website. Your visitor simply has to sign up and leave their email address.
1. Send an immediate email with clear instructions on how to ensure the report gets delivered. If they need to download Adobe Acrobat make sure you give them a link. If they need to check their inbox for a confirmation email, let them know the exact steps that will happen.
2. Send your next email within the next 24 hours. Simply make sure they received the download or report link successfully. This will do three things. It will show them you value the report. It will remind them to read the report. It will remind them who you are.
I have to admit I have a few, as yet unread, reports on my desktop right now.
3. Send your next email in about 3 days. In this email, remind them of the value of the report (use benefits) and point them to a specific chapter. Tell them what to expect when they read that chapter. Quote a customer case study from someone who followed the advice in that chapter and the results they achieved.
4. Send your next email about 5 to 7 days after that. This email is the piviotal one. Do not at this point offer to sell them something! Most of you will be tempted. At this point, you need to continue to give something of value. These days many companies have great blog content that could be useful to someone who is interested in your report content. Highlight a few posts and link to them. You still have to give before you get.
5. Send your next email 7 days after that. Here you are almost familiar to the reader. You might tell the story of your company and how it delivers the benefits your offer your clients. You could show a testimonial or two. You could highlight what your company does which is different than others. You should keep this email (like the others) short. Don't write a book here.
6. Send your next email 7 to 14 days after that. This middle part can continue on the path of the past few messages. Give, give, give. You are trying to earn the right to engage in a more meaninful sales conversation.
7. Nearing the end of this series. You should now be ready to send a message to offer to engage in a phone conversation to do a review or needs assessment or whatever method you use to start a sales process. Let them come to you. Alternatively you can offer a follow on report that might have some very 'exclusive' content that they can only get via another sign up.
Those people that sign up for this content are becoming very qualified and deserve contact from a sales rep.
The real value of an email autoresponder like this is that once you have this series set up you just have to monitor the email statistics and see which messages are most read and which links are most clicked on and you'll be able to adjust accordingly.
Make sure you use email autoresponders to support your B2B sales process. You'll generate more sales.
Posted by Mitch Tarr on Fri, Jul 23, 2010 @ 12:33 PM
So I'm in Vancouver, BC last week and I have some time between appointments so I figure now is as good a time as any to get the oil changed in my car.
I drive into a Mr Lube oil change center and at the end of the service the attendant hands me this form.
It's pretty straightforward. Asks for name and email address. It was optional but I always need to see what the offers are, so I signed up.
You'll notice on the page they throw a few benefits at me to tell my why I should join. This is always an email marketing best practice.
Now, they know I'm a customer and the key question is . . . what will they do in order to entice me to return?
Then, 5 days later, I get an email. It is brilliant. It is simple and straight forward and there are at least 6 personalized items in the email that makes it VERY personal. And personalized emails have proven again and again to increase email marketing effectiveness.
What's brilliant about this is that they personalize the email with not only my name and the model of my car, but they combine it with the location of the store, the phone number of the store, and the name of the store manager.
When you go to do email personalization, do you go the extra step to include items that might make the email more special?
Posted by Mitch Tarr on Wed, Jul 21, 2010 @ 11:23 AM
Ezine ads aren't thought about very often but make sure you test them out for your marketing.
In the past 10 years many companies have been building large followings by writing Ezines with great content.
Along the way some of these companies have decided that by placing ads in their Ezines they could generate a few advertising dollars.
In order to evaluate whether paying for an ezine ad can work for you ask these questions.
1. How many readers? Seems simple enough but often there might be several Ezines or different versions of an Ezine. Make sure you know which version you'd be in. In addition to number of readers you'll want to know about opens and historical click rates.
2. Who are the readers? Knowing the Ezine audience is a good way to also know if you're about the reach your intended target. If you find the audience to be too different from your own, you'll probably want to take a pass.
3. Placement in the Ezine. Often a highly read Ezine will have more than one ad. Research has shown that Ezine ads in the body copy to be the most effective. Ad in the left or right columns are less so. If you are able to specify location, go for the body copy.
Of course you'll want to track the traffic results from the Ezine to see how many visitors you recieve and if they stick around to eventually become customers.
I haven't tested this personally but I've read that frequency works in your favor for Ezine ads. If you can get a better rate for placement in several issues, that might be something for you to try also.
